Sadrist Trend fears support for US troop extension

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Official Spokesman for Iraq’s Shiite Sadrist Trend, led by the Young Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, has expressed his Trend’s fears of the positions adopted by certain Iraqi military commanders in support of the presence of U.S. forces in the country.   A statement by Salah al-Obeidy, as was received by IraqiNews.com news agency on Monday also said that “the Iraqi government had settled its position, rejecting the extension of the U.S. troops presence in Iraq.”   “Despite the political position of the government, which has rejected the presence of the occupation forces in Iraq, we fear the positions of some military commanders in this respect,” Obeidy said.   The Official Spokesman for the Iraqi Government, Ali al-Dabbagh, denied a statement by the U.S. Defense Secretary, Leon Panetta, that the Iraqi government had agreed to an extension of the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq after the end of 2011.   “The Sadrist Trend will not support the presence of American training forces in the country after the end of the initially agreed upon period, which was the end of this year,” Obeidy said.   The Security Agreement, signed between Baghdad and Washington in 2008, had confirmed the necessity that the American forces would leave Iraq by the end of December this year.   SKH (TI)/SR 399