Iraqi minister sees another decade of US occupation RAW STORY

Published: Tuesday January 15, 2008



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Print This Email This Iraq's defense minister says Iraq's military will not be self-sufficient for at least another decade, giving a stark assessment that sees US troops occupying the longer than either government has previously acknowledged. "The Iraqi defense minister said Monday that his nation would not be able to take full responsibility for its internal security until 2012, nor be able on its own to defend Iraqs borders from external threat until at least 2018," reports the New York Times' Thom Shanker. "Those comments from the minister, Abdul Qadir, were among the most specific public projections of a timeline for the American commitment in Iraq by officials in either Washington or Baghdad. And they suggested a longer commitment than either government had previously indicated." Excerpts: President Bush has never given a date for a military withdrawal from Iraq but has repeatedly said that American forces would stand down as Iraqi forces stand up. Given Mr. Qadirs assessment of Iraqs military capabilities on Monday, such a withdrawal appeared to be quite distant, and further away than any American officials have previously stated in public. Mr. Qadirs comments are likely to become a factor in political debate over the war. All of the Democratic presidential candidates have promised a swift American withdrawal, while the leading Republican candidates have generally supported President Bushs plan. Now that rough dates have been attached to his formula, they will certainly come under scrutiny from both sides. Senior Pentagon and military officials said Mr. Qadir had been consistent throughout his weeklong visit in pressing that timeline, and also in laying out requests for purchasing new weapons through Washingtons program of foreign military sales. According to our calculations and our timelines, we think that from the first quarter of 2009 until 2012 we will be able to take full control of the internal affairs of the country, Mr. Qadir said in an interview on Monday, conducted in Arabic through an interpreter. In regard to the borders, regarding protection from any external threats, our calculation appears that we are not going to be able to answer to any external threats until 2018 to 2020, he added. Full article available here



