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General Petraeus says Iraq get-out could come quicker
The US commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, has said he will call for the pullout of US troops from Baghdad within 10 months because of declining violence in the Iraqi capital. Petraeus told reporters in Baghdad that he recommended the withdrawal of troops from Baghdad in a report to be submitted to Congress in two weeks, citing the increasing capabilities of Iraqi forces to conduct security operations without the help of US troops in most Iraqi areas.Petraeus' comments came as the Iraqi government and the US seek to finalize a long-term security pact that will govern the presence of US forces in the country after a UN mandate expires at the end of the year. Media reports said in August that the US and Iraq have agreed that US combat troops would leave entirely before the end of 2011. Asked whether it was feasible that US combat forces could leave Baghdad by July 2009, Petraeus said: "Conditions permitting." Posted by: Fred 2008-09-06 |
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