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| Iraq |
| US military chief warns Iraq on security deal |
| 2008-10-22 |
| American military chief Michael Mullen bluntly warned Iraq Tuesday that it risked security losses of "significant consequence" unless it approves an agreement on a legal basis for U.S. forces there. Admiral Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also charged that Iran was working hard to scuttle passage of the so-called Status of Forces Agreement, or SOFA. "We are clearly running out of time," said Mullen. Mullen said that when the current U.N. mandate runs out December 31, Iraqi security forces "will not be ready to provide for their security. And in that regard there is great potential for losses of significant consequence." The admiral, who was on a visit to Europe, made the comments as the Iraqi cabinet took up a draft status of forces agreement negotiated over a period of months with the United States. Mullen said that Iraqis did not appear to recognize the seriousness of the situation. "It is also clear that the Iranians are working very hard to make sure this does not pass," he said. Raising tension In an incident that could raise tension at a time when the Baghdad government is taking over the program from the American military, Iraqi security forces raided the home of a provincial leader of U.S.-backed patrols on Tuesday. Mullah Shihab al-Safi, leader of the Sahwa (Awakening) movement for the volatile Diyala province north of Baghdad, told Reuters troops had raided his house before dawn, arresting his brother and father, in Buhriz, south of the provincial capital Baquba. Safi said by telephone he was not at home at the time and was now moving from place to place to avoid capture. The Awakening groups are made up mostly of Sunni Arabs and include many former insurgents who battled U.S. forces and the Shiite-led government in Baghdad but since have been recruited and paid by the U.S. military to run neighborhood patrols. The Iraqi government has been taking over the program from the U.S. military, beginning this month in Baghdad and spreading to other provinces in coming months. Officials say they will incorporate 20 percent of the patrol members into the army and police while finding civilian jobs or training for the rest. |
| Posted by:Fred |