Iraqi general says planned US troop pull-out 'too soon'

(as reported by the BBC)
Lt Gen Babaker Zebari says the "problem will start after 2011" Iraq's top army officer has criticised as premature the planned US troop withdrawal by the end of next year.

Lt Gen Babaker Zebari warned that the Iraqi military might not be ready to take control for another decade.

The US says it is on target to end combat operations by the end of August and meet its deadline for removing all troops by the end of 2011.

It has 64,000 soldiers in Iraq. About 50,000 will remain until 2011 to train Iraqi forces and protect US interests.

"The politicians must find other ways to fill the void after 2011... If I were asked about the withdrawal, I would say to politicians: the US army must stay until the Iraqi army is fully ready in 2020."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ya better watch out, Ya better not pout....

Image
Driving down the road to Kingsville the other day, my beloved Val seemed quite unsettled about the fact that we were, soon, passing by her 40th birthday and zooming in on Xmas and there was no snow to be seen anywhere in our neighbourhood. Now, that really is not all that unusual in our neck of the woods, but she seemed right agitated. Never really gave it much tought, but, while in Montreal this week, I snapped a pic from my hotel window towards Westmount, and, "loe and behold" it is December 17 and ne'er a flake to be seen. Have a peek, see? It occurred to me , as well, I called my folks in Winnipeg a few days ago, and they reported the weatherman was forecasting rain. RAIN.........RAIN. Be still my heart, well Santa really has arrived, when folks in Winnipeg are not freezing their butts off in December. Or has he??? Can you beleive that? Now I dont recall the last time I did not have a white Xmas, but I do want one. It just dont seem Kosher to have Xmas without snow
Read more

Does health insurance satisfy Investors or Customers (patients)?

Image
I just cannot imagine Canadian politics ever getting as entertaining, nor as ugly, as US governance. Have you caught any of these town hall meetings on health care? I would have never believed people would get so covertly hoodwinked in believing free medical services sponsored by democratic administrations are an infringement of liberty and freedom. The hostility reminds me of my experiences in Union halls filled with angry workers at negotiation time, revving up their emotions to strike an employer, who has been brutally denigrating their work lives and workplaces.......when its for free health care, in terms of the benefits for all Americans in renewing the value of all the money that is appropriated within the insurance industries interests. I heard an sample of an media clip on a US radio, with a supposedly Canadian terminally ill patient pleading she had to wait 6 months for ANY MEDICAL ATTENTION. As a Canadian, I have never waited 6 months for any medical attention including the
Read more

Killer food at Big Boys on I-75 in Monroe County

Image
How have you been? The week went fast for me since my last post. The week was filled with visiting with my buddy from Vancouver, as I reported in my last post, after he dried out. We did some touring so Gerry could get an idea about the county of Essex and we spent one day in Windsor and stopped by the Thunder Road Harley Davidson dealer and the Caesar's Casino for a spell. With my beloved Val's help, I walked away with a $2.40 (she doubled my $1.20 jackpot..LOL) windfall from the penny machines. I had wished for a week of good weather to compensate for the wash-out our guest had been welcomed with on his ride through Detroit, and my wishes were answered for the most part. Gerry is not much of a "yard-bird" but we had good enough weather for patio lounging everyday for Val and I, in the morning, while Da Gar performed his "rituals" (the term Gerry uses to refer to his computer antics). He routinely surfs the websites that his gamer tendencies insist, and sha
Read more