http://today.reuters.com/news/artic...S-IRAQ.xml&WTmodLoc=Home-C2-TopNews-newsOne-2 BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The United States was set on Thursday to hand over formal command of Iraqi troops to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government, a significant step toward the withdrawal of some 150,000 U.S.-led foreign troops. The spokesman for the U.S. military in Iraq, U.S. Major General William Caldwell, said the importance of the handover on Thursday was "gigantic". Maliki, a Shi'ite Islamist, expects Iraqi forces to control most of the country's provinces by the end of the year, but analysts have questioned that timetable. They say Iraqi security forces remain heavily dependent on U.S. troops for logistical support to combat a Sunni insurgency and sectarian violence that kills an estimated 100 people a day. Two suicide car bombers killed 13 people and wounded 27 in Baghdad on Thursday, hours before General George Casey was due to hand over command of Iraqi troops. The first blast killed 10 people and wounded 17 near a petrol station allocated for police use. At least 14 cars were damaged as the blast ripped through nearby rush hour traffic. The second bomber attacked a police patrol in central Baghdad, killing three people. Two roadside bombs targeting police patrols killed one civilian and wounded four. Questions have been raised over the preparedness of Iraq's 130,000-strong army after Shi'ite gunmen in the south killed some 20 Iraqi soldiers in street clashes last month and the refusal of Shi'ite troops to be deployed in religiously mixed Baghdad to shore up a U.S.-led security clampdown. Once Iraqi troops take command, their sectarian loyalties will be sorely tested as Maliki struggles to contain soaring communal violence since the bombing of a Shi'ite shrine in February pushed the country to the brink of civil war. Members of the minority Sunni community have accused Shi'ite militias of infiltrating the security forces to carry out sectarian killings against Sunnis under official cover. Shi'ites deny these charges. Iraqi parliament speaker Mahmoud Mashhadani told a heated session on Wednesday: "We have three to four months to reconcile with each other. If the country doesn't survive this, it will go under." Late on Wednesday, the government issued a statement saying it had executed 27 "terrorists" convicted in Iraqi courts for murder and rape. Human rights groups have urged Iraq to abolish the death penalty.
Hi conservatives *waves* This is great..... for the Iraqis. I mean hell they threw a parade with fireworks They're obviously confident this will succeed But then they have nothing to worry about since this was pretty much just on paper and more of a political move than an actual step What was the point of this thread again?
This is more propaganda to try and save the November elections. Just last week the army (What Army?) was in dire straights. Now they can take over? Plus didn't GWB said we can't pull out last week and continuously? Now we can pull out? Stay the course was safer/better then this one. LMAO This I gotta See! Which side of the mouth is talking on this one? EW EW EW EW, I know, the one that lies. LOL