Surprising to me, Panetta, the heir appointed, shortly to assume, possible, new Secretary of Defense says he expects the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's to ask us to keep some troops in country rather then depart in September as is planned.
I say surprised because on a earlier thread I posted a article explaining as much as Maliki might want continued presence in country of US troops, the threat of assassination and uprisings by those who want us gone would be to great to allow him to ask us to stay.
The pressure of al sadder, the militant cleric with a hugh following in Iraq, he is now back in country after spending the past two years in Iran, and Iran itself on Maliki's government to have all US troops out of the country, Iran wants our influence and power in the region gone, is hugh.
I know some posters here will come on crying out ,
"Enough already, time to go, never should have gone in in the first place, cost us to much in treasure and blood and so on and so on, and in many ways they/you would be correct.
The cost was great, the sacrifice was a abomination in many ways.
However we did, we spent and there is now some kind of fledging democracy in a country and area where it was never before, granted a fragile one, and to leave now as the area is in such turmoil, Iran becoming more belligerent in pushing their agenda, which is not in our best interests, the Saudis going off on their own agenda of foreign policy, the upheaval in Egypt, Palestinians and Israeli's, our presence there for a while is in our interests IMHO.
Actually if Maliki does ask us to stay in some way , we have 47,000 troops there now, it would be a very courageous act by him as the threat of assassination by those who want us to go, Iran, Al Sadder and so many of his own countryman is real, and it is in the best interests of Iraq to have us there for a while.
Iraq has no air force to speak of, the armed forces are good but not yet ready..Kurds in the north, still need our presence IM opinion as they work with the government, so many things still need to be done, hopefully Panetta is correct, Malicki will ask us to stay, a good request as Martha would say....for a while.
IMHO.
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english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/06/201161005022257677.html------------------------------------------------------------
Middle East
Iraq 'to request' US troops to stay
Leon Panetta, Obama's pick to head Pentagon, says Baghdad likely to ask for continued US presence beyond 2011.
10 Jun 2011 01:47
The probable defence secretary says Washington should say yes if asked for US troop extension in Iraq [Gallo/Getty]
Iraq will ask the US to keep its troops in the country beyond the 2011 withdrawal deadline set by US President Barack Obama, Leon Panetta, the White House's pick to lead the Pentagon, said.
"It's clear to me that Iraq is considering the possibility of making a request for some kind of (troop) presence to remain there," Panetta said, adding that he had "every confidence" the request would be "forthcoming at some point."
The outgoing CIA chief told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday that the US should agree once the request is made.
"It really is dependent on the prime minister and on the government of Iraq to present to us what is it that they need, and over what period of time, in order to make sure that the gains that we've made in Iraq are sustained." Panetta told the committee.
Outgoing US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has publicly suggested that Iran is another reason to keep US forces in Iraq.
Washington accuses Iran of supporting Shia groups, a charge Tehran denies, and Iraqi Sunnis view Iran's intentions in Iraq with enormous suspicion.
Gates said last month that a continued US military presence in Iraq would be "reassuring" to Gulf states.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's coalition government is debating whether to ask Washington to keep some of the 47,000 US troops in Iraq, if only in a training and advisory role.
Maliki has called for a "mutual and unified national stand" on the issue by August 1 and has criticised other groups in the coalition for either not defining their position or using the issue to attack him and other groups.
US and Iraqi military commanders are concerned Iraq's armed forces may not be fully ready to defend the country alone, with Washington pointing to gaps in Iraqi air defence, intelligence fusion, logistics and more."
