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Maliki: U.S. troops can leave 'any time'

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published July 15, 2007

BAGHDAD - Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki shrugged off U.S. doubts of his government's military and political progress on Saturday, saying Iraqi forces are capable and American troops can leave "any time they want."

One of his top aides, meanwhile, accused the United States of embarrassing the Iraqi government by violating human rights and treating his country like an "experiment in a U.S. lab."

Maliki sought to display confidence at a time when pressure is mounting in Congress for a speedy withdrawal of U.S. forces. On Thursday, the House passed a measure calling for the United States to withdraw its troops by spring, hours after the White House reported mixed progress by the Iraqi government toward meeting 18 benchmarks.

During a news conference, Maliki shrugged off the progress report, saying that difficulty in enacting the reforms was "natural" given Iraq's turmoil.

"We are not talking about a government in a stable political environment but one in the shadow of huge challenges," Maliki said. "So when we talk about the presence of some negative points in the political process, that's fairly natural."

Maliki said his government needs "time and effort" to enact the political reforms that Washington seeks - "particularly since the political process is facing security, economic and services pressures, as well as regional and international interference."

But he said if necessary, Iraqi police and soldiers could fill the void left by the departure of coalition forces.

"We say in full confidence that we are able, God willing, to take the responsibility completely in running the security file if the international forces withdraw at any time they want," he said.

One of Maliki's close advisers, Shiite lawmaker Hassan al-Suneid, bristled over the American pressure, telling the Associated Press that "the situation looks as if it is an experiment in an American laboratory (judging) whether we succeed or fail."

He sharply criticized the U.S. military, saying it was committing human rights violations and embarrassing the Iraqi government through such tactics as building a wall around Baghdad's Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah.

He also criticized U.S. overtures to Sunni groups in Anbar and Diyala provinces, encouraging former insurgents to join the fight against al-Qaida in Iraq. "These are gangs of killers," he said.

In addition, he said that Maliki has problems with the top U.S. commander, Gen. David Petraeus.

"There are disagreements that the strategy that Petraeus is following might succeed in confronting al-Qaida in the early period but it will leave Iraq an armed nation, an armed society and militias," Suneid said.

Developments

U.S. deaths: Two more American soldiers were killed Saturday in bombings in the Baghdad area, the U.S. military reported. One of the bombs used was an explosively formed penetrator - high-tech devices that the U.S. military believes are smuggled from Iran. The Iranians deny the charge.

Violence: A car bomb leveled a two-story apartment building and a suicide bomber plowed his explosives-packed vehicle into a line of cars at a gas station. The two attacks killed at least eight people, police said. Twenty-one bodies were found in Baghdad.

Capture: The U.S. military said it captured an alleged high-level al-Qaida in Iraq cell leader at Baghdad's international airport. The suspect is believed to have organized mortar and roadside bomb attacks in the capital and nearby area. The military did not give details.

Journalist killed: The Reuters news agency said one of its Iraqi translators was shot to death in Baghdad on Wednesday along with two of his brothers, apparent victims of sectarian death squads. He was the third employee of the news agency killed in Baghdad this week.

Bush's radio address: The president took his critics to task for using the poor marks the Iraqi government received on a progress report this week as reason to argue that the war is lost. Bush said "satisfactory" grades the Iraqis received in eight areas - like providing three Iraqi brigades for the military offensive under way and providing $10-billion of their money for reconstruction - were cause for optimism.

Democrats' radio address: Brandon Friedman, a former infantry officer in the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, said it's past time for a transition to diplomatic efforts in Iraq. "The fact is, the Iraq war has kept us from devoting assets we need to fight terrorists worldwide - as evidenced by the fact that Osama bin Laden is still on the loose and al-Qaida has been able to rebuild," Friedman said.

[Last modified July 15, 2007, 00:45:24]