BREAKING NEWS

Iraqi PM: 'No need for US troops to stay post-2011'

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

NOVEMBER 27, 2010 15:11

BAGHDAD — Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Saturday that an agreement requiring US troops to leave by the end of 2011 will stand because Iraqi forces are capable of taking care of the country's security.

The comments are his first on the subject since being tasked with forming a new government following eight months of political deadlock, and some of his strongest to date on what is expected to be a key issued faced by the next government.

"The security agreement with what it included of dates and commitments will remain valid, and I do not feel the need for the presence of any other international forces to help Iraqis control the security situation," al-Maliki told reporters during his first news conference since getting the formal request on Thursday to form the new government.

Under an agreement between Iraq and the U.S., all American troops are to leave the country by the end of 2011. The US currently has a little less than 50,000 troops in Iraq, down from a one-time high of 170,000.

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