Iraq calls US pullback from cities 'big victory'

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Iraq's prime minister said Saturday the withdrawal of US troops from urban areas by the end of this month would be a "big victory" for the nation. Nouri al-Maliki said militants would try to stage more attacks but Iraqi security forces would not let them reverse security gains. A US-Iraqi security pact requires the Americans to pull back combat troops from cities by June 30 as a first step toward a full withdrawal by 2012. The deal includes a provision for the Iraqi government to ask for US help if violence surges. But al-Maliki said any extension would show a lack of confidence and be a "historic setback." He said "we will not retreat no matter what happens." Al-Maliki was speaking to members of the Turkomen ethnic minority.