Report: Iraqi PM says US troops should leave as soon as possible
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki was quoted as saying Saturday that US troops should leave Iraq "as soon as possible," and he called US presidential candidate Barack Obama's suggestion of 16 months "the right timeframe for a withdrawal."
In an interview with German weekly Der Spiegel, Maliki said he was not seeking to endorse the Democratic US presidential contender, but that keeping troops in Iraq for too long would cause trouble.
Obama has pledged to withdraw combat troops from Iraq within 16 months if he is elected.
"That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes," Maliki was quoted as saying.