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Sadrists: U.S. causing chaos to secure withdrawal extension
10/08/2011 16:12
Baghdad, August 10 (AKnews) - The Sadrist movement led by cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said Wednesday that there is U.S. scheme to create chaos across the country before the deadline for withdrawal of troops.
Spokesperson Jawad al-Obeidi told AKnews that the actions are taken by the U.S. administration as a justification for the presence of its troops in the country after 2011.
“The government should take a critical decision .... All political forces are against the extension for foreign troops to stay in Iraq, and against the presence of any American soldier under any name after 2011," he said.
He did not give any specific cases or proof of U.S. involvement in any acts of insurgency, but recent months have seen an increase in violence as the government decides whether to extend the stay of U.S. troops beyond the end-of-year deadline
The U.S. is due to withdraw all troops at the end of this year according to the Status of the Forces (SOFA) agreement made in 2008. The compact allows for an extension of this deadline if the Iraqi government requests it.
Debate about whether to allow troops to stay longer is heated in Iraq as the U.S. puts pressure on the government to make a decision. Sadr and southern tribal leaders have threatened to start a civil war if troops remain, but others fear domestic forces will not be able to handle to continuing unrest.
Barak Obama has said he is willing to leave 10,000 of the current 47,000 soldiers in Iraq beyond the end of the year.
The new U.S. secretary of Defense Leon Panetta admitted on July 11 that his country's forces is carrying out unilateral military operations against Shiite militias in Iraq, despite it being a year after the formal end of U.S. combat operations.
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Sadrists: U.S. causing chaos to secure withdrawal extension
10/08/2011 16:12
Baghdad, August 10 (AKnews) - The Sadrist movement led by cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said Wednesday that there is U.S. scheme to create chaos across the country before the deadline for withdrawal of troops.
Spokesperson Jawad al-Obeidi told AKnews that the actions are taken by the U.S. administration as a justification for the presence of its troops in the country after 2011.
“The government should take a critical decision .... All political forces are against the extension for foreign troops to stay in Iraq, and against the presence of any American soldier under any name after 2011," he said.
He did not give any specific cases or proof of U.S. involvement in any acts of insurgency, but recent months have seen an increase in violence as the government decides whether to extend the stay of U.S. troops beyond the end-of-year deadline
The U.S. is due to withdraw all troops at the end of this year according to the Status of the Forces (SOFA) agreement made in 2008. The compact allows for an extension of this deadline if the Iraqi government requests it.
Debate about whether to allow troops to stay longer is heated in Iraq as the U.S. puts pressure on the government to make a decision. Sadr and southern tribal leaders have threatened to start a civil war if troops remain, but others fear domestic forces will not be able to handle to continuing unrest.
Barak Obama has said he is willing to leave 10,000 of the current 47,000 soldiers in Iraq beyond the end of the year.
The new U.S. secretary of Defense Leon Panetta admitted on July 11 that his country's forces is carrying out unilateral military operations against Shiite militias in Iraq, despite it being a year after the formal end of U.S. combat operations.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
