From this news report we read that Maliki of Iraq says Iraq will control all of Iraq’s security by the end of the year.

Iraq plans to take security control of all its provinces from foreign forces before the end of the year, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said in a speech read out by a senior official on Wednesday.

Maliki is under growing pressure from powerful anti-American Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to set a timetable for the withdrawal of 146,000 U.S. troops from Iraq.

In a speech delivered on his behalf by National Security Adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie at a ceremony marking the handover of southern Maysan province from British forces to Iraqi control, Maliki said three provinces in the autonomous Kurdistan region would follow next.

“Maysan … will be followed by the three Kurdistan provinces, a month from now,” Maliki said.

“After that Kerbala and Wasit (provinces). Then it will be province by province until we achieve (this transfer) before the end of the year.”

Maliki has repeatedly said U.S. troops would leave Iraq only when Iraqi forces were ready to take over security.

Sounds good to me if he can make good on his promises.

Written by ~J~

Comments are closed.