Topic: Iraq needs foreign troops to remain indefinitely: govt spokesman

Team Infidel

Media: AFP
Byline:
Date: 12 October 2006


BAGHDAD, Oct 12, 2006 (AFP) - Iraq needs foreign troops to remain in the
country indefinitely, until its own forces are in a position to combat the
increasingly deadly insurgency, the government spokesman said Thursday.

"We believe that the presence of the multinational force is necessary now
to prepare Iraqi forces to combat terror and improve the lives of Iraqis,"
Ali Dabagh told a press conference.

"The government considers that Iraqi security forces still need to be
trained and reinforced. Hence, we have the need for units that will assure
this training in Iraq. The multinational force should participate in the
building of Iraqi forces," without saying when that would be achieved.

On Wednesday, the US Army chief of staff, General Peter Schoomaker, said
his service has enough troops in its planned force rotations to maintain
current troop levels in Iraq through 2010.

There are 142,000 US military personnel in Iraq, of which 120,000 are army
forces.

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