Iraqis Prepare Celebrations, Security as US Pulls Back
By VOA News
29 June 2009
Iraqis are preparing to celebrate what they are calling "National Sovereignty Day" -- a festive day to mark the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraqi cities.
Parties to mark the pullout begin Monday evening. U.S. forces must turn over security responsibilities to Iraqi forces by the end of Tuesday.
While some Iraqis are joyous at the prospect of seeing U.S. combat troops leave, many others are nervous about the change in security and fear an increase in militant attacks.
Despite a recent surge in violence, the chairman of the U.S. joint chiefs of staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, said Sunday the U.S. is confident that Iraqi forces can handle the security duties.
In violence Monday, police say a car bomb blast near the northern city of Mosul killed at least five police officers and a member of Kurdish (Peshmerga) forces.
The bomb was discovered in a Christian town (Hamdaniya) in Ninewa province, and it detonated as security forces sealed off the area to defuse the explosive.
Kurdish (Peshmerga) forces largely control security in that region.
The U.S. commander in Iraq, General Raymond Odierno, has said overall stability in Iraq "remains good," and he blamed extremist elements for recent massive attacks. He said extremists are trying to draw attention to themselves and divert attention from progress made in the country.
General Odierno made the comments in an interview on U.S. television Sunday.
The United States and Iraq reached an agreement that calls for the withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from the cities by June 30, but allows U.S. military advisers and trainers to remain in the cities.
The agreement says all U.S. forces must be out of the entire country by the end of 2011.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, Reuters.
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