Attacks against U.S. forces rise with their close departure from Iraq

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The attacks by armed groups against the U.S. forces have increased with their close departure from Iraq , scheduled to take place by the end of the current year, the Spokesman for the U.S. forces, General Jeffery Buckanon said on Friday.   “Whilst the time of the U.S. troops departure from Iraq  was getting close, according to the Security Agreement signed between both sides, the attacks have increased against those forces by armed militias, in an attempt to reflect power,” the American Cable News Network (CNN) quoted the U.S. Forces Spokesman as saying.   The attacks have increased, whilst Iraq had been witnessing a dialogue about necessity for the U.S. troops withdrawal from Iraq after Dec. 31 st , being the final date for the withdrawal of about 46,000 U.S. troops remaining in Iraq till now.   General Buckanon told CNN that the U.S. troops, large part of which were stationed in Baghdad and southern Iraq, have become target for several bomb and mortar attacks over the past few days.   “Whilst al-Qaeda organization in Iraq , majority of whom are Iraqi Sunnis, waging such attacks, the Shiite armed men have attacked the U.S. troops, in a show of power, claiming that they were behind our departure from the country,” The U.S. General said.   The past few days have witnessed at least four attacks against U.S. military vehicles, including an attack last Sunday outside Baghdad that killed 2 American soldiers.   The Security Agreement, signed between Baghdad and Washington at the end of November, 2008, had defined Dec. 31, 2011, as the final date for the withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Iraqi ground, waters and airspace, whilst the combat troops have already left the country on June 30, 2009.   Iraq ’s Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, had reiterated that the remaining part of U.S. troops in Iraq after 2011 would be decided by the approval of different political forces, pointing out that Iraq ’s relations with the United States would be “civilian” with the Strategic Agreement, signed between both countries, refusing to define his own position towards that.   The majority of Iraq ’s political forces have not expressed a clear position towards the withdrawal of the U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of this year, in compliance with the Strategic Agreement between both countries, with the exception of the Shiite Sadrist group, that had repeatedly announced its rejection for the extension of the presence of the U.S. troops.   North Iraq’s Kurdish leaders, including Kurdistan Premier, Barham Saleh, have officially announced their wish that the U.S. troops would be extended till the settlement of the suspended political problems about the areas-in-conflict between the Kurdistan government and the Baghdad Federal government, along with necessity to boost the Iraqi troops potentials to protect the security of the country.   SKH (RT)     789