Frustrated by the Iraqi government's inability to agree to a request for a continued US troop presence, Leon Panetta has declared that Iraq has agreed to a longer stay for US troops.
“My view is that they finally did say, ‘Yes,’ ” he said from his Pentagon office, in his first small-group press interview since taking office July 1. Panetta is the highest ranking U.S. official to indicate so clearly that the U.S is no longer assuming nearly all 46,000 troops will exit Iraq by Dec. 31.Six weeks ago, an exasperated Panetta urged Iraqi leaders to “Dammit, make a decision” about extending the U.S. troop presence beyond the scheduled Dec. 31 withdrawal.
Now, although Iraqi leaders have yet to make a formal request, Panetta said the Pentagon is moving forward, because there is unanimous consent among key Iraqi leaders to address U.S. demands. Those demands include that Iraqis begin negotiating internally what type of U.S. training force they would like, begin a process to select a defense minister, craft a new Status of Forces Agreement and increase operations against Iranian-backed militants.
During those negotiations, the U.S. will continue the drawdown as planned, Panetta said. “We will fulfill the commitment that we are going to take all of the combat forces out of Iraq.”
Apparently Panetta speaks for the US government as well as for the Iraqi government, and he says that US troops---whooops--- trainers will stay past 2011.
(Cross posted at Possible Experience)