A 'Sons of Iraq' volunteer searches a vehicle in the Azamiyah neighborhood in north Baghdad,Iraq on Monday, Sept. 8, 2008. Iraq's Shiite-led government promised Monday to continue paying salaries of thousands of mostly Sunnis who turned against al-Qaida but said the U.S. figure on their numbers was too high. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)Gen Petraeus: US Troops To Withdraw From Baghdad
By Next Summer -- The Telegraph
By Next Summer -- The Telegraph
Baghdad could be free of American combat troops by early next summer in a hugely symbolic sign of the country's increased stability, the US commander in Iraq said.
The significant drop in violence in the Iraqi capital along with a well-trained Iraqi army is likely to lead to the 16,000 US troops being withdrawn by next July.
Asked if it the withdrawal was possible, the US commander Gen David Petraeus said: "Conditions permitting, yeah."
In the last year, violence has fallen considerably in Iraq following the "surge" of US troops that increased the force to 144,000, and after a deal was struck with insurgents.
The number of American fatalities has also dramatically declined, with six troops killed in Baghdad from enemy action last month compared to 32 in August 2007.
"The number of attacks in Baghdad lately has been gosh, I think it's probably less than five (a day) on average, and that's a city of seven million people," Gen Petraeus said in an interview with the Financial Times.
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More News On Iraq
Security developments in Iraq, Sept 8 -- Reuters
Petraeus to hand over Iraq command on Sept 16 -- Yahoo News/AFP
Is Odierno ready to be the No. 1 U.S. commander in Iraq? -- McClatchy News
Lingering ethnic tensions delaying Iraq withdrawal -- Post - Gazette
UN envoy presses Iraq on controversial provincial election -- Khaleej Times
Moussa cautious on US Iraq withdrawal -- Press TV
Iraqi police: Roadside bombs wound 14 in Baghdad -- Yahoo News/AP
Car Bombing Kills at Least 6 in City in Northwestern Iraq -- New York Times
Deadly Iraq bombings target market, politician -- CNN
Three people die in Baghdad attacks -- Sydney Morning Herald
U.S. Troops in Iraq Largely Staying Put; No New Forces for Afghanistan in '08 (Updated) -- The Danger Room
U.S. begins hunting Iraq's bombmakers, not just bombs -- Christian Science Monitor
Coalition Forces in Iraq Seize Bomb-Making Components -- Defense Link
Iraq's first Christian militia takes stand against Qaeda -- Khaleej Times
US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,155 -- International Herald Tribune
Iraq violence, in figures -- BBC News
Inmates tell of sexual abuse and beatings in Iraq's overcrowded juvenile prison system -- The Guardian
Iraq's air force taking to the skies again -- LA Times
Iraqi parliament faces urgent national issues -- AP
Kuwaiti prime minister to visit Iraq -- CNN
Iran Now Iraq's Main Trading Partner -- Alternet
Iraq economic outlook 'improves' -- BBC News
China clinches first Iraq oil deal -- The Age
Cholera prompts state of emergency in Iraq province -- Reuters
An Iraqi Exodus back To Iraq -- Washington Post
Health chiefs battle to bring back Iraqi doctors -- MSNBC
Another Iraqi casualty of war: Their waistlines -- LA Times
Move to evict Baghdad squatters -- BBC News
Out of Anbar - progress in the Iraq war? (Opinion) -- San Francisco Chronicle
My Comment: What a difference a year makes. The violence still exists in Iraq, but no where near the intensity of last year. Let us hope that Coalition and Iraqi leaders do not screw this up this time.
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