Maliki: U.S. troops not needed in Iraqi cities

3 hours ago

BAGHDAD (AFP) — Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki assured visiting US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday that his country's security will be unaffected by the planned American troop withdrawal from Iraqi cities.

"We don't need big numbers of (US) military forces inside the cities after we get control of them," Maliki said in a statement after talks with the top US lawmaker, who arrived in Baghdad on an unannounced visit.

"The responsible withdrawal (of US troops) will not affect the security situation," Maliki added.

Pelosi said that Washington would stick to its part of the agreement on troop withdrawals.

"I can't speak to what the attitude is in Iraq, but what I do know that this is the plan that has been agreed upon, and we want to honour that," the California Democrat said after meeting parliament speaker Iyad al-Samarrai.

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