Iraqis concerned at going it alone
As US vice president Joe Biden prepared to preside over the formal end to American combat operations in Iraq today few there were cheering the exit.
Iraqis, who for years have protested against the US occupation, are generally happy to see that the American presence will not be endless. However, there is also considerable trepidation about whether Iraq can go it alone.
“It’s not the right time,” said Johaina Mohammed, a 40-year-old teacher from Baghdad. “There is no government, the security is deteriorating, and there is no trust.”
Just under 50,000 US troops remain in Iraq – down from a peak of nearly 170,000 at the height of the military surge in 2007. Those troops will be focused on training and assisting the Iraqi military, and will no longer be allowed to go on combat missions unless requested and accompanied by Iraqi forces.
Underscoring the shift, Mr Biden was making a new appeal to Iraqi leaders today, including Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, to end the political deadlock and seat a new government.
Parliamentary elections on March 7 left Iraq without a clear winner, and insurgents have since exploited the uncertainty to hammer Iraqi security forces.
Iraqi forces are vastly improved and attacks have plummeted since the dark days of 2006 and 2007.
But rarely a day goes by without some loss of life, and spectacular attacks such as the violence last Wednesday that killed 56 people still occur with disturbing regularity.
Mr Biden and US officials have downplayed suggestions they are abandoning Iraq at a crucial time. The vice-president said militants’ attempts to again wreck havoc in Iraq have been unsuccessful.
“Notwithstanding what the national press says about increased violence, the truth is, things are still very much different, things are much safer,” he said.
In an address to the nation to mark the end of combat operations, Mr al-Maliki said Iraqi forces were capable of handling security and protecting people from attacks after US combat troops pull out.
He characterised attacks that continue to plague the country as a “desperate attempt by al Qaida and remnants of the former (Saddam Hussein) regime to prove their presence.”
“I assure you that the Iraqi security troops are capable and qualified to shoulder the responsibility,” he said.
The end of combat operations, according to Mr al-Maliki, was a basic step in restoring Iraq’s sovereignty. The prime minister also promised a full withdrawal of American troops next year.
But many Iraqis do not share the optimism demonstrated by the vice president and the prime minister.
The fear of political divisions, aggravated by the struggle for control of Iraq’s oil potential, is ever present. Some Iraqis worry that without the American soldiers, their country will revert to a dictatorship or split along religious and ethnic fault lines.
The decision to draw down to 50,000 troops was made by President Barack Obama, and is not part of the security agreement between Iraq and the US Under that agreement, all American troops are to be out of Iraq by the end of 2011.
The dwindling US military presence has deepened concerns that Iraq will be taken over by its neighbours – namely Iran – who many think is waiting to fill the power vacuum created by the departing Americans.
