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Sadrists oppose negotiations for US army extension
03/08/2011 16:44
Baghdad, August 3 (Aknews) – The Sadrists have refused to have any dealings with talks for a possible extension of the US army’s mission in Iraq – agreed upon last night at a meeting of Iraq’s political leaders – referring to it as the “prolongation of occupation”.
MP Jawad al-Obeidi of the Sadrist Current – a staunch opponent of the American military mission in Iraq from the very beginning - said that his party condemns any move to maintain an American presence in Iraq beyond the December 2011 deadline for their withdrawal, as outlined in the Satus of Forces Agreement (SOFA) signed between Baghdad and Washington in 2008.
Iraq’s political leaders agreed at a meeting – held in the home of President Jalal Talabani last night - to authorize Maliki’s government to negotiate a possible US army extension beyond 2011, to play an exclusively formative role in preparing the Iraqi forces for a complete handover of responsibility for the country’s security.
There are currently around 46,000 non-combat American troops in Iraq tasked with supporting, training and equipping their Iraqi counrterparts.
"The Sadrist Current will not be involved in keeping any US soldiers in Iraq, because that will lead to the extension of occupying forces in the country," al-Obeidi told AKnews.
"The Sadr Current rejects any kind of normalization with the occupying US force under any name that would keep part of them in Iraq."
Sadrist leader, the radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has, on several occasions, threatened to arm and mobilize the Mahdi Army – a fiercely loyal partisan militia numbering tens of thousands – if the “occupying” American troops fail to leave on time.
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03/08/2011 16:44
Baghdad, August 3 (Aknews) – The Sadrists have refused to have any dealings with talks for a possible extension of the US army’s mission in Iraq – agreed upon last night at a meeting of Iraq’s political leaders – referring to it as the “prolongation of occupation”.
MP Jawad al-Obeidi of the Sadrist Current – a staunch opponent of the American military mission in Iraq from the very beginning - said that his party condemns any move to maintain an American presence in Iraq beyond the December 2011 deadline for their withdrawal, as outlined in the Satus of Forces Agreement (SOFA) signed between Baghdad and Washington in 2008.
Iraq’s political leaders agreed at a meeting – held in the home of President Jalal Talabani last night - to authorize Maliki’s government to negotiate a possible US army extension beyond 2011, to play an exclusively formative role in preparing the Iraqi forces for a complete handover of responsibility for the country’s security.
There are currently around 46,000 non-combat American troops in Iraq tasked with supporting, training and equipping their Iraqi counrterparts.
"The Sadrist Current will not be involved in keeping any US soldiers in Iraq, because that will lead to the extension of occupying forces in the country," al-Obeidi told AKnews.
"The Sadr Current rejects any kind of normalization with the occupying US force under any name that would keep part of them in Iraq."
Sadrist leader, the radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has, on several occasions, threatened to arm and mobilize the Mahdi Army – a fiercely loyal partisan militia numbering tens of thousands – if the “occupying” American troops fail to leave on time.
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