July 27, 2009 1:17 PM
- Text
Some Fear U.S. Pullout From Iraqi Cities
(CBS/AP)
On June 30, U.S. troops will withdraw from patrolling Iraqi cities. This is making many Iraqis and the American troops nervous. In the last week more than 250 have died in various attacks and bombings, and fears are growing about increased sectarian violence and terrorism once U.S. troops pull back.
Iraqi security forces bolstered checkpoints and banned motorcycles from the streets of Baghdad as they prepared today for more violence before this week's withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from the capital and other cities and towns.
Despite the increased checks, a roadside bomb targeting a U.S. convoy in eastern Baghdad wounded six bystanders. It was unclear if anyone in the convoy was injured, police said. A car bomb also exploded in the parking lot of a police academy in western Baghdad, killing one police officer and wounding six others, police said, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Iraq's main Sunni political bloc joined Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in describing the June 30 deadline for the U.S. withdrawal from urban areas as a turning point for the country. For the U.S., June 30 is also a turning point, and despite the uptick in violence, U.S. officials stand firm the withdrawal date.
"Iraqi forces are ready to take over this nation," U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Christopher Hill told CBS News correspondent Chip Reid. "What we are doing is implementing our obligation under the security agreement with Iraq," Hill continued. "We have worked very hard for this day. The U.S. has the world's greatest fighting force and the greatest trainers. We have every confidence we can do this."
Gen. Ray Odierno, the top military commander in Iraq, said the attacks ahead of Tuesday's pullout were aimed at diverting attention from the progress made by Iraqi security forces as well as local and national government. "We've seen constant improvement in the security force. We've seen constant improvement in governance. And I believe this is the time for us to move out of the cities and for them to take ultimate responsibility," Odierno said.
Reporting from Baghdad, CBS News chief foreign affairs correspondent Lara Logan found that there is a lot of "grey area" in the security agreement.
"After a week of talking to U.S. and Iraqi soldiers on the ground here, it's stunning how much hasn't been worked out this close to the deadline," Logan said. "One example is what will happen to the U.S. trainers that will still be embedded with Iraqi forces in the cities. The U.S. military insists it still has the right to defend itself under the agreement, but if these U.S. trainers are attacked, in theory the U.S. would have to ask for Iraqi permission to send in reinforcements to help them.
"In the heat of battle, with American lives on the line, it's still a question how long U.S. commanders would wait for Iraqi authority - or if they'd wait."
Reid asked Ambassador Hill about the rules of engagement for troops in Iraq after June 30. "We always have the right of self defense," Hill said, but didn't address the issue of how the U.S. military command would deal with gaining permission from Iraqi commanders in situations where U.S. troops were in danger.
The U.S. still has 130,000 troops in Iraq, but hopes to reduce the number to 50,000 by next summer, Ambassador Hill said. All U.S. forces are slated to be out of Iraq by the end of 2011.
Iraqi security forces bolstered checkpoints and banned motorcycles from the streets of Baghdad as they prepared today for more violence before this week's withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from the capital and other cities and towns.
Despite the increased checks, a roadside bomb targeting a U.S. convoy in eastern Baghdad wounded six bystanders. It was unclear if anyone in the convoy was injured, police said. A car bomb also exploded in the parking lot of a police academy in western Baghdad, killing one police officer and wounding six others, police said, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Iraq's main Sunni political bloc joined Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in describing the June 30 deadline for the U.S. withdrawal from urban areas as a turning point for the country. For the U.S., June 30 is also a turning point, and despite the uptick in violence, U.S. officials stand firm the withdrawal date.
"Iraqi forces are ready to take over this nation," U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Christopher Hill told CBS News correspondent Chip Reid. "What we are doing is implementing our obligation under the security agreement with Iraq," Hill continued. "We have worked very hard for this day. The U.S. has the world's greatest fighting force and the greatest trainers. We have every confidence we can do this."
Gen. Ray Odierno, the top military commander in Iraq, said the attacks ahead of Tuesday's pullout were aimed at diverting attention from the progress made by Iraqi security forces as well as local and national government. "We've seen constant improvement in the security force. We've seen constant improvement in governance. And I believe this is the time for us to move out of the cities and for them to take ultimate responsibility," Odierno said.
Reporting from Baghdad, CBS News chief foreign affairs correspondent Lara Logan found that there is a lot of "grey area" in the security agreement.
"After a week of talking to U.S. and Iraqi soldiers on the ground here, it's stunning how much hasn't been worked out this close to the deadline," Logan said. "One example is what will happen to the U.S. trainers that will still be embedded with Iraqi forces in the cities. The U.S. military insists it still has the right to defend itself under the agreement, but if these U.S. trainers are attacked, in theory the U.S. would have to ask for Iraqi permission to send in reinforcements to help them.
"In the heat of battle, with American lives on the line, it's still a question how long U.S. commanders would wait for Iraqi authority - or if they'd wait."
Reid asked Ambassador Hill about the rules of engagement for troops in Iraq after June 30. "We always have the right of self defense," Hill said, but didn't address the issue of how the U.S. military command would deal with gaining permission from Iraqi commanders in situations where U.S. troops were in danger.
The U.S. still has 130,000 troops in Iraq, but hopes to reduce the number to 50,000 by next summer, Ambassador Hill said. All U.S. forces are slated to be out of Iraq by the end of 2011.
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