Upcoming elections in March that will determine who will lead Iraq as American forces go home are of "enormous importance" to the country's future, the leading U.S. general who oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan said on Friday.
Gen. David Petraeus, who used to be the top American commander in Iraq, also warned during a visit to Baghdad that al-Qaida in Iraq as well as Iranian-backed militias will continue to be a threat as insurgents target government facilities in order to undermine Iraqis' confidence.
"Iraq will continue to be tested throughout the course of this year," Petraeus said.
It will be interesting to see how Iraq election turns, given that the "coalition" is down to one:
The general's comments came as U.S. forces in Iraq held a ceremony marking a change from what had formerly been called Multi-National Force-Iraq to United States Force-Iraq. Structurally the U.S. forces in Iraq will remain largely the same for the time being, but the name change symbolizes the changing nature of the U.S. mission here and acknowledges that a coalition that used to have troops from 32 countries now has just one.
And that one just pissed off a lot of Iraqis for failing to prosecute the Blackwater guards over Nisoor Square.
By: Brant
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