Iraqi General Warns US Withdrawal "Too Soon"

Iraq's top army officer has stated that US troops should remain in Iraq until 2020 in order to ensure the country's security.

Lt Gen Babaker Zebari warned that the Iraqi military might not be ready to take control for another decade.

The US says it is on target to end combat operations by the end of August and meet its deadline for removing all troops by the end of 2011.

It has 64,000 soldiers in Iraq. About 50,000 will remain until 2011 to train Iraqi forces and protect US interests.

Gen Zebari's warning echoes the remark by Saddam Hussein's former Foreign Minister Tarik Aziz last week that the Americans were "leaving Iraq to the wolves".

But the White House says President Barack Obama is satisfied with the progress made in Iraq, which will allow US troops to transfer security to local forces as planned.

Analyst Hugh Sykes' take on the story:

Gen Zebari is particularly concerned about securing Iraq's borders against infiltration by insurgents.

He was reacting to an event on Wednesday, when eight soldiers were killed after being lured into a house wired with explosives in a town north of Baghdad where al-Qaeda is active.

The general's remarks echo a warning from Saddam Hussein's Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz, who said the US would be "leaving Iraq to the wolves" - meaning al-Qaeda in Iraq and their ex-Saddamist allies.

The "wolves" are certainly active. Al-Qaeda is believed to have been responsible for a triple bombing in a market in Basra on Saturday.

And it's thought to be al-Qaeda men going around Baghdad shooting traffic policemen. The previously unarmed traffic police now have armed guards.

By: Shelldrake