Nouri al-Maliki and George Bush at a press conference last year. Photograph: Shawn Thew/EPA
Maliki: U.S. could cut forces in months
BAGHDAD, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- The United States could cut troop levels in Iraq in months if it provided sufficient guns and equipment to Iraq, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said.
Maliki told the London Times U.S. reluctance to supply such items has cost many Iraqi lives and prolonged the insurgency in Iraq.
The United States has been wary of handing over large amounts of military equipment to Iraqis, the newspaper said, because it often ends up in the hands of insurgents and militias.
"If we succeed in implementing the agreement between us to speed up the equipping and providing weapons to our military forces," Maliki told the newspaper, "I think that within three to six months our need for American troops will dramatically go down."
Maliki said Iraq would benefit from "strong messages of support" from the United States, suggesting that criticism gives support to terrorists.
"I believe that such statements give moral boosts to the terrorists and push them towards making an extra effort and making them believe that they have defeated the American administration," he said, "but I can tell you that they haven't defeated the Iraqi government."
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20070118-121902-4204r
Nouri al-Maliki and George Bush at a press conference last year. Photograph: Shawn Thew/EPA
Maliki said Iraq would benefit from "strong messages of support" from the United States, suggesting that criticism gives support to terrorists.
"I believe that such statements give moral boosts to the terrorists and push them towards making an extra effort and making them believe that they have defeated the American administration," he said, "but I can tell you that they haven't defeated the Iraqi government.
These are not criticisms against President Bush, but against the anti-war POLITICIANS and ENEMEDIA personnel.