Iraq prime minister defends U.S. troop presence
Iraq’s prime minister defended the presence of U.S. troops on Iraqi soil on Tuesday, telling parliament they would not remain forever but that a withdrawal should not be dictated by insurgent attacks on them. “We want the withdrawal decision to be an Iraqi decision with Iraqi timetable not with a terror timetable,” Ibrahim Jaafari told lawmakers, assuring them that the government was protecting its people’s interests with the occupying forces. Full Story