Iraqi Vice-President Hashemi also said the Iraqi armed forces would need no more than 18 months to prepare for a systematic withdrawal of coalition forces sometime around September of 2008.
Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi has said that a quick pullout of US-led coalition troops would not benefit Washington until Iraqi forces were sufficiently trained to take their place.(AFP/Kazuhiro Nogi)
The Iraqi VP warned democrats that their cut and run strategy is dangerous not just for Iraq but also for America.
The BBC reports:
Iraq’s vice-president has warned that a quick withdrawal of US troops could worsen the security situation in Iraq.
Tareq al-Hashemi responded after the US House of Representatives passed a bill imposing a deadline for all US troops to leave Iraq by 31 August 2008.
Mr Hashemi said replacing US troops with poorly-trained Iraqis whose loyalty was questionable would create a security vacuum.
US President George W Bush vowed to veto the Democratic-sponsored bill.
“I do believe that for the common interest of my country we need coalition forces to stay until further notice,” Mr Hashemi said on a visit to Japan.