United States President Barack Obama had talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, and asserted his goal to “remove all American combat brigades from Iraq by the end of next August” in order to remove all American troops my the end of 2011. But both leaders agreed the path to security in the country would be tough, as sectarian violence continues.
Wednesday, five Iranian pilgrims died when their minibus was ambushed near Baquba, only a day after a different wave of attacks killed 24 Iraqis.
Obama vowed to help the increasingly dangerous situation, saying, “America stands ready to help the Iraqi government build their capacity to provide basic services and to promote the rule of law… there are still those who want to foment sectarian conflict. But make no mistake, those efforts will fail.”
Lee Weinberger
