Baghdad - US commander in Iraq General David Petraeus said on Thursday he would call for the pullout of US troops from Baghdad within 10 months because of declining violence in the Iraqi capital.
Petraeus told reporters in Baghdad he recommended the withdrawal of troops from Baghdad in a report to be submitted to Congress in two weeks, citing "increasing capabilities of Iraqi forces to conduct security operations without the help of US troops in most of Iraqi areas," the Voices of Iraq (VOI) news agency reported.
Baghdad - Iraqi forces withdrew from the Kurdish town of Khanaqin after am agreement between the parties in Iraq's ruling coalition, the Kurdish Democratic Party said Thursday.
Kurdish fighters will re-assume control of the area and Iraqi forces will not be allowed in without the prior approval of Kurdish local authorities, Kurdish officials said.
Iraqi forces entered Khanaqin in July during a military operation in Diyala province, 57 kilometres northeast of Baghdad. The move was designed to clear the area off insurgents and armed groups.
Baghdad - British ambassador to Iraq, Christopher Prentice, on Wednesday revealed his country's intention to engage in negotiations with Iraq over an agreement which he said will regulate the presence of British troops after 2008.
"We will start negotiations with the Iraqi government to obtain a legal presence for our forces if our mission is not complete by the end of this year," Prentice told the Voices of Iraq (VOI) news agency in an interview at the headquarters of the British embassy in Baghdad.
Baghdad - A refugee camp in Iraq home to an Iranian opposition party has been transferred from US control to Iraqi authorities, Iraqi Radio reported on Monday.
Camp Ashraf was originally set up during the Iran-Iraq war to give shelter to opponents of the regime of Ayatollah Khomeini.
Following the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, the US military has been responsible for protecting the group in the face of Sunni-Shia sectarian violence throughout Iraq.
Baghdad - US commander in Iraq General David Petraeus said on Thursday he would call for the pullout of US troops from Baghdad within 10 months because of declining violence in the Iraqi capital.
Baghdad - Iraqi forces withdrew from the Kurdish town of Khanaqin after am agreement between the parties in Iraq's ruling coalition, the Kurdish Democratic Party said Thursday.
Baghdad - British ambassador to Iraq, Christopher Prentice, on Wednesday revealed his country's intention to engage in negotiations with Iraq over an agreement which he said will regulate the presence of British troops after 2008.
Baghdad - A refugee camp in Iraq home to an Iranian opposition party has been transferred from US control to Iraqi authorities, Iraqi Radio reported on Monday.
