Baghdad, July 10 (ANI): Iraq's coalition government has failed to reach an agreement on whether to seek an extension of the US troop presence in the country beyond the December pullout date.
President Jalal Talabani, who had called all the political blocs together for the second time in recent weeks, said he has given all parties two more weeks to discuss the issue before reconvening, The Washington Post reports.
The Iraqi administration has indicated that leaving 10,000 U.S. troops behind - out of the 46,000 still there, might be reasonable.
"The Iraqis haven't come to any consensus about what it is they might need in terms of tasks they want the Americans to perform," an official was quoted, as saying.
Both U.S. and Iraqi officials have expressed concern about Baghdad's ability to completely handle security after the pull-out.
Last week, Admiral Mike Mullen said Iraqi security forces would have 'capability gaps' in areas that include air defense and intelligence.
In April, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Malaki said his country might need assistance with external security after the withdrawal date.nder a security pact signed between the two governments in 2008, Washington is due to withdraw its remaining troops, numbering about 46,000, from Iraq by December 31, more than eight years after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. (ANI)
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