Washington Post: Iraq likely to miss deadline on US Troop decision

According to a Washington Post article published recently, Iraqi officials will likely miss the deadline to formally request continued US military presence, mostly because of the widespread disagreement between officials on how the US will stay involved, in what capacity, and for how long.

The most notable of all quotes from the article comes from Basra provincial governor Khalef Abdul Samed, who said “I need the Americans with civilian suits, not military uniforms,” expressing his views that the US should focus on investing economically in the country and rebuilding schools.  He further state that continued US military presence should focus only on protecting Iraq’s air space and borders