Legal Safeguards for U.S. Troops Key to an Iraq Deal (to Extension of Troop Presence)

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Source: Reuters

Legal safeguards for U.S. troops could become a major stumbling block to any potential deal with Iraq to keep some American forces in the country beyond a year-end withdrawal deadline.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's shaky coalition government has yet to decide whether it will ask the United States to keep some of the 46,000 remaining U.S. troops in the country beyond 2011, despite U.S. and Iraqi military concerns about security gaps once American forces leave.

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One option being floated in Iraq is the possibility of having U.S. contractors train Iraqi forces, instead of active-duty U.S. military personnel. But the U.S. defense official did not expect any future training mission being relegated solely to contractors, were Iraq to request some kind of residual U.S. military presence.

The official said the trainers would likely be a mix U.S. forces and contractors. The contractors could teach Iraqi forces to use U.S. military hardware sold to Baghdad. U.S. forces would help Iraqis address other gaps in their capabilities.


more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/20/us-usa-iraq-drawdown-idUSTRE76J5Q720110720