(15 Jun 2009)
1. Wide of press conference held by General Ray Odierno the top US commander in Iraq, Iraq's government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh, Interior Minister Juwad al-Bolani and Defence Minister Abdul-Qadir al-Obeidi
2. Reporters
3. SOUNDBITE: (English) General Ray Odierno, US commander in Iraq ++OVERLAID WITH ARABIC TRANSLATION++
"So far this year we have already closed, or returned to the government of Iraq, 142 bases since the security agreement went into effect on January 1. And since last September, we have reduced over 30,000 Multi-National Force Iraq troops in all Iraq.''
4. Wide shot, news conference
5. Reporters
6. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Ali al-Dabbagh, Iraqi government spokesman
''All US combat forces should complete their withdrawal from all urban areas and cities by the end of June, 2009.''
6. Reporters
7. Wide shot, news conference
STORYLINE:
The top US commander in Iraq said on Monday that he remained committed to pulling back all combat troops from urban areas of Iraq by the end of June, as provided for in a US-Iraqi security agreement.
General Ray Odierno was addressing a news conference in Baghdad, alongside Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh, Interior Minister Juwad al-Bolani and Defence Minister Abdul-Qadir al-Obeidi.
He said 142 bases had already been closed or returned to the Iraqi government since January 1, when the security agreement went into effect.
Odierno said the pull back of combat troops would also extend to the northern city of Mosul, where Sunni insurgents still pose a threat.
Earlier this year, he said Mosul might be one of the cities where combat troops might remain, but he believed violence and tensions in Mosul have since declined.
Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told the news conference that all US combat forces should complete their withdrawal from all urban areas and cities by the end of June.
Under the terms of the Iraqi-US security pact, American combat troops must withdraw by June 30 with all US forces out of the country by the end of 2011.
US President Barack Obama has said all combat troops will leave Iraq by August 31, 2010, leaving up to 50-thousand troops in training and advising roles only.
Odierno said on Monday a limited number of advisers and trainers would remain in the cities to work with Iraqi security forces, leaving unanswered questions about how many US troops would remain and where they would be located.
The withdrawal from the cities will be a major test for Iraq's army and police, which failed to stem a wave of sectarian slaughter in 2006 of Sunnis and Shiites.
That prompted the US troop surge of 2007 which is widely credited with quelling the violence.
Many Iraqis are happy to see foreign soldiers off their streets but fear their own security forces may not be up to the challenge.
The security agreement also requires the US to release all detainees or transfer them to Iraqi custody by the end of the year.
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