We’ve been hearing reports for some time that the U.S. government wants the Iraq government to negotiate a new or amend the current Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) to allow U.S. troops to remain in the country past the current 12/31/11 deadline to get out.
The Pentagon agrees of course and is doing their part. ("Pentagon's Second Thoughts on Iraq Withdrawl")
"Eight months shy of its deadline for pulling the last American soldier from Iraq and closing the door on an 8-year war, the Pentagon is having second thoughts.
Reluctant to say it publicly, officials fear a final pullout in December could create a security vacuum, offering an opportunity for power grabs by antagonists in an unresolved and simmering Arab-Kurd dispute, a weakened but still active al-Qaida or even an adventurous neighbor such as Iran."
http://www.armytimes.com/...
Evidently Al Qaeda also wants the U.S. to stay. And they don't appear all that weakened. At least 75 were killed and over 250 wounded across Iraq by a series of car bombs, alleged suicide bombers, and other attacks. Kind of coincidently emphasizes the Pentagon's point, only days after they "reluctantly" made it.
"Today's attacks are eerily similar to the stream of large scale, complex attacks that occurred here last year during Ramadan on Aug. 25," said Maj. Angela Funaro, spokeswoman for United States Forces-Iraq.
Officials believe the attacks last year were perpetrated by al Qaeda in Iraq "to shake the public's confidence in the capabilities of the ISF (Iraqi Security Forces) to defend this country," but it is too early to speculate about Monday's attacks, Funaro said in an e-mail."
http://www.cnn.com/...
Right on cue:
"The attacks, including suicide bombers, car bombs and gunfire, strike from north to south throughout the morning in what appears to be part of a coordinated plan. The bloodshed indicates that Iraq's security forces may be overwhelmed by insurgents as U.S. soldiers withdraw later this year.
http://www.latimes.com/...
You can find the same kind of kind of warnings about the future security of Iraq in over 1000 news and blog articles just today.
Amazing how that works. Who is this Al Qaeda in Iraq? They want the occupiers out but they don't? Whoever they are, they're either very stupid, or very smart.