Odierno Sees Roses

Or at least he says he does.

The commander of American troops in Iraq, General Ray Odierno, said Sunday that Iraqi forces were adequately prepared to take over full security operations when the US combat mission ends later this month.

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Some 70,000 soldiers are currently on the ground in the country, and Washington plans to reduce that quota to 50,000 -- all in non-combat brigades -- by August 31.

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"[The Iraqi forces] continue to do broad-scoped operations across all of Iraq. We continue to help them as they do these, and that will continue after 1 September."

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"But we do believe they are ready to assume full operations in Iraq," he added.

  

I don’t think General Odierno understands the meaning of "full".

"I think we'll see some first steps toward forming a government by 1 September," he said, as he appeared to encourage resolution to the political crisis sooner rather than later in order to avoid continued perceptions of weakness that could be exploited by extremist groups.

I didn't laugh. Did you?

It's nice that the General is expecting them to take "first steps toward forming a government by 1 September," since the elections held to form that government occurred around the first of March.

Suicide bombers killed 60 people near a holy Shiite shrine in Baghdad on Friday and a car bomber left seven people dead in Diyala, according to security and medical officials.

Along with the 60 dead, many of whom were Iranian pilgrims, at least 125 others were wounded when two female suicide bombers struck on roads leading to the Imam Musa al-Kadhim shrine, one of the holiest in Shiite Islam, the Interior Ministry said.

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Later on Friday, a suicide car bomber detonated explosives in Diyala province, killing at least seven people and wounding 29 others.

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Fridays attacks follow the deadliest day in Iraq this year, in which 87 people were killed in attacks.

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The top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. Raymond Odierno, told CNN's "American Morning" on Friday he believes Iraqis won't be "intimidated by the attack" and "they will not let this stand in their way of moving forward."

  CNN