"And I am sure that the prospects and the will, desire, the
prospects and the desire of such cooperation is found among both parties,"
Al Maliki added. "Nevertheless, the nature of that relationship as well as
the functions and the amount of forces will be then discussed and
re-examined again based on the needs."
Officials said Al Maliki, during his visit to Washington in late July,
pressed Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates to accelerate training and
weapons
deliveries as the U.S. military reduces its presence in Iraq. They said Al
Maliki complained that the lion's share of weapons ordered from the United
States over the last two years has not arrived.
"They have many needs and they are not afraid to articulate them,"
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said on July 23 after the Gates-Al Maliki
meeting.
Officials said Al Maliki has sought U.S. help to rebuild Iraq's air
force. They said the prime minister reiterated Iraq's request for the
U.S.-origin F-16 multi-role fighter, manufactured by Lockheed Martin.
In 2008, Iraq submitted a request on the price and availability of 36
F-16s. The Pentagon, which said it conducted such an examination, has not
released its reply.
Over the last six months, the United States has reduced its military
presence from 145,000 to 130,000 troops in Iraq. Obama has pledged to
withdraw all combat troops from Iraq by August 2010.
The United States has reported progress in its program to ensure Iraqi
security force independence. The U.S. military has determined that the Iraqi
national police in the Wasit province was capable of training without help
from the U.S.-led coalition.
Wasit was said to have the first mobile training team, consisting of
seven instructors and three officers and organized by the 772nd Military
Police Company of the U.S. National Guard. Officials said the mobile team,
meant to avoid transferring officers to distant police academies, would
serve police stations throughout Wasit, located along the border with Iran.
"This is the first province in Iraq to have this mobile training team,"
Iraqi Sgt. Hayder Sahib Silan, a police instructor in Wasit Silan said. "The
other provinces rely on their academies and the coalition-led police
training teams. But here in Wasit, we have the first independent, fully
trained Iraqi mobile training team responsible for professional development
and training of the Iraqi police."
