Despite SOFA, US Will Deploy 21,000 Troops in Northern Iraq

The United States is to deploy 21,000 US troops in and around the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq despite the security agreement between Baghdad and Washington.

According to the commander of US forces in northern Iraq, Anthony Cucolo, 21,000 US forces will be deployed in Kirkuk and Mosul early next month, the Fars News Agency reported on Saturday.

Cucolo further claimed that the deployment is aimed at preventing what he called the possible Kurd-Arab tension.

Cucolo's remarks come as a surprise as there has been no Kurd-Arab tensions since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.'

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Iraq Told: Keep US Troops Or Face Martial Law

Iraq's defense minister Abdul Qadir Muhammed Jassim threatened to declare a state of emergency if Iraq's parliament refused to sign an accord allowing US troops to stay in the country for three more years.

His rhetoric was eerily in tune with Bush Administration officials' comments on domestic security and Iran, echoing language used by the Administration to bolster support for the Iraq war.

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Sounds very similar to Paulson's threat to congress over the bail out !

UK: We've Started Talks On Our Own SOFA

The UK is in talks with Iraq to sign a long-term security agreement with Baghdad similar to the controversial pact proposed by the US. "Negotiations [with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on the security pact] were practically started," the British ambassador to Iraq told Voices of Iraq news agency on Tuesday.

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U.S. Threatens To Halt Services To Iraq Without Troop Accord

The U.S. military has warned Iraq that it will shut down military operations and other vital services throughout the country on Jan. 1 if the Iraqi government doesn't agree to a new agreement on the status of U.S. forces or a renewed United Nations mandate for the American mission in Iraq.
Many Iraqi politicians view the move as akin to political blackmail, a top Iraqi official told McClatchy Sunday.
In addition to halting all military actions, U.S. forces would cease activities that support Iraq’s economy, educational sector and other areas _ "everything" _ said Tariq al Hashimi, the country’s Sunni Muslim vice president. "I didn’t know the Americans are rendering such wide-scale services."

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Maliki Won't Sign Divisive SOFA

Iraqi Premier Nouri al-Maliki 'will not sign' the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) over fears that it might create division in the country. A lawmaker from the United Iraqi Alliance, Iraq's most powerful parliamentary bloc, made the announcement, adding that a "national consensus" is required before any move, the McClatchy Newspaper reported on Saturday.

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US Tells Iran To Look The Other Way

The US advises Iran to turn a blind eye to its controversial security deal with Iraq, saying Tehran needs not defend the rights of Iraqis. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday accused Tehran of cross-border meddling by attempting to derail a pending military pact - which can pave the way for the establishment of permanent US military bases in Iraq.

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