Iraqi PM says sure his forces can handle security [View All]

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http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L23368025.htm

Iraqi PM says sure his forces can handle security

BAGHDAD, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki insisted on Wednesday his forces would be ready to take control of most provinces within months, even though the U.S. military has boosted troop levels in Baghdad to shore up his government.

The U.S. Marine Corps announced on Tuesday it was calling up inactive service members to return to duty, possibly in Afghanistan and Iraq, to counter a steady decline in the number of such troops who volunteer.

"We will assume responsibility for security in one province this month and another next month. At the end of the year we will take control of most provinces," Maliki told reporters.

Washington's strategy is to train Iraq's security forces to assume responsibility for the country's 18 provinces and pave the way for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, but a surge in sectarian violence in recent months has frustrated that plan.