US troops to begin pulling out of Baghdad bases

Baghdad: The United States has committed to reducing the number of American military bases in Baghdad from 60 to 2 in the coming months under the recently approved Status of Forces Agreement, Gulf News has learned.

"There are 50 to 60 US military bases in Baghdad and this number will decline to 2. One [of the sites that will remain] is at the Al Muthanna airport, west of the capital, where US combat troops will be provided with helicopters to offer logistical support to Iraqi forces," said Lieutenant general Anwar Mohammad Amin, General Inspector at the Iraqi Defense Ministry.

"There is a timetable for the Iraqi army to withdraw from Baghdad and other cities in conjunction with the withdrawal of the US military, in order for the Ministry of Interior forces to take full responsibility for security in these locations," Amin explained.

The Iraqi Interior Ministry plans to allocate 750 security guards for every 100,000 Iraqis.

"During the coming weeks, we will begin the process of taking responsibility for security at more locations across the country previously under the control of US forces and the Iraqi army. This is in preparation for the withdrawal of these troops from the cities at the end of next June under the security agreement," said Major General Abdul Karim Khalaf, director of operations at the ministry.

"The Iraqi military has already begun to withdraw from the cities of Al Anbar, Al Amarah, Diyala and Kot to be replaced by Interior Ministry forces. This is a step we regard as very important to enable the Iraqi army to take responsibility for the defense of our borders and airspace ahead of the full US withdrawal by the end of 2011," he said.

Iraqi Interior Ministry forces number approximately 600,000 - a sufficient number, according to Iraqi security sources, to maintain security in cities and villages across the country.