Gates: Some US troops may stay if Iraq wants
The Obama administration would keep US troops in Iraq beyond the agreed final withdrawal date of December 31, 2011, if the Iraqi government wanted them, but the Iraqis need to decide "pretty quickly" in order for the Pentagon to accommodate the extension, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday during what he said probably is his final visit to this war-torn country.
Whether to negotiate an extended US military presence is up to the Iraqis, he said, adding that he thought an extension might make sense. (AP)
