Joint Chiefs chair in Iraq, meeting prime minister

[December 13, 2010]  BAGHDAD (AP) -- Adm. Mike Mullen, the top U.S. military official, met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Monday, congratulating him on progress toward filling out the new government and discussing what the two countries' military relationship might be after the scheduled withdrawal of U.S. forces next year.

There was no discussion of specifics, such as the possibility of a residual U.S. force after the agreed-upon exit deadline, a military official familiar with the meeting said.The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information publicly.

Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was also scheduled to tour U.S. military installations to talk with U.S. forces as they head into the final planned year of their mission.

The U.S. military has an agreement with the Iraqi government to leave by the end of 2011. However, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he is open to the idea of keeping troops in Iraq past that deadline if Iraq asks for it.

Al-Maliki said Saturday that the agreement will stand because Iraqi forces are capable of taking care of the country's security.

Jawad al-Bolani, Iraq's Interior Minister, told reporters Monday that Iraq's progress in managing its own security means that "Iraqi security troops are ready and capable of filling the vacuum in full as they were in the past years."

A spike in violence, however, has underscored the continued potency of extremists. Mullen's visit comes a day after a suicide bomber killed 17 people outside government offices west of Baghdad.

[Associated Press; By ANNE GEARAN]

Associated Press reporter Lara Jakes contributed to this report.

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