Iraqis skeptical about significance of US pullback

BAGHDAD — Iraqis are skeptical that much will change after last week's pullback of U.S. combat troops from Baghdad and other cities, a sentiment not shared by their government.

The government declared the June 30 pullback National Sovereignty Day and celebrated it with a military parade and noisy street celebrations by Iraqi soldiers and police. But there was no spontaneous outpouring of joy by Iraqis since many of them did not see the move as significant, with some 130,000 U.S. troops remaining in the country.

"The celebrations were contrived, almost like a farce," said Salman Hassan, who runs an electrical supplies store in eastern Baghdad. "The Americans did not go anywhere far, they are on the outskirts of our cities."

Like many others in Baghdad, Hassan says he will not remember the Americans kindly. But, ironically, he says he finds comfort in the fact that the Americans remain close.

"Our forces are not ready yet to take sole responsibility. They need two more years to be ready to defend us."

The withdrawal from the cities, which was completed Tuesday, is part of a U.S.-Iraqi security pact that lays the ground for a full U.S. withdrawal by the end of 2011.

Most troops pulled back to bases outside urban areas, but the U.S. military left an undisclosed number behind to train and advise the Iraqis. The U.S. military has refused to reveal their number, fearful of feeding any criticism that the Americans aren't honoring the pact or casting doubt on the ability of the Iraqis to handle security alone.

The ambivalence felt by most Iraqis over the 2003 U.S.-led invasion appears to have been duplicated over the departure of the Americans from the cities. Many are happy to see them go, yet they are not convinced their army and police are ready to protect them as well as maintain the security gains made over the past two years.

Conflicted feelings toward the Americans has been deepened by image-transforming changes the U.S. military introduced to the way troops interact with Iraqis. They swapped their heavy-handed tactics of the war's early years with a culturally sensitive approach since 2007 that won over much of the population and isolated the militants.

"Not every one of us felt the same about the Americans," said Atta Zeidan, co-owner of a Baghdad book store.

"There is no universal resentment or hatred for the Americans. Love or hatred of the Americans has in large part depended on everyone's personal experience," he said.

Al-Maliki appears to have none of the mixed sentiments Iraqis have about the withdrawal.