Iraqi lawmakers have said that they will not allow any extension of the presence of foreign troops as Baghdad government is now fully capable of securing its own territories.

Iraqi legislators threw their weight behind local security forces, saying the country has made extraordinary progress and the Iraqi troops will be ready to protect the country by the end of 2011, a Press TV correspondent reported.
The statement followed Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's recent press conference where he said the deadline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq cannot be extended unless all political factions in the country agree to it.
Maliki told reporters on Wednesday that Washington needs to reach a new deal in order to keep its troops in Iraq beyond 2011, and this new agreement would need to be backed by the Iraqi parliament and political blocs.
Based on an agreement that signed in 2008 between the two countries' heads of state, Washington is obliged to withdraw its forces from Iraq by late 2011.
Yet, the U.S. military officials have on various occasions signaled their willingness to keep their troops in the oil-rich country, urging Iraqi officials to make a request for the extension of U.S. military presence in advance, if they really want to keep American soldiers inside Iraq.
But Maliki, along with other Iraqi officials, has repeatedly ruled out the need for the U.S. military presence beyond December 2011.
Officials say Iraqi security forces have the backing of the public, as the majority of the people believe foreign troops have brought nothing but instability to the country.
The U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003 under the pretext of destroying alleged weapons of mass destruction (WMD) belonging to former dictator Saddam Hussein.
However, it was later found that not only did the country not harbor any WMD, but that the U.S. and Britain, which led the invasion, knew about the non-existence of WMD in Iraq.
Over one million Iraqis have been killed as a result of the occupation, according to a study by the prestigious British polling group, Opinion Research Business (ORB).
About five million children have also been orphaned as violence has been surging continuously, ORB said.
(Source: Press TV)
Photo: Iraqi MPs in parliament in Baghdad
-