Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:51:46 GMT

A top US military adviser says Iraqi forces are now able to protect the government, admitting that US troops are no longer welcome in Iraq.

In an unusually blunt memo, Col. Timothy R. Reese details the deficiency roots of the Iraqi army, but admits that any the US military presence beyond August 2010 will do little to improve their performance while deepening resentment of Americans.

"As the old saying goes, 'Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days,' " Colonel Reese wrote. "Since the signing of the 2009 Security Agreement, we are guests in Iraq, and after six years in Iraq, we now smell bad to the Iraqi nose."

A spokeswoman for the senior US commander in Iraq, Gen. Ray Odierno, however, said that the memo did not reflect the military's official stance and that some of the problems mentioned in the memo had been solved recently.

The US currently has nearly 130,000 troops stationed in Iraq who will remain through Iraq's national elections scheduled for next January.

Washington is to reduce its forces in the country to no more than 50,000 by August 2010, which would include six brigades commissioned to advise and train Iraqi troops.

Col. Reese, however, warned the Iraqi government "has gained its balance and…knows how to ride the bike in the race."

"Our hand on the back of the seat is holding them back and causing resentment. We need to let go before we both tumble to the ground," he wrote.

MRS/MMN

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