Vice President Joe Biden was in Iraq over the Fourth of July and said in an interview with NBC News during hi strip that the Iraqis are “absolutely” ready to take over full responsibility for security as the U.S. proceeds with a planned withdrawal.
“They are ready. Absolutely they’re ready to take over,” Biden said.
Ironically, the US Embassy compound in Baghdad's 'Green Zone' was hit with mortar fire while the Bidens were inside, and two "duck and cover" alarms sounded within an hour.
As a side note, that 100-acre embassy cost th eAmerican taxpayer $700 million, and is the largest U.S. embassy in the world.
Also occurring during Biden's trip was a particularly nasty suicide bombing in Anbar, when a female bomber managed to get through four checkpoints and blew herself up in the reception area of the provincial governor's office in Ramadi. At least five people were killed and scores wounded.
There have been numerous attacks since the disputed Iraqi elections, a sign that tensions between the Sunni and Shiite factions are ramping up.
What we essentially have established in Iraq is a Shiite Islamic Republic with it's laws and constitution based on sharia. The latest election, which saw Iraqi PM Maliki using his muscle to arbitrarily disqualify winning candidates from the opposing parties does not bode well for a peaceful and democratic future there.
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