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Iraqis sceptical about significance of US pullback

Ap, Baghdad
Iraqis arc sceptical that much will change after last week's pullback of US 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 US troops remaining in the coun-try.
"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 US-Iraqi security pact that lays the ground for a full US withdrawal by the end of 2011.
Most troops pulled back to bases outside urban areas, but the US military left an undisclosed number behind to train and advise the Iraqis. The US military has refused to reveal their number, fearful of feeding any criticism that the Americans aren't honouring the pact or casting doubt on the ability of the Iraqis to handle security alone.
The ambivalence felt by most Iraqis over the 2003 US-led invasion appears to have been duplicated over the departure of the Americans from the cities. Many are happy to sec them go, yetthey 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 US 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.
While Iraqis went about their normal daily business, al-Maliki declared the pullback a victory for the country and heaped lavish praise on Iraq's forces but made no mention of the US role in reducing violence since 2007.
Iraq's security forces, which number 650,000, have spent years in the shadow of their better equipped and more disciplined US mentors, learning counterinsurgency tactics, intelligence gathering techniques and combat skills.
But the Iraqis continue to struggle with logistics and professional conduct. It is not uncommon to see soldiers at checkpoints speaking on their mobile phones or dozing off while sitting aside in the shade.
They also lack reliable networks for fuel distribution, equipment repairs and salary payments. Chipping away at the public's confidence in their abilities is the adoption by some of the younger soldiers of an "American look" dark, wraparound sunglasses, bandanas and knee and elbow pads accessories Iraqis see as alien to their military, traditions.