‘Baghdad must decide’ on US troops leaving

The UN’s outgoing top diplomat in Iraq has said the government in Baghdad must determine whether its security forces are strong enough to thwart violence before requiring US troops to leave at the end of the year.

In his last interview after two years in Baghdad, UN envoy Ad Melkert said Iraqi security forces have made “clear improvements” but declined to say if he thinks they are ready to protect the country without help from the American military.

Yesterday Mr Melkert said: “It’s up to the government, really, to assess if it is enough to deal with the risks that are still around. Obviously, security remains a very important issue.”

The US and Iraqi governments are negotiating how many US troops might stay, and what role they would play, in a mission that has already lasted more than eight years.

A 2008 security agreement between Baghdad and Washington requires all US troops to be out of Iraq by 31 December, but the country’s shaky security has prompted politicians on both sides to buck public disapproval and reconsider the deadline.

Two bombs killed two people yesterday and wounded five in in Baghdad.