¡¡ Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq

    CANBERRA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Iraqi Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani said here Thursday his country is planning to have its own troops to take over security responsibility as early as the end of next year.

    "Almost half of the country now is almost totally under the control of the Iraqi forces," he told reporters.

    "The other half, we are planning by the end of 2007, perhaps 2008, to have sufficient trained and equipped Iraqi forces to takeover responsibility," he said.

    Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the sooner the Iraqis could look after themselves, the better.

    But he stopped short of putting a time frame for the Australian troops withdrawal.

    He described al-Shahristani's prediction as "optimistic."

    "The sooner they're able to do it the better, of course," he told Australian Associated Press.

    "We're not putting a timeframe on it, we're just going to depend on how the capabilities of the Iraqi troops develop," he said.

    Downer said he had a fruitful discussion with the minister.

    "We discussed our commercial relationship and we had a good discussion also about the security situation in Iraq," he said.

    "He was, if I can put it this way, a little more optimistic than some of us sometimes have been in recent times and he, of course, is very committed to keeping Iraqi troops there until the Iraqi defense force can take over the security of the country," he said.

    "That is entirely our position and the position of the coalition (forces) generally," he added. Enditem

    

U.S. President George W. Bush (R) walks with Press Secretary Tony Snow through the Colonnade at the White House in Washington Oct. 18, 2006. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery >>>

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Growing U.S. deaths in the Iraq war will not make President George W. Bush reconsider his plans for Iraq, White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters on Wednesday.

    "The strategy is to win," Snow said. "As everybody says, correctly, we've got to win. And that comes at a cost."

    Snow made the remarks upon the report that 10 American troops had been killed the day before, raising the death toll so far this month to 69 and putting October on track to be the deadliest month for coalition forces in nearly two years. Full story>>

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