Pelosi wants US to strengthen its intelligence sharing in Iraq

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Sunday for greater intelligence cooperation between the United States and Iraq as the American military moves to withdraw its forces from the country by 2012.

Pelosi told reporters she had discussed intelligence sharing with Iraqi lawmakers after she arrived for a one-day visit. She was accompanied by Rep. Rush Holt, a New Jersey Democrat who chairs a House committee that oversees U.S. intelligence operations.

“If we are going to have a diminished physical military presence, we are have to have a strong intelligence presence,” Pelosi said.

Pelosi, a California Democrat and strong critic of the U.S.-led 2003 invasion of Iraq, did not elaborate.

On Tuesday, however, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told The Associated Press that Iraqi forces were ready to take over their own security but needed help gathering intelligence to target insurgents and prevent attacks.

The United States is also keen to ensure that al-Qaida in Iraq and other threat groups do not reconstitute their ranks as the United States draws down ahead of the 2012 deadline.

The former U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, told Fox News Sunday that he expected al-Qaida “will continue to try to re-establish itself in Iraq” although the terror group’s senior leadership “appears to have shifted away somewhat” from operations here.

Those threat groups also include Shiite extremists who the United States believes are funded and supported by Iran, Iraq’s neighbor to the east. Tehran denies the charge.
U.S. President Barack Obama has called for removing all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by September of next year.

Appearing with Pelosi, Iraq’s newly elected parliament speaker, Ayad al-Samarraie, said the two sides also discussed the implementation of the various agreements governing the presence of American troops and their eventual withdrawal.