The top U.S. general in Iraq said Wednesday that Iraqi forces should be able to take over security with little coalition support as early as next year, even as bloodshed around the country killed at least 66 people.
Violence has spiked in recent days, with more than 200 people dying since the beginning of the week in clashes, bombings or shootings.
Gen. George Casey nonetheless said Iraqi troops are on course to eventually take over from coalition forces.
“I don’t have a date, but I can see over the next 12 to 18 months, the Iraqi security forces progressing to a point where they can take on the security responsibilities for the country, with very little coalition support,” Casey said.
His comments do not necessarily mean the U.S. will be pulling troops from the country, but American officials have always maintained that building up the Iraqi security forces is vital to any U.S. exit strategy.
A roadside bomb killed 24 people Wednesday in Baghdad’s largest and oldest wholesale market district, Shurja, where vendors sell food, clothing and home products from warehouses, stalls and shops. At least 35 people were wounded.
Earlier, an explosives-rigged bicycle blew up near an army recruiting center in Hillah, a city about 60 miles south of Baghdad, killing at least 12 people. A man posing as an army applicant planted the bomb-laden bicycle outside the recruiting center as volunteers gathered outside.
The U.S. command reported that a Marine from the 1st Brigade of the 1st Armored Division was killed in action Tuesday in Anbar province.
