European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 15, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                              July stars and stripes Mideast edition a Maliki confident in Iraq forces prime minister troops can leave any time they want by Bushra Juki the associated press minister Nouri Alma Liki said saturday that the iraqi army and police Are capable of keeping Security in the country when american troops leave any time they though he acknowledged the forces need further weapons and the embattled prime minister sought to show Confidence at a time when congressional pressure is growing for a withdrawal and the Bush administration reported Little Progress had been made on the most vital of a series of benchmarks it wants Almalik to carry Almalik said difficulty in enacting the measures was natural Given Iraq but one of his top Hassan rankled at the saying the was treating Iraq like an Experiment in an Ameri can he sharply criticized the saying it was committing human rights embarrassing the iraqi government with its tactics and cooperating with gangs of killers in its Campaign against Al Aida in also needs comments were a rare show of frustration toward the americans from within Alma Likis inner Circle As the prime minister struggles to overcome deep divisions Between sunni and kurdish members of his coalition and enact the american drawn list of in new violence in Baghdad on a car bomb levelled a two Story apartment build and a suicide bomber slowed his expo Sive packed vehicle into a line of cars at a Gas the two attacks killed at least eight police officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorize to re lease details of the iraqi foreign minister Hishyar Zebari warned last week of civil War and the govern ments collapse if the americans Khalid a Man passes wrecked vehicles after a car bomb attack saturday on vehicles lined up at a Gas station in Southeastern Baghdad killing seven and injuring 15 but Almalik told reporters we say in full Confidence that we Are god to take the responsibility completely in running the Security file if the International forces withdraw at any time they but he added that iraqi forces Are still in need of More weapons and rehabilitation to be ready in the Case of a Almalik told a Baghdad press conference that his government needs time and Effort to enact the political reforms that Washington seeks particularly since the political pro Cess is facing economic and services As Well As regional and International these difficulties can be read As a big Suc not negative when they Are officials Iraq pullout would take time the associated press Washington pulling the military out of Iraq would be a massive undertaking and would have to be done slowly and deliver defense officials one general said it would take up to 18 months to Cut his troop Levels in Northern Iraq in the length of the withdrawal would depend largely on the level of violence in it would be More difficult and take far longer if forces had to get out while intense fighting was going noting that it took a year to bring troops out of Kuwait in the Early de sense Secretary Robert Gates said that was under Good conditions where there was a per missive environment and easy Access to ports and airports to move troops and equip youre talking about not just but millions of tons of contractor equipment that belongs to the United states and a variety of other Gates told Pentagon reporters this is a massive to viewed under the Shadow of the big Challenge he in other violence a Soldier assigned to task Force Marne was killed saturday when a landmine detonated during a foot the com Mand no further details were task Force Marne operates in South Bagh dad and in communities to the South and Southeast of the an iraqi translator for Reuters was shot to death by an apparent victim of Sec tarian death the third employee of the news Agency killed in Baghdad last Reu ters reported on the Londo based news did not identify the translator at the request of rela apparently to avoid publicizing the Fame Lys link to the the 30yearold translator was killed wednesday while driving with two of his Brothers in Southeast an area where shiite and sunni militants senior iraqi politician Ahmad Chalabi escaped unharmed saturday when his Convoy came under an attack by mortars and insurgent gunmen As he visited tribesmen in South Ern a spokesman Chalabi was meeting with tiie tribesmen in the town of on the Southern outskirts Gist Cal undertaking whenever it takes of when the building came under at the same Peter chairman of the joint chiefs of revealed that the ability of iraqi forces to take Over Independent Security their own coun try has dramatically dropped in recent 10 iraqi battalions in March to six mortar fire that landed near his encourages cars said chalabis spokesman Ayad Kazem Chalabi and his delegation fled the and As they drove away in their gun men opened fire on sati no one in his Convoy was he Soldier is army first nurse killed in Iraq by Michael Melia the associated press san puerto Rico a puerto rican Soldier killed in a mortar attack in Baghdad Green zone was the first army nurse to die from combat related injuries in the Iraq a Pentagon spokeswoman said army Maria Jnes who had been serving in Iraq since was car ing for wounded iraqis at a Hospital inside the fortified District that also hosts the embassy and Iraq her family she touched everyone lives and every thing about her was her Juan said from her mothers Home in she always carried a born in Ortiz grew up in puerto she had been assigned to Kirk army health clinic at the Aberdeen proving ground in Mary where she was chief nurse of general medi she was the Only citizen among three peo ple killed in the barrage one in a series of recent attacks that have added to safety concerns for key iraqi and International officials who live and work in the Green her Jorge said she was not wearing body Armor because she Felt Safe in Side the Walls of the Central Baghdad Ortiz it is common for people not to Wear protective gear in the especially during warm sum Mer who died from her wounds was the first army nurse killed in Iraq since the 2003 according to Pentagon spokeswoman Cynthia through january of this 90 army med ical personnel had been killed in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan since said Marga ret a spokeswoman for the army medi Cal it was her said an army i saw in her what everyone else a Beautiful person who brings Joy to everyone she Ortiz is survived by her and four Sisters in new Jersey and funeral arrangements have not been i j i deaths Iraq As of at least members of the military have died since the beginning of the Iraq War in March according to an associated press count the figure includes seven military at least died As a result of hostile according to the military the a count is one less than the defense depart ments last updated Fri Day at 10 the latest deaths reported by the military no deaths the latest identifications re ported by the military army 1st sgt Jeffrey Texas died wednesday in Adham Yah in a noncombat re lated incident assigned to the 1st 26th infantry 2nd brigade com Bat 1st infantry Divi Afghanistan and other areas As of at least 345 members of the military had died in Paki Stan and Uzbekistan As a result of the invasion of Afghani Stan in late according to the defense department the department last updated its Fig ures july of the military re ports 224 were killed by hos tile outside the afghan the defense department re ports 61 More members of the military died in support of operation enduring of two were the result of hostile the military lists these other locations As Guantanamo Bay naval Cuba Djibouti Eritrea Jordan Kenya Kyrgyzstan Philippines Seychelles Sudan Tajikistan tur key and there were also four Cia officer deaths and one military civilian the latest deaths reported by the military no deaths the latest identifications re ported by the military no identifications reported from the associated press More than 20 killed in 2 Days in Afghanistan Afghanistan afghan and Western troops clashed with Taliban fighters across Southern Leav ing More than 20 militants and two afghan soldiers dead Over two officials said a clash Between police and militants left six of the fighters dead and two officers wounded in Kan Dahar provinces Arghan dab District on in uru Zgan afghan and coalition forces came under attack and the ensuing which included killed 15 the ministry of de sense from the associated press