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Security Pact Drafted

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The Associated Press

Published: October 16, 2008

BAGHDAD - U.S. troops could face trial in Iraqi courts for major crimes committed off base and when not on missions, under a draft security pact hammered out in months of tortuous negotiations, Iraqi officials familiar with the draft said Wednesday.

The draft also calls for U.S. troops to leave Iraqi cities by the end of June and withdraw from the country entirely by Dec. 31, 2011, unless Iraq's government asks some to stay for training or security support, the officials said.

It would also give Iraqis a greater role in U.S. military operations and full control of the Green Zone, the 3 1/2 -square mile area of central Baghdad that includes the U.S. Embassy and major Iraqi government offices.

One senior Iraqi official said Baghdad may demand even more concessions before the draft is submitted to parliament for a final decision.

The two sides are working against a deadline of year's end, when the U.N. mandate authorizing the U.S.-led mission expires.

The Iraqi officials, familiar with details of the draft, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not supposed to release the information.

In Washington, the State Department confirmed a draft had been finalized but refused to discuss any details.

"There is a text that people are looking at," spokesman Sean McCormack said.

SOLDIERS KILL NO. 2 TERRORIST

U.S. soldiers killed the alleged No. 2 leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, a Moroccan who trained in Afghanistan. The man, known as Abu Qaswarah, died Oct. 5 during a raid on a building in Mosul.

The Associated Press

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