Iraq’s message to U.S.: Go home

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REPORTING FROM BAGHDAD AND BEIRUT -- Eight years after U.S. troops overthrew Saddam Hussein, there is little enthusiasm among Iraqis for a sustained U.S. presence.

And although some undoubtedly fear that the announced U.S. troop withdrawal could lead to greater instability, others -- notably the lawmakers elected after a U.S.-enabled democratic transition -- appear to think that a quick U.S. departure is about the best thing that could happen.

Many associate the U.S. presence with instability, violence and suspect motives in a conflict that is believed to have cost at least 100,000 Iraqi lives. These critics view American troops as a lightning rod for militia attacks.

A representative of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki’s Shiite-led ruling coalition said Iraqis were “thankful” for the role of the U.S. and other nations in ousting Hussein, but another official added that the Americans “put the country on the brink of civil war.”

“They were part of the reason behind the ethnic and sectarian tension,” said Saad Muttalbi.

Shiites have long been cool to U.S. troops in Iraq. But leading politicians from Sunni and Kurdish blocs who once welcomed the American presence now also agree that the U.S. must leave. Omar Jubbori, a member of the largely Sunni Iraqiya political bloc, said Washington would be better off supporting Iraq through economic and “other channels, rather than a military presence, about which Iraqi public opinion is clear.”

Even lawmakers from Iraqi Kurdistan, where U.S. forces were warmly received in 2003, no longer seem enthusiastic about American boots on the ground.

“An American presence is not a condition to solve our problems,” said Mahmoud Othman, a member of the Kurdish coalition. “They’ve been here for years, and there are still problems in Iraq.”

The U.S. had sought an agreement to maintain a small military presence to continue to train and advise Iraqi forces, but it foundered on Washington’s insistence that U.S. military personnel have immunity from Iraqi prosecution. Iraqis refused to budge on the point.

“I was so happy to hear that the Americans are leaving our country,” said Firs Fertusi, 33, a former fighter in the now-disbanded Mahdi Army, founded by anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada Sadr. “They destroyed our country. They created so much tension among Iraqis.”

Yet for all the apparent antagonism, some still support an American presence.

Raad Hussein, an engineer in Sadr City, said he feared the return of “masked gunmen, wearing black,” a common sight during the worst of the sectarian violence that had ravaged the nation.

“I think we will regret the Americans’ departure,” Hussein said.

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-- Raheem Salman in Baghdad and Patrick McDonnell in Beirut