Frustrated, Panetta Urges Iraq To Decide If They Still Want U.S. Troops

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told American troops Monday that the Iraqi government needs to definitively answer whether or not they want an ongoing U.S. presence in the country.

Panetta, appearing at Camp Victory in Iraq, added that he was frustrated with the pace of the government’s deliberations.

“I’d like things to move a lot faster here, frankly,” Panetta said. “Dammit, make a decision.”

The U.S. is currently scheduled to remove 46,000 troop from Iraq by the end of the year. However, according to the AP, the U.S. is willing to keep 10,000 in the country if asked by the Iraqi government.

Panetta’s comments come amid the Secretary’s inaugural trip to Afghanistan and Iraq. On Monday, he is scheduled to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and President Jalal Talibani.

The Secretary also signaled that he will be urging the government to focus on stopping extremist groups from obtaining Iranian weapons.

“We’re very concerned about Iran and weapons they’re providing to extremists here in Iraq,” Panetta said. “In June, we lost a hell of a lot of Americans as a result of those attacks and we can’t just simply stand back and allow this to continue to happen.”