US Dem. nominee Barack Obama has revealed a shift in policy on Iraq troops pullout, with the move welcomed by rival McCain's campaign.
"We're going to have to provide them [Iraqis] with logistical support, intelligence support. We're going to have to have a very capable counterterrorism strike force. We're going to have to continue to train their army and police to make them more effective," Obama said in an interview with Newsweek magazine on Saturday.
He recalled that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had in a Baghdad meeting said that Iraq was "going to need our help for some time to come".
When asked about how many troops would still need to be left behind, he said, "I do think that's entirely conditions-based. It's hard to anticipate where we may be six months from now, or a year from now, or a year and a half from now."
The shift in Obama's Iraq strategy came as good news for the Republican rival John McCain, with his spokesman Tucker Bounds saying, "We welcome this latest shift in Senator Obama's position, but it is obvious that it was only a lack of experience and judgment that kept him from arriving at this position sooner."
Obama had earlier said that if elected president, he would pull out US troops from Iraq within 16 months, criticizing McCain for saying that any troop withdrawal would depend on the situation on the ground and security conditions. (presstv.ir)