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Some 1,000 al Qaeda still in Iraq - CIA chief says

by Reuters
Thursday, 9 June 2011 14:42 GMT

WASHINGTON, June 9 (Reuters) - The United States believes that there are some 1,000 al Qaeda still in Iraq, CIA chief Leon Panetta, nominated to take over the Pentagon in July, told the Senate on Thursday.

Panetta made the comments when asked whether it was in the U.S. interest to keep its troops in Iraq past an end-year deadline for their withdrawal, if Baghdad asked.

"I have to tell you there are 1,000 al Qaeda that are still in Iraq," he said. "It too continues to be a fragile situation. And I believe that we should take whatever steps are necessary to make sure that we protect whatever progress we've made there."

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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