Obama voices concerns over rocket attack in Baghdad, praises pace of drawdown of US forces
By APThursday, July 22, 2010
Obama voices concerns over rocket attack in Iraq
WASHINGTON — The White House says President Barack Obama has expressed concerns about a rocket attack Thursday on the Green Zone in Baghdad, a fortified area that houses the U.S. embassy and the Iraqi government.
Obama made his comments in an Oval Office meeting with Ambassador to Iraq Christopher Hill and Gen. Ray Odierno, the top American military commander in Iraq.
The president also welcomed Odierno’s report that the United States is ahead of its pace to draw down to 50,000 troops in Iraq by the end of August, said a White House statement. That deadline marks the formal end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq.
Obama conveyed to Hill and Odierno that he wants Iraq’s leaders to form a government without delay following recent elections.
