NEWS FLASH

Maliki Aide Denies Panetta’s Claim That Iraqis Agreed To U.S. Troop Extension | Stars and Stripes reports today that in an interview, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said that Iraq’s leaders have already told American officials that they want U.S. troops to stay in Iraq after the Dec. 31, 2011 withdrawal deadline. “My view is that they finally did say, ‘Yes,’” he said. Indeed, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said publicly that he would support having the Americans stay in some capacity past 2011. But Ali Mussawi, a top adviser to Maliki, today rebuffed Panetta’s comments. “We have not yet agreed on the issue of keeping training forces,” he said, adding, “The negotiations are ongoing, and these negotiations have not been finalized.”