June 30, Japan:  In an exclusive interview, NHK discovered that the Iraqi government might let U.S. troops stay.  For months U.S. officials have been pushing Iraq to ‘request’ that U.S. troops be kept past the current withdraw date.

Under the terms of the last agreement, the only way that U.S. forces would stay, is if the Iraqi government requested them to stay.  Officially Iraqi officials have stated that they want the U.S. out.

Iraqi government spokesperson, Ali al-Dabbagh, told NHK that some Iraqi officials now believe their troops need more U.S. training.  This is exactly the reasoning U.S. officials have been telling Iraqi officials to use.

The Iraqi Parliament is set to vote on the issue, it’ll take a majority of support for the request to become official.

Several militia groups, some very powerful, stated they will go on the war path if U.S. troops do not leave by the end of 2011.  Already attacks against U.S. troops have increased since Defense Secretary Robert Gates began pressuring the Iraqi government to let U.S. troops stay.  June, 2011, has become the deadliest month for U.S. forces since 2009.  Some economist say the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost the U.S. economy $3 trillion.