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The article discusses the views of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki about the political stability in Iraq. Responding to a U.S. White House report regarding failure of his government in bringing political reforms in the country, the prime minister said that the Iraqi armed forces were capable to secure the country if American troops were withdrawn. At a news conference in Baghdad on July 14, 2007, Maliki talked about military recruitment, their rehabilitation and weapon purchase.

Iraqi troops pushed deep into Sadr City on Tuesday as the Iraqi government sought to establish control over the district, a densely populated Shiite enclave in the Iraqi capital. The long-awaited military operation, which took place without the involvement of American ground forces, was the first determined effort by the government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki to assert control over the sprawling Baghdad neighborhood, which has been a bastion of support for Moktada al-Sadr, the rebel cleric. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]