Iraq Leader Tells EU He's Confident of Al Qaeda's Defeat
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Iraq's prime minister said Wednesday that he is more confident than ever his government will defeat Al Qaeda in Iraq.
Speaking a day after nearly 60 people were killed in bombings blamed on the group, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Iraq's leaders were "determined to achieve victory against terrorism."
Al-Maliki was speaking to lawmakers at the European Parliament during a visit to EU headquarters in which he is pushing for closer ties with the 27-nation bloc.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We are today more confident than any time before that we are close to the point where we can declare victory against Al Qaeda ... and its allies," al-Maliki said.
On Tuesday, bombings blamed on Al Qaeda in Iraq tore through market areas in Baghdad and outside the capital, killing nearly 60 people. The bloodshed — in four cities as far north as Mosul and as far west as Ramadi — struck directly at U.S. claims that the Sunni insurgency is waning and being replaced by Shiite militia violence as a major threat.