BAGHDAD, April 14 (UPI) -- U.S. forces must honor their commitment to Baghdad and leave Iraq by the end of the year, tribal groups from Ninawa province declared.
All U.S. forces are scheduled to leave Iraq by the end of December under the terms of a bilateral status of forces agreement reached in 2008.
Pentagon officials said they were weighing their options beyond 2011, though U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said any extension would be up to the Iraqis.
Supporters of anti-American cleric Moqtada Sadr suggested there could be a rebel uprising if American forces stay beyond December, and tribal leaders in the northern province of Ninawa called for the "non-extension of the presence of the U.S.," the Voices of Iraq news agency quoted the group as saying.
The U.S. State Department this week issued a travel warning for Iraq, warning no part of the country was safe for Americans.
"While sectarian and terrorist violence occurs at levels lower than in previous years, it occurs often, particularly in the provinces of Baghdad, Ninawa, Salah ad Din, Anbar, and Diyala," the warning states.
