Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad issued a statement saying they are committed to developing a strong relationship between the U.S. and Iraq, the Associated Press reported.
This statement came Friday after the death toll for U.S. soldiers reached 97 for the month of October, the fourth-deadliest month since the war in Iraq began, according to the AP.
Throughout the week, al-Maliki has said it is wrong of the U.S. to impose timetables on Iraq. These comments followed statements from top U.S. defense officials regarding the removal of troops from Iraq, the AP reported.
The U.S. has also been pressuring al-Maliki to stop Shiite militias and death squads from conducting sectarian killings that have moved Iraq toward civil war, the AP said.
"The government of Iraq is committed to a good and strong relationship with the U.S. government to work together toward a democratic, stable Iraq, and to confront the terrorist challenges in light of the strategic alliance between the two countries," the statement said.
