Security Fears Loom as U.S. Troops Drawback in Iraq

JANE ARRAF: It really depends where you are. In places like Baghdad, where security really has improved quite dramatically, unless there's something that sparks renewed sectarian violence -- for instance, retaliatory attacks -- then they think they'll probably be OK here.

In places like Mosul and Diyala, it's a different story. And in Mosul, even though Prime Minister Maliki has been very strenuous in saying no extension for U.S. troops in Mosul, they are actually being allowed to keep some of their bases. They're turning them into joint security stations, but it means that they keep a presence in the city.

And that's important, because that's the way that they manage to maintain security and improve security in Baghdad, for instance, by putting those troops directly in the city. So it really does depend on what kind of fight they're fighting.

Again, in Mosul, the police are a problem, so they're trying to figure that out, in a country where, although they rapidly increased the security forces' quality and professionalism, they don't have the money to expand them any further. So that's another problem they're looking at.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And, Jane, what about the Iraqi officials? What are they saying? How confident are they that this is going to work?

JANE ARRAF: That's a really mixed bag. If you talk to defense officials, the senior officials, they're completely on board and they say, "It's all fine. We're ready for this." They're ready for it partly because they're still getting a lot of U.S. help.

I think there's a misconception that a lot is going to change starting tomorrow. And in practical terms, it's not really. In symbolic terms, it's huge. It really is a huge milestone for Iraqis and their sense of national sovereignty.

But on the ground, really, the Americans are going to continue to provide logistical help, a lot of intelligence help, medical evacuation, all of those things that the Iraqis can't do for themselves, including air support. So, really, they are getting a lot of support. And that's a comfort to Iraqi officials.

But in places, for instance, again, like Mosul, which is Iraq's second-biggest city and perhaps the most volatile, people like the mayor are saying, "We're not ready yet. Don't take those forces away." That decision has been made, and everyone is living with it, and everyone is trying to make the best of it, essentially.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Interesting. Jane, you've been, as we said, in and out of Iraq since the early 1990s. How would you describe overall circumstances there now compared to other times you've been there?

JANE ARRAF: Precarious, I suppose. As you know, Judy, in Saddam Hussein's time, things were not very rosy, either, but people basically had a tradeoff.

They had a bizarre, strange sort of security, because the bargain they made -- bargain that many Iraqis made is that, if they didn't engage in politics, if they don't really demand very much, if they didn't want any freedom, they were kind of OK. Now that's all been turned upside down.

And when people go out their door in some places in the morning, they still tell you they don't know whether they'll come back at night. There are still daily attacks. So it is very fragile. It's very precarious.

But now that security has improved a bit, people are turning their eye to the other big problems: unemployment, lack of electricity, lack of a future, which means that there's still something like 2 million Iraqis who aren't coming back yet. So this is a country that is getting on its feet, but still a bit shaky.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Jane Arraf, reporting for us from Baghdad on the day U.S. troops begin to pull back, thanks, Jane.

JANE ARRAF: Thank you, Judy.