Iraq 'ready next June to handle own security'

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said today that he believed Iraqi forces would be ready by next June to take full control of security in Iraq, an issue on which he pressed US President George Bush during their Amman, Jordan, summit.

In making the argument that his military and police could handle security in the country, al-Maliki has routinely said the force could do the job within six months.