Iraq's prime minister says he expects faster U.S. pullout of troops from the country

BAGHDAD -- Iraq's prime minister said Monday he thinks the U.S. will withdraw its troops more quickly than the three-year timeline set in a U.S.-Iraq security agreement.

An agreement negotiated under former president George W. Bush's administration called for U.S. combat troops to withdraw from Baghdad and other cities by the end of June, with all American forces out of the country by the end of 2011.

President Obama campaigned on a promise to remove all combat troops within 16 months and has asked the Pentagon to plan for "a responsible military drawdown from Iraq."

With planning underway, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said he thinks the end of the U.S. mission "will be brought forward" and that Iraq must bolster its forces to meet the challenge after the Americans leave.

U.S. officials in Iraq have said a hasty departure of 142,000 U.S. troops could reverse the decline in violence and undermine efforts to establish a stable government.

Violence is down since last year after a U.S.-Iraqi offensive broke the power of Shiite militias and after many Sunnis abandoned the insurgency.