Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has left open the possibility of an extended U.S. occupation beyond the withdrawal deadline for later this year. On Wednesday, Maliki said he will meet with Iraqi leaders to see if there is support for extending the occupation. The Pentagon has reportedly given Maliki a deadline of several weeks to decide whether to request a prolonged U.S. stay. There are currently some 46,000 U.S. troops in Iraq on nearly 70 bases, in addition to tens of thousands of private contractors.