On the eve of his visit to Washington, Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has used the opinion pages of The New York Times to appeal for US support:

Imagine how Americans would react if you had a terrorist organization operating on your own soil that killed dozens and maimed hundreds every week. For Iraqis, that isn’t a hypothetical question; Al Qaeda in Iraq and its affiliates are conducting a terrorist campaign against our people.

Having pursued the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq in 2010, al-Maliki is calling for assistance short of US “boots on the ground”:

When I meet with President Obama on Friday, I plan to propose a deeper security relationship between the United States and Iraq to combat terrorism and address broader regional security concerns, including the conflict in Syria and the threat that proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons could pose in the region….

The United States is our security partner of choice, so we have been working with the U.S. government and American defense firms to procure the equipment we need. We see this as helping to solidify a relationship that we want to remain the cornerstone of our security strategy.

The Prime Minister concludes, “We are on the road to security, democracy and prosperity. While we still have a long way to go, we want to walk that road together with the United States.”

Meanwhile, three suicide bombings killed 19 people, including 14 Iraqi security force members, overnight.

A brigadier general was among the casualties.

More than 80 people have died in bombings since Sunday, amid Iraq’s worst violence since 2008.

Other attacks in Iraq killed seven more people on Tuesday, as Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki left for a visit to Washington, during which he will push for increased US support for the country’s fight against insurgents.