It's Finally Over - US Troops in Iraq Home by (practically) Christmas

[Doctor_K]

Official: U.S. pulling out all troops from Iraq
http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/21/world/meast/iraq-us-troops/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

(CNN) -- President Barack Obama said Friday America's long war in Iraq will end by the end of the year and announced that almost all U.S. troops will come home.

"After nearly nine years, America's war in Iraqi will be over, Obama said. "The coming months will be a season of homecomings. Our troops in Iraq will definitely be home for the holidays."

Of the 39,000 troops in Iraq, only about 150, a negligible force, will remain to assist in arms sales.

Obama said the end of the war was a campaign pledge he has made good on. Obama spoke with Iraqi President Nuri al-Maliki in a video conference Friday and said both nations were

The new partnership with Iraq will be "strong and enduring," Obama said.

A current Status of Force Agreement called for U.S. forces to leave Iraq by the end of 2011 but lengthy negotiations had given rise to the expectation that an American presence would continue beyond that date.
The United States had expected that some of the roughly 40,000 Americans in Iraq would remain there to aid in training and security.

But the talks broke down over the prickly issue of legal immunity for U.S. troops in Iraq, a senior U.S. military official with direct knowledge of the discussions told CNN this month.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and other top brass have repeatedly said any deal to keep U.S. troops in Iraq beyond the withdrawal deadline would require a guarantee of legal protection for American soldiers.
But the Iraqis refused to agree to that, opening up the prospect of Americans being tried in Iraqi courts and subjected to Iraqi punishment.

The negotiations were strained following WikiLeaks' release of a diplomatic cable that alleged Iraqi civilians, including children, were killed in a 2006 raid by American troops rather than in an airstrike as initially reported by the U.S. military.

U.S. troops have already started the drawdown -- a brigade from Fort Bliss, Texas, that was originally scheduled to be among the very last to leave Iraq was being pulled out of the country months ahead of its planned departure, military officials told CNN last week.

[Ajax]

You mean they're not gonna turn around and send them to Syria or Pakistan? 

[St. Auggie]

How long until we have to send them back to Iraq?

[stephenc]

How long until we have to send them back to Iraq?

removing the troops is like removing a band aid from an unhealed wound. just gonna make it worse. Iraq will soon become a breeding ground for radical Islamist terrorists. It will be an issue the next president will have to address.

[KenFSU]

1. I'll believe it when I see it.

2. The pre-election timing is pretty gross, even by modern political standards.

[JeffreyS]

1. I'll believe it when I see it.

2. The pre-election timing is pretty gross, even by modern political standards.

Agree Obama should have had them running for the exits in his inaugural speech.

[NotNow]

I fear that this is a political decision, not a military one.  We should leave some intelligence/strike/assault abilities in the country.  The Iraqi government has not shown the ability to control the countryside yet, and Iraq is strategically essential in the area.

If we have to take the same ground a third time it will result (again) from poor decisions/planning on the part of our Chief Executive.

[buckethead]

Bring them home.

The reasons don't matter to me.

I'll offer Kudos to our President on this one. GWB could have used this same political posturing PRE-IRAQ.

Food for thought.

[stephenc]

Bring them home.

The reasons don't matter to me.

I'll offer Kudos to our President on this one. GWB could have used this same political posturing PRE-IRAQ.

Food for thought.

smh

[buckethead]

Bring them home.

The reasons don't matter to me.

I'll offer Kudos to our President on this one. GWB could have used this same political posturing PRE-IRAQ.

Food for thought.

smh

Shake it as much as you like. Its yours.

Having voted for Bush...twice... I can confidently proclaim his shortcomings as I see them. Invading Iraq was a shortcoming of his administration. WMD.

Make no mistake... They hate us for our freedom.

That, and WMD.

The war in Iraq is over? Good riddance.

[urbanlibertarian]

One optional war down, one to go.

[NotNow]

I fear that this is a political decision, not a military one.  We should leave some intelligence/strike/assault abilities in the country.  The Iraqi government has not shown the ability to control the countryside yet, and Iraq is strategically essential in the area.

If we have to take the same ground a third time it will result (again) from poor decisions/planning on the part of our Chief Executive.

Just in case Saddaam's WMDs show up, right NN?

There are a lot of bad things that could show up.  Some of them are there now, just waiting for us to leave.  With a fresh supply of hatred and weapons right next door, I think that there is plenty to worry about in Iraq. 

I can assure you of one thing, the title of the thread is wrong.  It is not over.  American interests, and American citizens are at risk.  It is my belief that they would be safer with the aforementioned capabilities remaining inside Iraq.

[NotNow]

One optional war down, one to go.

Aren't you forgetting one?

[Dog Walker]

One optional war down, one to go.

Aren't you forgetting one?

Yes he did forget one.  The War on Drugs; the longest, most expensive, deadliest and least effective optional war we have ever fought.

BTW, the Iraqis don't want us there anymore and refused to give any soldiers left in the country immunity from prosecution by any authority in Iraq.  Off a Taliban and get hauled into local court on murder charges?  Don't think so.

[NotNow]

DW,  you should start a thread for the subject.  But the marketing term "war on drugs" doesn't put that activity in the issues here.