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Reply With QuoteWill we have enough time to get all the equipment out? That's a lot of packing to do.
Obama announces total Iraq troop withdrawal
Oct 21, 2:20 PM (ET)
By BEN FELLER
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama on Friday declared an end to the Iraq war, one of the longest and most divisive conflicts in U.S. history, announcing that all American troops would be withdrawn from the country by year's end.
Obama's statement put an end to months of wrangling over whether the U.S. would maintain a force in Iraq beyond 2011. He never mentioned the tense and ultimately fruitless negotiations with Iraq over whether to keep several thousand U.S. forces there as a training force and a hedge against meddling from Iran or other outside forces.
Instead, Obama spoke of a promise kept, a new day for a self-reliant Iraq and a focus on building up the economy at home.
"I can report that, as promised, the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year," Obama said. "After nearly nine years, America's war in Iraq will be over."
Obama spoke after a private video conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and he offered assurances that the two leaders agreed on the decision.
The U.S. military presence in Iraq stands at just under 40,000. All U.S. troops are to exit the country in accordance with a deal struck between the countries in 2008 when George W. Bush was president.
Obama, an opponent of the war from the start, took office and accelerated the end of the conflict. In August 2010, he declared the U.S. combat mission over.
"Over the next two months our troops in Iraq, tens of thousands of them, will pack up their gear and board convoys for the journey home," Obama said. "The last American soldier will cross the border out of Iraq with their heads held high, proud of their success and knowing that the American people stand united in our support for our troops."
More than 4,400 American military members have been killed since the U.S. and its allies invaded Iraq in March 2003.
The Associated Press first reported last week that the United States would not keep troops in Iraq past the year-end withdrawal deadline, except for some soldiers attached to the U.S. Embassy.
Denis McDonough, the White House's deputy national security adviser, said that in addition to the standard Marine security detail, the U.S. will also have 4,000 to 5,000 contractors to provide security for U.S. diplomats, including at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad and U.S. consulates in Basra and Erbil.
In recent months, Washington had been discussing with Iraqi leaders the possibility of several thousand American troops remaining to continue training Iraqi security forces.
Throughout the discussions, Iraqi leaders refused to give U.S. troops immunity from prosecution in Iraqi courts, and the Americans refused to stay without that guarantee.
Moreover, Iraq's leadership has been split on whether it wanted American forces to stay.
When the 2008 agreement requiring all U.S. forces to leave Iraq was passed, many U.S. officials assumed it would inevitably be renegotiated so that Americans could stay longer.
The U.S. said repeatedly this year it would entertain an offer from the Iraqis to have a small force stay behind, and the Iraqis said they would like American military help. But as the year wore on and the number of American troops that Washington was suggesting could stay behind dropped, it became increasingly clear that a U.S. troop presence was not a sure thing.
The issue of legal protection for the Americans was the deal-breaker.
But administration officials said they feel confident that the Iraqi security forces are well prepared to take the lead in their country. McDonough said assessment after assessment of the preparedness of Iraqi forces concluded that "these guys are ready; these guys are capable; these guys are proven; importantly, they're proven because they've been tested in a lot of the kinds of threats that they're going to see going forward.
"So we feel very good about that."
Pulling troops out by the end of this year allows both al-Maliki and Obama to claim victory.
Obama kept a campaign promise to end the war, and al-Maliki will have ended the American presence and restored Iraqi sovereignty.
The president used the war statement to once again turn attention back to the economy, the domestic concern that is expected to determine whether he wins re-election next year.
"After a decade of war the nation that we need to build and the nation that we will build is our own, an America that sees its economic strength restored just as we've restored our leadership around the globe."
iWon News - Obama announces total Iraq troop withdrawal
*No doubt many happy families to see their loved ones home and a BIG Thank You for their sacrifices!
On a more somber note R.I.P. and Thank You to those that gave "ALL".
Last edited by Dreadnought; 21 Oct 11, at 19:38.
Fortitude.....The strength to persist...The courage to endure.
Will we have enough time to get all the equipment out? That's a lot of packing to do.
"Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.
Couldn't have asked for a better job from some of our finest, considering the enemy they were facing and the idiot leaders they had in Washington bickering over the dumbest things....
Last edited by YellowFever; 21 Oct 11, at 19:47.
Now that it's a fait accompli, we can ask what the positives are. The main one I can see from the Iraqi point of view is full legitimacy of a government that heretofore had to labor under the appearance that US troops were propping it up. Serious problems remain, but if US troops stayed on that account, they might well remain there 10 years from now, and still problems would remain. Saddam is gone; Iraq has an opportunity to build a government accountable to the people. They are a proud, intelligent and culturally diverse people. They could become a great nation and stabalizing force in the ME. Yeah, I have my fingers crossed. But I wish them well.
To be Truly ignorant, Man requires an Education - Plato
Second that.Originally Posted by YellowFever
Gee, you can be serious at times.
To be Truly ignorant, Man requires an Education - Plato
i have a feeling iraq will go the same path afganistan did, when soviets left.
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!" B. Franklin
Sorry, JAD.
It won't happen again.
My hands were shaking when I wrote that...
Really?
You think it's going to be that bad?
posibly, at least ussr didn't train afgans as much,and didn't supply them with weapons, as we did in iraq. i don't know how bad it'll turn out, but i really don't see it keep going the same way as when us troops were there.
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!" B. Franklin
All the equipment that's cost effective to ship to Kuwait/home will be redeployed - this is a process that's been going on for up to two years now.
"So little pains do the vulgar take in the investigation of truth, accepting readily the first story that comes to hand." Thucydides 1.20.3
A good majority of the weapons our Troops faced came from/ were stolen from the Soviets and were left by the Soviets when they picked up and bolted. The rest came from outside entities such as Iran and other Islamic Extrememist groups such as the Taliban, Haqqani's and other groups that are allowed to exist in the Tribals of Pakistan.
The US has left both countries much better off, infastructure, medical, education, sanitation and structure models to go by. What they choose will be their own but in no way shape or form did the Soviets even come close to what has been done for them in this decade.
Last edited by Dreadnought; 21 Oct 11, at 20:56.
Fortitude.....The strength to persist...The courage to endure.
Correct Captain, other articles I have read stated what is not economical to ship home or redeploy will be given to the govenments forces. Millions in equipment from what I understand however no tanks, aircrafts or other signifigant armory.
Good to see you Shek.
Fortitude.....The strength to persist...The courage to endure.
yea right, whatever makes you sleep better.
you mean like increased opium production ?? gave me examples of what infastructure, medical, education, sanitation and structure models to go by, you talking about, with hard facts and numbers.
keep in mind, if you can, ussr was not there to buld anything.
Last edited by omon; 21 Oct 11, at 21:39.
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!" B. Franklin
We could ship everything to Pakistan and open an arms bazaar.
BTW, the captain has moved on and is now one step closer to general.
To be Truly ignorant, Man requires an Education - Plato
Then let your fingers do the walking and your eyes doing the reading. Its all out there.
I'll be a nice guy and give you ONE!
http://smallwarsjournal.com/sites/de...livingston.pdf
Hard numbers and projects page as an example This is 2009/2010.
http://publicintelligence.net/comple...9-august-2010/
Last edited by Dreadnought; 21 Oct 11, at 21:41.
Fortitude.....The strength to persist...The courage to endure.
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