Obama: Iraq war will be over by year's end; troops coming home

[NaTaS+ 958]

 

 

Source: CNN

 

 

(CNN) -- President Barack Obama on Friday announced that virtually all U.S. troops will come home from Iraq by the end of the year -- at which point he can declare an end to America's long and costly war in that Middle Eastern nation.

 

"After nearly nine years, America's war in Iraq 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, about 150, a negligible force, will remain to assist in arms sales, a U.S. official told CNN. The rest will be out of Iraq by December 31.

 

The president said he was making good on his 2008 campaign pledge to end a war that has divided the nation since it began in 2003 and claimed more than 4,400 American lives. It also came after talks that might have allowed a continued major military presence broke down amid disputes as to whether U.S. troops would be immune to prosecution by Iraqi authorities.

 

Beyond the human cost, the price tag for U.S. military activity in Iraq has been steep as well. The Defense Department estimated that its operations there over the past decade have cost more than $700 billion.

 

Obama spoke with Iraqi President Nuri al-Maliki in a video conference Friday, after which he said both nations were comfortable with the decision on how to move forward.

 

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

 

"The last American soldier will cross the border out of Iraq with their head held high, proud of their success, and knowing that the American people stand united in our support for our troops," Obama said.

 

Paul Rieckhoff -- an ex-Army soldier who heads the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the first and largest such organization for these veterans, according to its website -- cheered Friday's announcement as "really good news for the troops serving overseas."

 

"It's a really poignant time, especially for the veterans community," Rieckhoff told CNN. "Many of us gave large parts of our lives, some gave all in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn."

 

A current Status of Force Agreement had called for U.S. forces to leave Iraq by the end of 2011. But lengthy negotiations had given rise to an expectation that American troops -- roughly 40,000 of which are in Iraq -- would remain on Iraqi soil into next year.

 

These talks, however, 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.

 

Defense Secretary 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 the U.S. military initially reported.

 

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

 

That said, officials said the drastic pullback of troops does not mean an end to the U.S. government's presence in Iraq.

 

State Department spokesman Mark Toner described Friday's development as the start of "a new chapter in our relationship" with Iraq -- while acknowledging the challenges of the change.

 

"You can't flip a switch and go from a military operation to a civilian operation; there has to be a transition and we're working on that transition," he said. "But we believe we're ready."

 

Toner added that the U.S. government has been preparing all along for the year-end deadline, including addressing the "security needs" of nonmilitary U.S. personnel who will remain in Iraq.

 

That includes about 1,700 diplomats, law enforcement officers and various economic, agriculture and other professionals and experts who will be in Iraq into 2012, according to the State Department. In addition, 5,000 security contractors will protect the U.S. diplomats and another 4,500 contractors will serve other roles, such as helping provide food and medical services, until they can be done locally.

 

Toner said the U.S. and Iraqi governments are still talking about security and other matters, though he stressed any such discussions should not change the basic decision announced Friday.

 

"We continue to talk about the post-December 31 arrangement (and) security relationship," Toner said. "At the same time, we are very committed to meeting the December 31 deadline."

 

 

 

Come on home, boys (and girls)!

 

 

 

[SteVo+ 3,702]

About fucking time. Hopefully nothing happens where we have to turn back on this; it'd be awesome to have all the troops home for the holidays.

[CARDINAL 205]

This was probably the only logical and practical decision that President Obama could come to. It's too expensive to keep them there for a long period of time, and I really doubt that the average Iraqi would want American or any other international presence (troops) in their country. The United States should however help the federal government in Iraq to develop their security capabilities and to help in any other matters pertaining to the development and reconstruction of the country. The worst thing that could happen after this would be for the Iraq government to become dependent on Iran, who would love to use Iraq as a puppet state if they had the chance to do so.

Edited October 21, 2011 by Cardinal

[WindyCitySports 407]

ABOUT FUCKING TIME

 

I really can't stand the people that are saying it's a bad move because the Iraqi government may not be able to maintain control. I understand the concern, but we can't occupy a country forever just in case of a revolution. Welcome home, fellas, and thank you for your service.

[Shotgun 442]

Finally. Now can we leave all these other middle eastern countries and never go back, please?

[.AirMcNair. 1,232]

Outstanding. Fuck politics, this is about the men and women serving our country.

[CARDINAL 205]

Finally. Now can we leave all these other middle eastern countries and never go back, please?

 

I agree with you on this Shotgun. American military presence in the Middle East is the main reason why Muslims and people in that part of the world hate America.

 

:beerchug2: ShotgunFTW!

[Sarge+ 3,436]

Outstanding. Fuck politics, this is about the men and women serving our country.

 

Absolutely.

[Duck Fallas 209]

I think that this is the only way that our economy would be able to recover. We have been in the shitter for almost a decade simply because we spend trillions of dollars on a war that we cannot afford. Great move by Obama.

[seanbrock 1,684]

Juuuuuust in time to build up election hype. Fuck you Obama, fuck you government. Fuck this system.

[Guest Phailadelphia]

Juuuuuust in time to build up election hype. Fuck you Obama, fuck you government. Fuck this system.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S.%E2%80%93Iraq_Status_of_Forces_Agreement

 

You're a fucking dumbass sometimes, Sean.

[Maverick 791]

http://en.wikipedia....orces_Agreement

 

You're a fucking dumbass sometimes, Sean.

 

I didn't read anything in that article that contradicts sean's post.

 

[seanbrock 1,684]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S.%E2%80%93Iraq_Status_of_Forces_Agreement

 

You're a fucking dumbass sometimes, Sean.

Didn't he say we'd be out of Iraq in a year back in '08 when he was running for president?

[Guest Phailadelphia]

I didn't read anything in that article that contradicts sean's post.

 

 

He implied Obama was doing this to get re-elected when really it was an agreement signed between Bush and the Iraqi government in '08. Basically, Obama deserved no credit for it.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

He implied Obama was doing this to get re-elected when really it was an agreement signed between Bush and the Iraqi government in '08. Basically, Obama deserved no credit for it.

 

Yet he will... and for some reason it's in the news cycle again at convenient time.

[CARDINAL 205]

He implied Obama was doing this to get re-elected when really it was an agreement signed between Bush and the Iraqi government in '08. Basically, Obama deserved no credit for it.

 

Obama initially made the promise to get out of Iraq because he had no other choice really. A Status of Forces Agreement is a legal document between two sovereign states, which states the conditions for one country's military forces being stationed in the host country's territory. This link clearly explains the conditions for American forces being allowed to stay in Iraq:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S.%E2%80%93Iraq_Status_of_Forces_Agreement#October_2011_decision_to_withdraw_all_American_forces

 

The whole question was whether the Iraqi Parliament would allow anywhere from 3,000 to 5,000 american troops to stay on Iraqi territory to help with arms sales for the Iraqi military, and to help continue training the Iraqi troops to improve their skills. The sticking point between the two sides was that Iraq wasn't going to give legal immunity for the American troops, so that's why the negotiations stalled and they mutually decided that they were just going to honour the legal Status of Forces Agreement in it's original state. So in reality, Obama really didn't do much to "keep" an election promise because it was more of a de facto election promise in the first place.

[Shotgun 442]

Let's not forget the biggest issues with the middle east aren't over yet. They may be pulling out almost 49,000 people but we still have over twice that amount in Afghanistan.

[Duck Fallas 209]

Yet he will... and for some reason it's in the news cycle again at convenient time.

He gets the blame for the economy being shit, even though it was shit when he took office. Why shouldn't he get credit for this, too?

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

He gets the blame for the economy being shit, even though it was shit when he took office. Why shouldn't he get credit for this, too?

Why shouldn't he get blame for bailing out everyone and their mother? Your logic is faulty.

[Duck Fallas 209]

Why shouldn't he get blame for bailing out everyone and their mother? Your logic is faulty.

My logic is not faulty. The economy was shit when he took office. He gets blamed for it. I never said anything about him not improving it or making it worse, just that it was shit when he was sworn in. Where is the faulty logic?

 

EVERY President gets credit/blame for things that the prior administration did, it is just the way our system has always worked and will continue to work.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

My logic is not faulty. The economy was shit when he took office. He gets blamed for it. I never said anything about him not improving it or making it worse, just that it was shit when he was sworn in. Where is the faulty logic?

 

EVERY President gets credit/blame for things that the prior administration did, it is just the way our system has always worked and will continue to work.

 

Accepting that is sad and why we are where we are.

[Duck Fallas 209]

Accepting that is sad and why we are where we are.

Whether you accept it or not, it is the truth.

[BwareDWare94 723]

Yet he will... and for some reason it's in the news cycle again at convenient time.

 

Yeah, but we captured Saddam Hussein at a very convenient time, too. Convenient for the W. Saved his position for another four years.

 

Now if Obama can just stick to his guns about raising taxes on the wealthy, I'll be happy. I hope he makes it more difficult for them to write off taxes, too. I'm tired of the middle class paying all of the taxes.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Yeah, but we captured Saddam Hussein at a very convenient time, too. Convenient for the W. Saved his position for another four years.

 

Now if Obama can just stick to his guns about raising taxes on the wealthy, I'll be happy. I hope he makes it more difficult for them to write off taxes, too. I'm tired of the middle class paying all of the taxes.

 

If you want to go down that route.... Obama killed off a dead man and got too much praise.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Whether you accept it or not, it is the truth.

 

Who said it isn't the truth? Get out do something about it. Stop bitching and moaning and ACT. Be a force for CHANGE. And REAL change, not that Obama propaganda. I can't stand people who cry and whine about how the world fucks them over, yet all they do is sit on their front porch drinking tea and taking it. So annoying.