US troops withdraw from Iraq despite fears over violence
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Pastor Dale Morgan
Aug 19, 2010, 3:39:30 PM8/19/10
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Perilous Times
US troops withdraw from Iraq despite fears over violence
The last brigade of frontline American troops poured over the Iraqi border into Kuwait, marking the end of US combat operations despite rising violence and a lack of functioning government in the country.
Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent
Published: 8:04PM BST 19 Aug 2010
Under strict operational secrecy, 1,200 troops of the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, passed over the Khabari border crossing just before dawn. Thousands more were flown out of the country.
President Barack Obama marked the event with an open letter in which he insisted he would stick to his timetable for a final withdrawal of military aid by the end of 2011, despite widespread concern over the deteriorating security situation.
A bomb on Tuesday killed 59 men queuing to join the army at a major base in Baghdad, just a few days after the Iraqi chief of staff called on American forces to remain in the country until 2020.
"Consistent with our agreement with the Iraqi government, all of our troops will be out of Iraq by the end of next year," President Obama wrote.
"We will continue to build a strong partnership with the Iraqi people with an increased civilian commitment and diplomatic effort."
The withdrawal came two weeks before the deadline for frontline soldiers to pull out - and more than seven years since, under a banner announcing "Mission Accomplished", President George W. Bush first announced the end of combat operations in Iraq.
No advance notice was given in case the column of heavily armoured vehicles became a target for al-Qaeda or Shia militants.
Helicopters and military humvees guarded the route, while soldiers patrolled the road for bombs and mines.
Six thousand troops in other roles will leave by the end of August, leaving 50,000 to train and support Iraqi forces.
Operation Iraqi Freedom has cost 4,415 American lives and 179 British ones.
Ordinary Iraqis have increasingly voiced their concerns as the date approaches. "The US withdrawal will subject Iraq to strong attacks from terrorists, because we are now in a critical situation and the country is suffering from foreign interference," said Mohammed al-Gartani, a leader of one of the Sunni "Awakening" militias used by the government to take on al-Qaeda insurgents in Sunni areas.
As the American drawdown of troops continues, the administration will put more emphasis on civilian support. Seven thousand civilian contractors will take over some of the protection duties currently exercised by the army, reports said, a risky strategy given the unpopularity of the main private security companies among Iraqis.
The State Department fears that Congress will be more willing to cut civilian budgets for "nation-building".
American strategists also fear that the vacuum of both security and government, five months after an inconclusive election in March, will allow Iraq's neighbour Iran to exert ever greater sway.
Saad al-Muttalibi, political adviser to the Iraqi National Security Council and an adviser to the prime minister, said a future government could negotiate new terms with the United States to allow a return of American troops after 2012.
They would be responsible for training Iraqi defence forces as they built up an American-model air force for regional defence, he told The Daily Telegraph.
"The Iraqi police and Iraqi army have become very well acquainted with fighting terrorism," he said. But he said the country needed a better army, navy and air force to survive against potentially hostile neighbours.
American generals insisted that Iraqi troops on the ground were up to the challenge of beating al-Qaeda and other militant groups. Maj. Gen Stephen Lanza, the senior military spokesman, said the security forces had shown in March they were professional enough to take over.
"They have shown they can secure the country for the election," he said.
US troops withdraw from Iraq despite fears over violence
The last brigade of frontline American troops poured over the Iraqi border into Kuwait, marking the end of US combat operations despite rising violence and a lack of functioning government in the country.
Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent
Published: 8:04PM BST 19 Aug 2010
Under strict operational secrecy, 1,200 troops of the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, passed over the Khabari border crossing just before dawn. Thousands more were flown out of the country.
President Barack Obama marked the event with an open letter in which he insisted he would stick to his timetable for a final withdrawal of military aid by the end of 2011, despite widespread concern over the deteriorating security situation.
A bomb on Tuesday killed 59 men queuing to join the army at a major base in Baghdad, just a few days after the Iraqi chief of staff called on American forces to remain in the country until 2020.
"Consistent with our agreement with the Iraqi government, all of our troops will be out of Iraq by the end of next year," President Obama wrote.
"We will continue to build a strong partnership with the Iraqi people with an increased civilian commitment and diplomatic effort."
The withdrawal came two weeks before the deadline for frontline soldiers to pull out - and more than seven years since, under a banner announcing "Mission Accomplished", President George W. Bush first announced the end of combat operations in Iraq.
No advance notice was given in case the column of heavily armoured vehicles became a target for al-Qaeda or Shia militants.
Helicopters and military humvees guarded the route, while soldiers patrolled the road for bombs and mines.
Six thousand troops in other roles will leave by the end of August, leaving 50,000 to train and support Iraqi forces.
Operation Iraqi Freedom has cost 4,415 American lives and 179 British ones.
Ordinary Iraqis have increasingly voiced their concerns as the date approaches. "The US withdrawal will subject Iraq to strong attacks from terrorists, because we are now in a critical situation and the country is suffering from foreign interference," said Mohammed al-Gartani, a leader of one of the Sunni "Awakening" militias used by the government to take on al-Qaeda insurgents in Sunni areas.
As the American drawdown of troops continues, the administration will put more emphasis on civilian support. Seven thousand civilian contractors will take over some of the protection duties currently exercised by the army, reports said, a risky strategy given the unpopularity of the main private security companies among Iraqis.
The State Department fears that Congress will be more willing to cut civilian budgets for "nation-building".
American strategists also fear that the vacuum of both security and government, five months after an inconclusive election in March, will allow Iraq's neighbour Iran to exert ever greater sway.
Saad al-Muttalibi, political adviser to the Iraqi National Security Council and an adviser to the prime minister, said a future government could negotiate new terms with the United States to allow a return of American troops after 2012.
They would be responsible for training Iraqi defence forces as they built up an American-model air force for regional defence, he told The Daily Telegraph.
"The Iraqi police and Iraqi army have become very well acquainted with fighting terrorism," he said. But he said the country needed a better army, navy and air force to survive against potentially hostile neighbours.
American generals insisted that Iraqi troops on the ground were up to the challenge of beating al-Qaeda and other militant groups. Maj. Gen Stephen Lanza, the senior military spokesman, said the security forces had shown in March they were professional enough to take over.
"They have shown they can secure the country for the election," he said.
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