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Obama to Troops: Iraq Mission to End in August 2010
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Before 2,000 Marines here on Friday, President Obama announced that the United States combat presence in Iraq will end in August 2010 after about 90,000 troops are withdrawn.
"Let me say this as plainly as I can: By August 31st, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end," Obama said to applause from the Marines.
The president said he plans to leave a force of 35,000 to 50,000 to advise Iraqi security forces, conduct counter-terrorism missions and protect U.S. personnel. The drawdown should signal to Iraqis that they are responsible for their country's future, he said.
"The drawdown of our military should send a clear signal that Iraq's future is now its own responsibility," Obama said.
He promised that the United States will engage with Iraq's neighbors, including Iran and Syria, to work toward stability in the region. He also pledged to refocus efforts on defeating al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan and to preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
Obama said U.S. diplomatic efforts will be strengthened, relieving strain on the military.
"As a nation, we have had our share of debates about the war in Iraq. It has, at times, divided us as a people," Obama said. "To this very day, there are some Americans who want to stay in Iraq longer, and some who want to leave faster. But there should be no disagreement on what the men and women of our military have achieved."
"And so I want to be very clear: We sent our troops to Iraq to do away with Saddam Hussein's regime - and you got the job done," the president said. "We kept our troops in Iraq to help establish a sovereign government - and you got the job done. And we will leave the Iraqi people with a hard-earned opportunity to live a better life - that is your achievement; that is the prospect that you have made possible."
By removing most troops from Iraq over the next 18 months, Obama will free up forces to fight in Afghanistan and relieve stress on Marine and Army forces that have been repeatedly deployed. There are about 142,000 troops in Iraq.
Last week, Obama ordered 17,000 more troops - 4,000 of them from Camp Lejeune - to Afghanistan to bolster the U.S. force of 38,000 fighting a growing insurgency there.
Obama campaigned on a pledge to end U.S. involvement in Iraq within 16 months of taking office. By agreement with the Iraqi government, all U.S. troops must be withdrawn by the end of 2011.
Obama said he planned to abide by that date.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Obama's opponent for the presidency, told USA TODAY Friday that he supported the plan for withdrawal.
Obama consulted Gen. David Petraeus, who oversees Central Command, and Gen. Raymond Odierno, the top commander in Iraq, and they agreed to the plan, which holds a "moderate risk," McCain said.
Security and political gains there remain fragile, he said. Most of the troops will be withdrawn in 2010 under the plan.
"It's reasonable," said McCain, who was briefed on the plan. "It's doable."
About two brigades per month can be removed from Iraq. Brigades consist of about 3,500 troops.
However, the pace of withdrawal will likely be dictated by security concerns in Iraq.
U.S. commanders, for instance, have maintained high levels of forces during elections there. National elections in Iraq are scheduled at the end of this year.
Obama's plan drew criticism from leaders of his own party. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that the residual force of 50,000 U.S. troops is too large.
Violence in Iraq has plummeted, reaching levels last seen in 2004.
Attacks in Afghanistan, meanwhile, have risen. There were a record number of makeshift bomb attacks in 2008 - 3,276 such attacks, a 45% increase compared with 2007.
Of the 17,000 troops being sent there this year, 4,000 will be from this sprawling base near the North Carolina coast.
Obama promised to strengthen health care programs for veterans. The Marines roared loudest when Obama promised to raise their pay.
After the speech, Marine Cpl. Nathan O'Hara said he's eager to serve in Afghanistan. "It's a chance to serve," said O'Hara, "a chance to test yourself."
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16 Comments so far
Show AllTell it to the Marines!
ยท Yr Obd't Servant
Note that President George W. Brown won't withdraw from Iraq at all, we'll leave 50,000 residual troops there until the very last drop of oil is sucked out of their soil, and for 100 years after that.
The illegal INVASION is still ON.
I'll believe it when it happens.
And the self-deluding and brainwashing continue under yet another administration...
we leave when the oil/gas runs dry...
Sucks but I don't think this will happen..
Luisa from Acai
Why are we in Afghanistan and Iraq, and why isn't our military allowed to go after our REAL enemies in Israel?? The problem, of course, is that our government is controlled by the same people who control Israel, and most other countries of the world. The globalist 'international bankers', led by the House of Rothschild (HOR), have 'secretly' controlled most of the world for over 200 years. For those who doubt we have a secret world government already, consider the worldwide chemtrail program, which could only be possible if a world government is already in place. Israel was created by the HOR, as a state to rule the world from, and as a sanctuary for their fellow criminals. The HOR creates pesecution of Jewish people so they can hide behind us, and that makes them our (my mother is Jewish) worst enemy. People of the world are waking-up to this fact, and we are soon going to shake off the parasites of humanity! Intifada means to literally "shake off" in Arabic, and that is the word representing the Palestinian resistance and uprising. The long-suffering Palestinian people have not suffered in vain, and they are the catalyst to the international revolution which is now already beginning. We can have a peaceful revolution, but only if everybody helps educate their family, neighbors, and friends about the TRUTH. The pen is mightier than the sword, but only if we use it. We must NOT riot, which only plays into their hands - PLEASE don't use violence!
Salam~Shalom~Peace
www.911missinglinks.com
"Why are we in Afghanistan and Iraq, and why isn't our military allowed to go after our REAL enemies in Israel?"
"PLEASE don't use violence!"
Get back to me when you are a bit less confused.....
"Most people would sooner die than think, in fact they do so." Bertrand Russell
What would Obama Call 50,000 Chinese troops in California?
What bothers me most is the political double-speak. Leaving behind 50,000 troops means precisely that the "mission" has decidely NOT ended. Put another way, Mr. President, what are 50,000 troops going to do in Iraq WITHOUT a mission? I HATE it when politicians speak out of both sides of their mouths.
How is the War in Afghanistan better than the War in Iraq?
How anyone continues to defend a preemptive invasion and the ongoing occupation of a sovereign nation that didn't attack the US must disturb all reasonable people.
President Obama copies and pastes parts of MLKs phrases and rhetoric, even some of his speaking style, but it appears that he missed the April 4, 1967, address in Riverside Church, "Declaration of Independence from the War in Vietnam": "The great initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop must be ours."
"Somehow this madness must cease."
Obama is doing exactly what McCain would, he's following PNAC's plans for the region, which is to remain forever and commit genocide against whoever might fight back.
But the idiots on Democratic Underground, all the Dem Kool Aid Drinkers and Apologists, think this is "change".
Blind fools.
Let me say this as plainly as I can: War is peace and 50,000 is the same as zero. The light is night and the darkness is day. The water above the sky gathers into one area, that the land may disappear. And so it is. The dry land is Ocean, and the gathering of waters is Earth. And I say this is good.
This reminds me of the 1960s "recruiting slogan":
Join the Navy! Travel to distant lands, and meet diverse and exotic people,
and kill them.
"Change you can believe in", eh? Still believe in it, friends? Or have your eyes finally been opened to the truth about the American State, and the Elites who rule it?
It's a step in the right direction. He will see how it goes, then if things go well, he'll reduce the number of troops.
Aside from the disaffected third party advocates and the Republican and other conservative shills here, giving President Obama support and credit for the good things he's doing instead of insults and condemnations for what he's not, is simple child psychology that works and applies to everyone.