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US Troops to Return to Iraq Despite Barack Obama’s Withdrawal Plan
The US military plans to send thousands of American soldiers back to the oil-rich north of Iraq to prevent a civil war between Arabs and Kurds.
President Obama told veterans at a convention in Phoenix that, for America, the Iraq war is going to end. (Alex Brandon)
The emergency move, which partially reverses a recent drawing- down, is the
first major sign that President Obama's withdrawal plan may not work. He
wants all US combat troops out of Iraq within 12 months.
Kurdish and Arab leaders have agreed in principle to allowing US soldiers into unsettled areas around Mosul and Kirkuk, according to General Ray Odierno, the top US military commander in Iraq. The troops will form joint units with Iraqi counterparts to subdue what has become the most volatile part of the country.
Many leaders in the region disagree about where the border should run between their territories and how oil revenues should be shared. "We have al-Qaeda exploiting this fissure that you're seeing between the Arabs and the Kurds, and what we're trying to do is close that fissure, that seam," General Odierno said.
Despite the developments in Iraq President Obama told a group of US veterans in Phoenix yesterday that he will stick to his plan.
"As we move forward, the Iraqi people must know that the United States will keep its commitments," he said. "And the American people must know that we will move forward with our strategy. For America, the Iraq war will end."
The veterans did not applaud this line in his speech but he was given a warmer reception when he pledged to reform the procurement process so that troops have the best equipment possible.
There was laughter at his example of military waste - a billion- dollar helicopter that would allow the President to cook during a nuclear war: "If the United States is under nuclear attack, the last thing on my mind will be whipping up a snack," he said.
More than 100 people have been killed in mixed Arab-Kurdish areas this month, including car bombings that have destroyed villages near Mosul. Inside the city, armed men killed two policemen and wounded one civilian at a checkpoint yesterday.
"I'm still very confident in the overall security here," General Odierno said. "Unfortunately they're killing a lot of innocent civilians."
In yet another sign of how unstable the region is, the authorities have cancelled a census to determine the division of land and oil. It was feared that it would inflame tensions by revealing which side had the better chance of winning a referendum.
Ali Baban, the Planning Minister, said: "After hearing the fears, concerns and reservations of political groups in Kirkuk and Ninevah, we decided to slow down the process and the census has been postponed indefinitely."
The deployment of the US protection force will start in Ninevah province, which includes Mosul, and extend to Kirkuk. General Odierno discussed the plan, which appears necessary in military terms but unpopular with voters, with officials from Iraq and the Kurdish region on Sunday.
Nouri al-Maliki, the Prime Minister, is trying to win re-election in January on the back of a programme of security improvements.
Under the plans drawn up by the US, control of the unstable areas would return to the Arab and Kurdish forces. The emergency move, however, has the potential to change the dynamic of the US withdrawal and it will almost certainly require a rewriting of a bilateral security agreement made by the Iraqi Government and President Bush last year.
13 Comments so far
Show All-- "I'm still very confident in the overall security here," General Odierno said. "Unfortunately they're killing a lot of innocent civilians."
In yet another sign of how unstable the region is, --
""The situation is good, although many people are dying, and that shows how unstable and secure Iraq is and so American troops will withdraw but will remain""
And that's the news.
Al Queda again? Dragging them out of the closet now is a telltale sign of bullshit.
Not surprising coming from Odierno.
Odierno must be making some serious dollars somehow. He wants us to be in Iraq forever. Last week he insisted we can't leave because we have to train Iraqi's to fly planes. This week Al Queda has returned for the sequel.
No matter, Obama has no control of the military, and they know it. They're walking all over him. Not that he seems to mind so long as his paymaster buddies keep cashing in.
Thank God for Al Qaeda: without it, U.S. military policy would be non-existent.
They seem to have managed nicely without the USSR.
Obama and his generals get an "A" for doubletalk. Why don't they just admit they have no idea how to end this neverending mess.
Even though my patience about these wars wore thin from the beginning, I don't see how looking the other way instead of protesting about what I see and hear every day coming from that part of the world would help. That our men and women are part of it makes it worse.
The Generals of war will do as they please. Bush put them there, they are war criminals hell bent to protect the oil that Bush and Cheney are still trying to steal. Remember the people running this war now are repugs positioned by Bushes cabal. So far Obama has not done any better than Bush on anything.
We need to bring our troops home, now. We will know that we have retaken our government when the troops come home! We will have dealt a blow to the corporate control over our government when that day arrives. We should have pressed for that first, then healthcare reform.
Just a reminder- this "war" was fabricated entirely of lies. the whole world knows this. so there is no reason for this administration to continue it.
and another- before the u.s. bombs were dropped, Iraqis lived together peacefully. no suicide bombs, no truck bombs, no religious strife. the "civil war" atmosphere was cultivated and encouraged by u.s. occupiers.
oh and let's not forget- one big lie that started this disaster was that there was some sort of connection between Iraq and al Qaeda/Osama. in truth both considered Saddam and his secular government infidels, and had no use for them.
once Iraq was occupied by an even more loatheome
infidel foreign invader, however, a hitherto non existent "al-Qaeda in Iraq" was formed.
just get out now
Just a reminder- this "war" was fabricated entirely of lies. the whole world knows this. so there is no reason for this administration to continue it.
and another- before the u.s. bombs were dropped, Iraqis lived together peacefully. no suicide bombs, no truck bombs, no religious strife. the "civil war" atmosphere was cultivated and encouraged by u.s. occupiers.
oh and let's not forget- one big lie that started this disaster was that there was some sort of connection between Iraq and al Qaeda/Osama. in truth both considered Saddam and his secular government infidels, and had no use for them.
once Iraq was occupied by an even more loatheome
infidel foreign invader, however, a hitherto non existent "al-Qaeda in Iraq" was formed.
just get out now
The emergency move, which partially reverses a recent drawing- down, is the first major sign that President Obama's withdrawal plan may not work. He wants all US combat troops out of Iraq within 12 months.
We are not getting out of Iraq until the Iraqis throw us out. This is inevitable, just as it was in Vietnam. In the meantime, people will die and treasure will be squandered. And when Bollocks Obysmal eventually goes on nationwide tv, flashes what amounts to a shit-eating grin and tells everyone, ooops, sorry, we gotta stay another hundred years, who, in their right or left mind will be surprised?
Surprise surprise.
Anybody that thinks we have a change in policy concerning Iraq is delusional, all we have is Bush in blackface--we have been had again.
peacekeepertwo, Set a Date,for withdrawing of all troops from Both theaters of Operation, Iraq & Afghanistan, No matter what happens we are out of there. The military has to justify all the money they waste,so the war will continue forever, if we let them do it.