http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/troopwithdrawal/ en-us Tue, 8 Dec 2009 15:32:14 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2402856/posts The people of Iraq faced a horrible terrorist attack aimed at their nascent government. At least 127 people have been killed and more than 200 others wounded in a series of bomb attacks in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, police say. Two car bombs exploded near the labour and interior ministries, two more struck in central Baghdad, and another at a police patrol in Dora, in the south of the city. The first explosion in central Baghdad was heard at 10.25 am (0725 GMT) on Tuesday, with a second blast within seconds and a third one a minute later. Yesteday,... washingon times/the lid http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2402856/posts#comment Tue, 8 Dec 2009 15:32:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402423/posts CAMP BUCCA — The 586th Air Expeditionary Group's 887th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron ended operations during a deactivation ceremony here, Dec. 3. The furling of the squadron’s colors marked the end of the its three-year partnership with the Army providing counterinsurgency, detainee operations and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support. The 887th ESFS was activated in May 2007. Since that time, the squadron endured 40 improvised explosive device detonations, cleared another 16 IEDs, and withstood multiple small arms attacks. As a result of their accomplishments, they've been awarded more than 1,000 medals, including the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, Meritorious Service... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402423/posts#comment Mon, 7 Dec 2009 23:44:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400847/posts Reliably sympathetic to non-Western lies, the BBC reported yesterday that a prisoner in Pakistani custody knows a guy who saw Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan last January. Headlines! Now, Osama may, indeed, pop over the border into Afghanistan now and then -- but this report is a shameless Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence agency concoction. Why? Because the Pakistanis have taken a lot of heat recently over suspicions -- including those raised in The Post -- that they know where Osama is but shield him for their own benefit. Even party-line US government officials have grown skeptical about the Pakistani government's... NY Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400847/posts#comment Sat, 5 Dec 2009 11:19:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2322881/posts BERLIN — Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday that German troops would stay in Afghanistan until their goals were achieved, dismissing the possibility of setting a timeline for withdrawal. In an interview with ZDF television being aired Sunday night, provided in advance to the AP, Merkel said she could not commit to bringing the troops home in a specific timeframe. She said she wanted them home “as soon as possible” but not until the mission was complete. “We have a goal, and that is self-sustaining security for Afghanistan,” she said. She would not speculate on when that goal might be reached.... Edmonton Sun http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2322881/posts#comment Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:18:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2320901/posts Q As you say, the complexity of this training effort, particularly with the Iraqi air force -- again, do you think that some trainers, U.S. trainers and mentors, will be needed after 2011? GEN. HELMICK: Well, I guess it depends on how we identify air sovereignty for the Iraqi air force. There will be a team that comes here from Washington, D.C., in the next week or so, to kind of refine where the Iraqi air force is and where they think the Iraqi air force should be, based on the current glide path, if you will, on procurement of... DefenseLink http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2320901/posts#comment Fri, 21 Aug 2009 01:34:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2316900/posts BAGHDAD -- Unnerved by bombings that have killed hundreds this summer, many Iraqis are losing faith in their own security forces and fear the Americans are leaving too quickly. The misgivings about the U.S. pullback from the cities, and even about the Dec. 31, 2011 deadline for a full withdrawal, come at a time when a senior U.S. officer has suggested the Americans declare victory and leave even sooner. Iraqis, including military commanders, believe their security forces aren't ready to act alone. Seattle PI http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2316900/posts#comment Sat, 15 Aug 2009 21:04:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2311628/posts <p>"WHERE are the Ameri cans?" Talk to Iraqis in Baghdad these days, and you'll likely hear the question.</p> <p>Of course, everyone knows where the Americans are physically. The 130,000 US troops cantoned in a diminishing number of barracks outside the cities make their presence felt on occasion. The thousands of civilian Americans who are helping build a new Iraq are also easy to spot.</p> NY Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2311628/posts#comment Sat, 8 Aug 2009 23:14:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2306314/posts US troops now a 'coalition of one' in Iraq By CHELSEA J. CARTER, Associated Press Writer Saturday, August 1, 2009 The war in Iraq was truly an American-only effort Saturday after Britain and Australia, the last of its international partners, pulled out. Little attention was paid in Iraq to what effectively ended the so-called coalition of the willing, with the U.S. — as the leader of Multi-National Force, Iraq — letting the withdrawals pass without any public demonstration. The quiet end of the coalition was a departure from its creation, which saw then-U.S. President George W. Bush court countries for... SFChronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2306314/posts#comment Sun, 2 Aug 2009 04:39:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2305629/posts THE last 12 Australian troops serving with US units in Iraq have finished their mission and are heading home, formally ending Canberra's controversial six-year involvement in the bloody conflict. ..... Under an agreement between Canberra and the Iraqi government all Australian troops except those serving with an embassy-based security detachment had to be withdrawn by July 31. ..... Departing Australian troops were farewelled with flag-lowering ceremonies, with the honour of the last Australian soldier to leave Iraq going to Corporal Don Mander. ..... Defence Minister John Faulkner said the withdrawal of the last Australian troops marked an end to Operation... The Weekend Australian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2305629/posts#comment Fri, 31 Jul 2009 23:19:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2305104/posts AUSTRALIA has officially ended its six-year military presence in Iraq three days ahead of the deadline. Some 20,000 members of the army, navy and air force have served in Iraq since 2003. The honour of being the last Digger to leave the strife-torn country went to Corporal Don Mander. He stepped aboard an RAAF C-130 Hercules transport aircraft at Baghdad International Airport on Tuesday afternoon, the last of 12 Australian personnel embedded within US units operating in Baghdad. They arrived home last night. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says Australia's troops did a "fantastic'' job and Iraq has now achieved "a... news.com.au http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2305104/posts#comment Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:35:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2302784/posts BAGHDAD — Britain says it will withdraw its remaining forces in Iraq to Kuwait, after the Iraqi parliament failed to pass a deal allowing the British troops to stay beyond the end of the month. The deal would have let up to 100 British troop stay in Iraq to protect oil platforms and provide training in the south of the country. The rest of the British forces are withdrawing under a separate agreement. British Embassy spokesman Jawwad Syed said Tuesday it's a procedural delay and that the remaining British forces will pull back to Kuwait until the issue is resolved.... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2302784/posts#comment Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:22:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283046/posts It may not be "Mission accomplished," but we are getting closer. Yesterday, the United States completed the process of withdrawing from Iraq's cities. American forces closed or turned over to Iraqi authorities 150 bases and facilities. The Iraqis are happy to see us go, and we are glad to be leaving. The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283046/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 05:19:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282895/posts CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq, June 30, 2009 – In accordance with Article 5 of the security agreement between the U.S. and Iraqi governments, Iraqi security forces now have full ownership of security in their cities, towns and villages. Army Capt. Rich Turvey, commander of 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment, signs over Joint Security Station Salaam to Iraqi army 1st Lt. Jassim Abbas at a transfer ceremony near Numaniyah, Iraq, June 20, 2009. In accordance with the U.S.-Iraqi security agreement, Iraqi security forces took full ownership of security in their cities, towns and villages on June 30, 2009. U.S.... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282895/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 00:46:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282624/posts Today is a milestone in Iraq. Under the terms of the Strategic Framework Agreement, U.S. troops will withdraw from Iraqi cities. In retrospect, however, June 30 will likely mark another milestone: the end of the surge and the relative peace it brought to Iraq. In the past week, bombings in Baghdad, Mosul and near Kirkuk have killed almost 200 people. The worst is yet to come. While the Strategic Framework Agreement was negotiated in the twilight of the Bush administration, President Barack Obama shaped the final deal. He campaigned on a time line to withdraw combat troops from Iraq, and... MichaelRubin.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282624/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:27:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282262/posts OUR effort in Iraq passed a major milestone today: Our troops are leaving the cities. Advisers remain in place. Joint patrols will still occur. And our forces will wait nearby to respond to Iraqi calls for support. But the last of the bases and US-only outposts within Iraq's urban centers will be vacated. Terrorists have already begun testing the new security arrangements. Iraqi forces won't always pass with flying colors. Yet this situation seemed a pipe dream not so long ago: Iraq's security forces, serving an elected government, assume primary responsibility for the good order of their own country. We... NYPost http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282262/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:13:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282143/posts BAGHDAD – Iraqi forces assumed formal control of Baghdad and other cities Tuesday after American troops handed over security in urban areas in a defining step toward ending the U.S. combat role in the country. A countdown clock broadcast on Iraqi TV ticked to zero as the midnight deadline passed for U.S. combat troops to finish their pullback to bases outside cities. "The withdrawal of American troops is completed now from all cities after everything they sacrificed for the sake of security," said Sadiq al-Rikabi, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "We are now celebrating the restoration of... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282143/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:59:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281981/posts WASHINGTON, June 29, 2009 – The withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from all Iraqi cities and towns was completed over the weekend and ahead of tomorrow’s deadline, a Pentagon spokesman said on a cable TV news show today. “Overall, the security situation is stable enough for Iraqi security forces to take on this added responsibility,” Geoff Morrell said on CNN’s “Newsroom.” “It’s one that they want, and it’s one that the commanders on the ground feel they are capable of taking on. “It has to be OK because there’s a legal agreement, which forces us to abide by these timelines,”... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281981/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:43:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281972/posts NAJAF, Iraq — A stream of U.S. military trucks laden with supplies rolled down a dusty four-lane highway over the weekend, ending the U.S. presence in one of Shiite Islam’s holiest cities. Coalition forces, including U.S., British and Spanish troops, have patrolled Najaf, with its population of around 900,000, since it was captured by the 101st Airborne Division in April 2003. The city has had its share of violence since then. Uprisings by firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s militia in 2004 sparked fierce fighting in the Wadi al-Salem — a sprawling cemetery where Shiites from around the world hope to be... Stars and Stripes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281972/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:29:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281801/posts We have victory in Iraq due to our brave military members, the brave Iraqi's who stood and fought for their country, and President Bush. But where is the MSM on this great day? Iraqi government TV has been playing patriotic music to celebrate the U.S. military withdrawal from cities, towns and villages across the country, officially set to be completed by Tuesday June 30th. Iraqi military vehicles were also covered with flowers to celebrate the event, and military parades, complete with band music, were organized in Diyala and Diwania provinces. The government declared a "Day of National Sovereignty" to mark... Flopping Aces http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281801/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:38:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281734/posts BAGHDAD (Reuters) – U.S. troops pulled out of Baghdad on Monday, triggering jubilation among Iraqis hopeful that foreign military occupation is ending six years after the invasion to depose Saddam Hussein. Iraqi soldiers paraded through the streets in their American-made vehicles draped with Iraqi flags and flowers, chanting, dancing and calling the pullout a "victory." One drove a motorcycle with party streamers on it; another, a Humvee with a garland of plastic roses on the grill. U.S. combat troops must pull out of Iraq's urban centers by midnight on Tuesday under a bilateral security pact that also requires all troops... Reuters via Yahoo! News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281734/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:22:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278811/posts WASHINGTON, June 24, 2009 – Predicting an uptick in violence in Iraq as U.S. combat troops leave the cities by June 30, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said today that deployed troops have geared up for the heightened threat as they comply with the U.S.-Iraq status of forces agreement. “I think we have reason to believe -- and I think our forces have been alerted to the possibility -- that we will likely see an uptick in violence leading up to the June 30 deadline for U.S. combat forces to leave Iraqi cities and towns,” Morrell told Pentagon reporters. He... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278811/posts#comment Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:57:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2276027/posts US commander in Iraq claims the military has largely honored the security agreement with Baghdad amid, what he claimed to be, a relative lull in militant activities. On Monday, General Ray Odierno said the pullout from urban areas was on the go with the troops having left the Iraqi forces in charge of 142 former US bases, Xinhua reported. Briefing a press conference in Baghdad, he suggested a link between the withdrawal and an alleged respite in al-Qaeda-linked attacks -- which the United States projects as an outcome its invasion of Iraq. Odierno claimed the US was 'absolutely committed' to... PressTV and Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2276027/posts#comment Sat, 20 Jun 2009 22:57:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275796/posts Iraq's leader declared victory Saturday as the country began to end a foreign occupation with the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from cities, and told Iraqis not to lose faith if the pullback resulted in attacks. As part of a security pact signed between Baghdad and Washington last year, U.S. combat forces must leave urban centers by June 30 and the entire force that invaded Iraq in 2003 must be gone by 2012. "It is a great victory for Iraqis that we are taking the first step toward ending the foreign presence in Iraq," Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told a... yahoo! via rooters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2275796/posts#comment Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:06:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271905/posts As the U.S. military continues its slow withdrawal from Iraq, the Iraqi people face a decision that might force those efforts into overdrive. A referendum scheduled for July 30 would give Iraqis the chance to vote for or against the Iraqi-U.S. security agreement that calls for all American troops to leave Iraq by Dec. 31, 2011. If the referendum goes ahead as scheduled and Iraqi voters reject the agreement — a likely outcome, observers say — the United States would be obliged to pull out troops one year after the vote, or nearly 1½ years before the deadline set by... Stars and Stripes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271905/posts#comment Mon, 15 Jun 2009 05:40:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269943/posts All but a few dozen of the 16,000 Marines now in Iraq will be out by next spring, the Marine Corps commandant said Thursday, putting a solid end date on a long-anticipated exit. Gen. James T. Conway said his Marine commanders are already moving equipment out of Anbar Province, where his forces have largely been concentrated. But the larger exodus will begin shortly after the Iraqi elections.... Breitbart http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2269943/posts#comment Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:55:30 GMT