Obama to announce Iraq withdrawal

Off-Topic Off Topic - Militaria
#1

Officials: Obama to announce Iraq withdrawal

By PAMELA HESS and ANNE GEARAN – 3 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Administration officials say President Barack Obama is planning to announce that most U.S. troops will be out of Iraq in less than 19 months.

The plan would leave a interim force of between 30,000 and 50,000 to advise and train Iraqi security forces and to provide intelligence and surveillance. They would have to be out by 2011. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The withdrawal would fall three months short of one of Obama’s central campaign pledges to remove U.S. troops in 16 months.

A senior White House official says Obama is at least a day away from a final decision.

There are currently 142,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.

About 4,250 have died and more than 31,000 wounded since the war began in 2003. It has cost more than $650 billion since 2003.

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#2

Do you not think that he might transfer a considerable contingent over to Afghanistan to save costs and resources since everything is already over there.I think Obama is more for the war in Afghanistan than Iraq anyways, so maybe we might see a troop increase, at least temporaily, into Afghanistan…

#3

There is going to be a “Surge” into Afghanistan…

#4

YA, Thats what I meant!..I mean, if not now, then when. It is more cost effective to do it while all the men and supplies are next door then to bring it/them all home and do it later.

#5

All depends mate, transferring forces isnt that easy really as the support infrastructure has to be there. Next door isnt a train ride away after all, everything would have to go by sea to pakistan, then move up to Afgh. Also, even when they withdraw, they arent going to withdraw completely as some bases will definitely stay.

#6

I believe the US/NATO are in negotiations with China to open a land route through the world’s most populous nation and they too have had problems with an Islamic insurgency of their own…

Obama might also be considering a bid to reach out to more moderate elements of the Taliban just like we did in Iraq with Sunni tribesmen.