A new audit from the US State Department is condemning the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) requirement that all US military forces be out of Iraq by the end of 2011, insisting that Iraq will continue to need to have US soldiers for stabilization.
Indeed, the report cautioned against ever setting any date for an end to the war in Iraq, saying that stability could still be many years away for Iraq, already seven and a half years into its US occupation.
The auditors urged the State Department to be careful about trying to take over the “Iraq Mission” in early 2012, warning that it was extremely dangerous to try to transfer the nation to civilian control so early and predicting a massive increase in attacks if US troops don’t remain on the ground.
President Obama spent much of August hyping that month as the “end” to the Iraq War, though in fact some 50,000 US troops remain on the ground and continue to engage in combat missions, despite having been redefined as “non-combat.” It remains to be seen how easily the US will be able to sell the idea of keeping its presence in Iraq past 2011, which will largely depend on the exact composition of the next Iraqi government.
Given the bloody attacks which are still killing and wounding Iraqis by the score, it's hard to know just what the result of the American invasion, occupation and withdrawal has been. To me it seems like a total failure.
What I want to know is what are the 50,000 marines still in Iraq are doing. Do they play cards all day or watch television? Are there comfort women tending to their physical needs? Perhaps they drink beer all day or they get suntans or they write letters to loved ones?
I wonder what it costs to keep 50,000 marines in the field while the local citizens engage in endless murderous activities? But wasn't that what Saddam used to do besides building weapons of mass destruction?
Sure is a confusing situation!
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How about dress-up as terrorist Arabs and blowing up places and people?
Well, let’s sign up for another 5 or 10 years or more.
But first, we need a war tax to pay for this debacle. No more kicking the cost down the road ala the Bush administration for our children and grandchildren to pay, WITH INTEREST! Next, we need to reinstate the draft so that the children of the politicians and warmongers die right beside those who have “volunteered” because there were no jobs, no money for education, promises of cash bonuses and trades to be learned. Instead, they get MULTIPLE deployments until they are killed, maimed or commit suicide from the stress and strain. We need to cut the damn “war budget” in half so that everything the military sees does not look like an enemy. The nutcases who voted the Republicans back into office in the House have completely forgotten the 3 trillion dollars (and counting) that these wars have cost our nation, not to mention the dead and the severly wounded that have resulted, all of which contributed HEAVILY to our financial situation. For sure, we get the kind of government we deserve. God help us.
They're probably more concerned with the long term contracts/taks orders they've entered into with various "contractors" than they are with Iraq. The multi-year hundred million dollar plus task orders with options aren't just going to vanish into thin air if the troops withdraw.
They'd warn against a 3011 withdrawal.
$$$$$$$$$$ for them. Less for you.
I'm sure Hillary is dancing a jig. Can't wait to put her own personal army to the test?
Cut a deal with Israel and Syria to give up the Golan Heights in exchange for concessions and a peace treaty.
That's been the plan all along. They never intended to leave. The US won't leave until it's totally bankrupt the the soldiers stationed there will have to get themselves home or the Iraqis get fed up enough and kill them all.
As a continuing undergrad student the question of when are we going to start worrying about ourselves America, has daunted me this whole semester. For the past nine years we have been in a war (the longest war in our history) that has had no conclusion. We have an election that just recently passed, and how many of them talked about this war? NONE, Of course what they do wan to talk about is the economy and how they are going to "fix" it. It seems odd that this war we are still in is averaging us a loss of $12 billion per month. woah. Sounds like a decent sum if you ask me. So when do we withdraw? Now. America has to be concerned with it's own well being. The women and children are not going to be protected from an outside military force in Afghanistan, it is going to have to happen from the inside. Yes, the opium would flourish if we withdrew, but that's what we should be taking care of while we are over there now! Clear all of the poppy, wipe out any trade before we come back over, then they have none to smuggle or trade! Thank you, that is all.