In a statement issued today, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced that all US forces would leave Iraq “as scheduled” at the end of the year, and that there will be no “permanent US bases” beyond that.
It was a dramatic change from just two weeks ago, when Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced that he was pretty sure that Iraq had already approved the extension of the US occupation beyond December, and is also quite a bit different from Maliki’s recent comments.
But the devil is in the details, and the statement is surprisingly light on those. The Iraqi PM was clearly averse to a parliamentary vote on keeping US troops in the nation, but has repeatedly insisted that US trainers are a different case, even if they are soldiers. He claims no vote would be necessary.
And talk of trainers was conspicuously absent in today’s statement, leaving open the possibility that Maliki is going to try to backdoor the occupation in by renaming them all “trainers,” much as President Obama allowed the continuation of combat beyond last year’s deadline by reclassifying all the troops as “non-combat” and then sending them out on combat missions.
I was part of the invasion force sent to Panama on Dec 19th 1989. (5/21 infantry originally attached to 2/75) On Febuary 17th Bush declared that it was over and that all combat forces had returned home, 2/75 Rangers did return but not us with the 7th infantry division. (I'm sure it was done because of the war powers act). My first deployment didn't end until June sixth. Not once did our missions change. We were still kicking in doors, setting up roadblocks and checkpoints. We were still detaining anyone who broke curfew. We were still locking up anyone who had a gun. Yes, people were still dying as we patrolled the streets.
What did change was the name of the operation (for the third time) and they did take some of our weapons from us such as our mortors and AT4 rocket launchers. We were told not to "lock and load" our weapons until raids were under way or when we were taking fire. (like that stopped us)
Words are just that, words. Semantics mean nothing to a Joe who is being shot at or who is ordered to kick in a door or man a checkpoint.
Meet the new boss…….
"Maliki: US Pullout to Continue ‘as Scheduled’"- that is to say, never.
There will be no US military and no US miitary bases, just a couple of dozen New York City sized areas set aside for trainers that will be there permenantly to help the Iraqi people like overgrown boy scouts. They'll be helping little old ladies cross the street and stuff.
That they have to lie just shows the immorality of what they are doing.
It could be very interesting to see what sort of ïmmunity" from prosecution under Iraqi Law that will be afforded to these "trainers"
Thats where Malaki might have problems in convincing the Iraqi People that these "trainers"are not soldiers. And will Obama and his mob be willing to risk prosecution of Americans after the first incident of killing Iraqi's by these "trainers"