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Update: Obama Says U.S. Combat Mission In Iraq Ends August 2010
February 27, 2009 1:12 p.m. EST
Kris Alingod - AHN Contributor
Washington, D.C. (AHN) - American combat troops in Iraq will all be pulled out by August next year but a residual force of U.S. troops will remain in the war-torn nation to help in the transition until 2011, President Barack Obama announced on Friday.
In a speech at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, Obama said the U.S. combat mission in Iraq would end on August 31, 2010. He said 35,000 to 50,000 troops will remain in Iraq to carry out three functions: training, equipping, and advising Iraqi Security Forces, conducting targeted counter-terrorism missions, and protecting ongoing civilian and military efforts in the country.
All American troops will be removed by the end of 2011.
The United States and Iraq had agreed on a new security agreement last December that requires American combat forces to leave Iraq's cities, villages and localities by June 30, and all U.S. troops to be redeployed from the entire country by Dec. 31, 2011.
"As we carry out this drawdown, my highest priority will be the safety and security of our troops and civilians in Iraq," the President said. "We will proceed carefully, and I will consult closely with my military commanders on the ground and with the Iraqi government.
There will surely be difficult periods and tactical adjustments. But our enemies should be left with no doubt: this plan gives our military the forces and the flexibility they need to support our Iraqi partners, and to succeed."
"The drawdown of our military should send a clear signal that Iraq's future is now its own responsibility. The long-term success of the Iraqi nation will depend upon decisions made by Iraq's leaders and the fortitude of the Iraqi people. Iraq is a sovereign country with legitimate institutions; America cannot - and should not - take their place," he added.
Iraq has been taking an increasingly larger share for its security from American forces, which currently number at around 140,000. Insurgent violence has dropped to its lowest level since August 2003 and it recently held provincial elections that contrasted starkly with violence in polls in 2005.
The drawdown is also necessary for the increasing U.S. presence in Afghanistan, where violence has risen from an insurgent Taliban and where 17,000 more troops will be deployed beginning this spring.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), the ranking Republican in the Senate Armed Services panel, called the President's plan "reasonable" during floor remarks on Friday.
McCain, as the Republican nominee, had frequently argued with Obama on the campaign trail last year about an "artificial timeline" of withdrawal in Iraq.
"I believe the President's withdrawal plan is a reasonable one. Given the gains in Iraq and the requirements to send additional troops to Afghanistan, together with the significant number of troops that will remain in Iraq and the President's willingness to reassess based on conditions on the ground, I am cautiously optimistic that the plan as laid out by the President can lead to success."
But McCain also said the plan is "not without risk" because "We have not yet completed the mission in Iraq, and the gains we have made there remain fragile. We will need to be cautious as we withdraw troops so as not to jeopardize these achievements."
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