THE THIRTY FIRST OF AUGUST.

[USAlex]

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

IT IS OVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! (ish).

Obama has confirmed that on August 31, 2010, ALL COMBAT OPERATIONS IN IRAQ shall...end. End!


but............50,000 of 65,000 US troops currently in Iraq are set to remain until the end of 2011 to advise Iraqi forces and "protect US interests."

so....what the hell?


I suppose if the war was ended too quickly, and without care, everything would fall apart (more than it already has...)

A quote from the bbc's article on the subject:

"The president warned the US had "not seen the end of American sacrifice in Iraq".

He added: "But make no mistake, our commitment in Iraq is changing - from a military effort led by our troops to a civilian effort led by our diplomats.""

The article (including a video with the Pres.'s speech) :
www.bbc.co.uk/news/10839342

....

So: conclusion: either everything changes, or nothing changes, or oddly, both. A step forward? Backward? Nowhere? What do you think?

[Indonesia]

It's great that the war stopped but isn't that a bit dangerous? Do the people in Iraq trust the US military and government enough to stop what they're doing also? They might take this time for granted, :/ but maybe i'm just thinking too much. I don't think it'll get you guys anywhere, especially after what Prez. Bush had done before.

[USAlex]

One can never think too much, Indonesia!

er. Well. I'm not sure I can speak for the people of Iraq, but they probably don't trust us very much. But, although concerned about the chaos that might ensue, they probably also want their own country back. At least, that's how I'd think I'd feel.

However, the war has not "stopped", yet. That is supposedly 2011.

And even after 2011 it won't have, really. In terms of the effects. Really, I don't think any war ever stops, in a way. In that, the effects of one war lead to the next, lead to the next, lead to the next...and so on. So maybe there has only been one war? Humanity v. Humanity, who will win? *is getting crazy, methinks...just ignore all that...*

...

...huh, what do you mean "'they might take this time for granted"? (not sure if I'm understanding...)

...

Bush. *headdesk*.

[Indonesia]

I see... so it's just... loosening up?
War will always happen, when there is conflict between one and another, it's considered war already, no matter how intense.

Well... i have quite an imaginative mind but i'm also a strategist ;P if I were to be the military general of the military in Iraq, I would take this time to counter attack after what the US had done to them especially after the president announces it so suddenly, it's far too quick. They'll just use this time to attack the remaining troops and plus, Obama was the one who confirmed it. Did the leaders of Iraq agree to it? They must have a grudge against the US now. Exactly like you said, war will never stop, it'll just start another.

[USAlex]

Sorta. We have a date for the begining of the end now. And a vague "end" of the war in 2011. It's still a good thing, I think.

There are no "military generals" in Iraq who are against us. (As far as we know) the Iraqi government and military are our allies. ...So why would they attack us?

It is terrorist organizations and radicals who attack the military there, for the most part. We've been training the Iraqi police and military forces for some time now, and will continue to do this into 2011 and probably, to a lesser extent, beyond.

However, it is true that al-Queda might try to attack even more as we leave. And it might encourage Taliban. But, no one is leaving all at once. It will be gradual, and I have hope that the military knows what it's doing.

Plus, at the same time as we are leaving Iraq, we are stepping up the troop level in Afghanistan. So perhaps that will serve to draw the terrorism out of Iraq? The extremists hate us, they don't hate the Iraqis, I think. So if we leave, they might be better off, because the Iraqi people won't be caught in the crossfire as much anymore. That may be an incorrect hypothesis, however.

Another thing: from the BBC: "350 bases and 3.5 million pieces of equipment will be closed down, transferred to the Iraqi security forces or redeployed to other American units."...So, we're leaving the Iraqi security forces stuff to defend themselves against terrorist groups, etc.

Did the leaders in Iraq agree to it? Well, I'm sure they were consulted in some way, but these people are our troops, so really we should be able to do what we think is best with them, in terms of when to leave. Their government is sort of up in the air, at the moment, as well. When that is resovled there will be some more stability, I hope.

I don't /think/ the current leaders in Iraq have a grudge against us....remember, these are the people who were elected AFTER the invasion and major part of the war. They were never the people we were attacking. Yeah, it's sort of complicated.

[Indonesia]

... well then just be aware of the situation. I do think it's far too sudden... ;/

[Bhutan]

Are the Iraqi security forces prepared to handle the terrorist groups though? Everything I've read so far seems to put them at "unprepared".

[USAlex]

That's what has been worrying me as well. After the initial overwhelming euphoria I felt at the news, there has been uncertainty that this will actually work.

They are not actually leaving until 2011, though, and even then people will be left to continue to aid and train the Iraqi forces. And it is also true that we currently need the troops in Afghanistan right now, as a part of the overall war-strategy. So, while not perfect, I'm hoping this plan works out.