That is going to be the flimsy excuse they use to stay.
"Unofficial talks to extend the deadline and continue an American presence are underway.... some observers do not consider them capable of defending the country's borders.... If the concern leads to a request to keep US forces in Iraq, the accelerating stream of departing troops and material would need to be slowed, stopped, and reversed... The United States has suggested it would favor extending the troop presence... and there would be some congressional support"
Related:
US hopes Iraq will ask troops to stay: Gates
I told you we were never leaving.
Gates: Keep Troops in Iraq to Make Iran Uncomfortable
Is that worth the BILLIONS, America?
More than 7,000 slotted for Iraq this summer
Why are we sending MORE GUYS THERE when we are SUPPOSED to be LEAVING?
Sick of the AmeriKan media s*** shoveling yet?
"Winding down an almost forgotten war; Casualties are much rarer now, but the risks remain real for the US forces charged with preparing Iraq to stand on its own" by Brian MacQuarrie, Globe Staff / May 29, 2011
Forgotten by who? Not me, not here!
KIRKUK, Iraq — Combat has been officially over here for nine months, but....
Our guys still get killed, sigh.
For Americans at home, focused now on Afghanistan and the uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East, the dangers of Iraq have all but faded from view. But for the 46,000 troops who remain in this country, the battle of nerves — the residue of war — goes on.
The mission now has transformed into one of keeping peace long enough to orchestrate the massive drawdown of troops and machines accumulated over eight years of fighting, and to prepare an Iraqi security force capable of curbing the sectarian fighting that some fear could plunge the country into civil war. It is a mission that does not result in many casualties — 36 Americans have died since Sept. 1 — but the threat is continuous and real.
Do the semantics of "combat" and "noncombat" bother you?
It is ALL COMBAT RELATED because they NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE!
Top US military officials say the troops will be out of Iraq by the end of the year, leaving behind a country able to take care of itself. But among some of the troops, there is less certainty. The fledgling Iraqi Air Force contains cadets who have never driven a car much less a fighter plane, and insurgents continue to launch attacks against the bureaucrats and security forces who form the wobbly legs of Iraqi government.
"Al Qaeda is still out there and still dangerous and still determined to murder as many people as they can," said Major General Jeffrey Buchanan, the top US military spokesman in Iraq....
Oh, pleeze, STOP IT with the "Al-CIA-Duh!"
Unofficial talks to extend the deadline and continue an American presence are underway....
Then the wall went up.
--more--"
"Mission: seemingly impossible; Dismantling war machine is final US campaign" by Brian MacQuarrie, Globe Staff / May 30, 2011
JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq — Unlike World War II, which kept US forces overseas indefinitely, and the Vietnam War, when the drawdown was more gradual, the American military is looking to pack up, move out of Iraq, and erase as many footprints as possible in seven months....
And I have a bridge in Brooklyn I'm looking to sell you.
The combat mission has officially ended, but Iraq remains a war zone to the soldiers who live here....
Many of Iraq's 660,000 soldiers and police have been trained by US military and civilian advisers, but some observers do not consider them capable of defending the country's borders. If that concern leads to a request to keep US forces in Iraq, the accelerating stream of departing troops and material would need to be slowed, stopped, and reversed in a complicated and time-consuming maneuver.
Then why have the "terrorists" always attacked us as we were leaving? I always wondered why they didn't wait until we were three-quarters out.
As of now, the mission continues to be to leave Iraq, and to leave American bases in better shape than they were found.
Who cares if the country is a disaster.
The landing facilities at Balad, once the busiest Defense Department airfield in the world, have benefited from $1.9 million in improvements.
It almost makes the millions of dead, destroyed infrastructure, and environmental contamination worth it, taxpayers.
The best incinerator complex in Iraq, built by the United States, burns trash here around the clock.
That can't be good for air quality.
And how much did that co$t us?
And a state-of-the-art waste-water treatment plant, also American-constructed, pumps clean, treated water into a nearby irrigation canal.
Yeah, during the four hours of power they have a day.
Yup, WE LEFT IRAQ WAY BETTER than we "FOUND" IT!!
Even a mosque that remained from the Iraqi Air Force under Saddam Hussein has been restored for $90,000....
That's a good price for a $20,000 job. I wonder who got the contract.
--more--"
"Leader says Iraq still needs some help; Country cannot protect borders, Maliki concedes" April 27, 2011|By Rebecca Santana, Associated Press
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s prime minister said yesterday that his country does not need US forces to protect its internal security but acknowledged that the country still does not have the money or training to protect its borders.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s comments came as the country is struggling to decide whether to ask American troops to stay past their expected Dec. 31 departure date. It’s a politically toxic question for the Iraqi leader in a country where many people are nervous about a future without US troops yet it is politically unpalatable to ask the Americans to stay longer....
The Iraqi leader emphasized that he does not see any regional threats to Iraq’s security. Many American proponents of keeping US forces in Iraq point to the threat posed by neighboring Iran.
That is SUCH a HOOT when you consider that BOTH SHI'ITE GOVERNMENTS are NATURALLY INCLINED to work together.
How F***ING LAME!
“There is no one from Iraq’s neighbors who is thinking of sending his troops to Iraq. So, Iraq’s sovereignty is protected by the fact that there is nobody in the current circumstances who would violate Iraq’s sovereignty,’’ he said at a press conference....
And thus, NO NEED for AmeriKa to stay.
Many Iraqi leaders privately acknowledge the country’s security shortcomings, including its lack of intelligence gathering capabilities and its inability to protect its own airspace. But as repeated anti-American protests in recent weeks have shown, a further US military presence in Iraq would not be welcomed by many.
A stream of American visitors, including Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has visited Iraq in recent weeks carrying the message that time is running out for Iraq to ask the US to stay longer.
Yeah, I saw what they had to say.
Mullen warned last week that Iraq had only weeks to ask for an extension as the US military carries out the massive task of removing all its equipment and personnel from the country.
Maliki rejected the suggestion his government is secretly negotiating a deal and said any new agreement would have to be passed by Parliament.
The prime minister, who traveled to South Korea later yesterday, said he would convene a meeting with all political blocs when he returns in order to discuss the future of the American troops.
The prime minister appeared to be warning political opponents that responsibility for any decision to have US troops stay longer would be shared by all political groups and not just blamed on him....
In western Iraq, a bus carrying pilgrims overturned on the way to a Shi’ite shrine, killing seven people in what police say may have been an insurgent ambush. Nine other people were injured....
--more--"
"Iraqi leader hints at longer US role; Maliki says choice needs consensus" May 12, 2011|Associated Press
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s prime minister offered his clearest opening yet yesterday for the possibility of extending the presence of US troops past their scheduled Dec. 31 departure date, saying he would do so if most of the country’s political blocs support the decision.
(Blog editor sadly sighs. I wanted the wars ended five years ago)
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s words signaled a shift that could open the way for a long-term American troop presence in Iraq, though a top US military officer all but ruled that out.
:-(
Maliki said he will meet with political leaders by the end of this month to gauge support. His insistence on a unified decision underscored how difficult it will be for any Iraqi leader to admit needing more military help from the country that invaded eight years ago....
Maliki faces an American-imposed deadline to decide within weeks whether to ask US troops to stay longer. A revolving door of American officials, including Joint Chiefs chairman Admiral Mike Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, have passed through Iraq in recent weeks, each appearing intent on getting Iraq to make up its mind.
C'mon, let us stay.
The United States has suggested it would favor extending the troop presence in Iraq. Gates has acknowledged that the United States has an interest in having US troops in Iraq after this year.
Related: PNAC
Yeah, turns out the issue of Saddam Hussein was secondary to a substantial U.S. presence in the region.
And in an indication that there would be some congressional support, House Speaker John Boehner said after an April trip to Iraq that the United States should keep a residual force — potentially up to 10,000 soldiers — in the country.
The United States has always been clear that it must be Iraq who does the asking....
We will do the begging.
--more--"
What they have to look forward to:
"57 are dead after terror siege in Iraq" March 31, 2011|Associated Press
BAGHDAD — The death toll for a grisly hostage situation at a government building north of the capital continued to rise yesterday as grieving families buried the victims and Iraqi officials questioned how it could have happened.
Gunmen wearing explosives belts under military uniforms charged into the provincial council building in Tikrit on Tuesday afternoon, shooting hostages execution-style and spraying bullets and tossing grenades through the building during the five-hour siege....
Smells like CIA contractor "CIA-Duh" to me.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said he would launch an investigation into how the government compound could so easily be overrun by insurgents....
The assault was so horrific that US forces stationed nearby responded, according to The New York Times.
But it is a noncombat mission.
Some US soldiers suffered minor injuries in the rare intervention. No group yet has claimed responsibility for the strike.
Stinking more and more like a false flag.
--more--"
"18 killed in Baghdad bomb attacks" May 23, 2011|By Michael S. Schmidt, New York Times
BAGHDAD — Fifteen explosions shook Baghdad over the span of four hours yesterday morning, killing 18 and wounding 77, according to an Iraqi security official....
US military officials said a US military patrol was attacked later in the day north of Baquba. One soldier sustained minor injuries.
The violence appeared to be part of a pattern in Baghdad on Sundays, the day that marks the beginning of the workweek. Last Sunday, insurgents fired rockets and mortars at the heavily fortified Green Zone, detonated explosives, and assassinated government officials, killing six and wounding dozens.
It was the third time this month that Iraqi security forces were the main target of insurgent violence. Militants have been attacking the security forces in an attempt to undermine public confidence in the ability of the Iraqi military and police to take over from American troops who are scheduled to leave the country by the end of this year.
?????
So troops will stay?
That REALLY is tortured logic if your an "insurgent."
The latest attacks occurred in both the Sunni and Shi’ite parts of the city, including two in Sadr City, the stronghold of the radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Although attacks have significantly decreased in Iraq over the past few years, a consistent level of violence that the authorities have been unable to prevent remains, with lethal attacks occurring on nearly a daily basis.
Separately, the US military said two American soldiers were killed while conducting operations in central Iraq. They were the first to die this month.
Conducting what kind of operations? Noncombat?
Also see: Occupation Iraq: Non-Combat Combat
Occupation Iraq: The Obama Withdrawal
Occupation Iraq: Another Broken Promise
And now they want to extend it again.
The statement released yesterday gave no further details about the deaths. The soldiers were not identified, pending notification of their relatives....
--more--"
"Bomb attacks in Baghdad kill 9" April 19, 2011|Associated Press
BAGHDAD — Suicide bombers detonated two explosives-packed cars yesterday outside Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, killing at least nine people and wounding 23, officials said.
The blasts marked the start of a violent day in the Iraqi capital, where two additional bombings and a jewelry heist left three more dead and 15 wounded....
--more--"
"8-year-old girl among 10 killed in Iraq" April 30, 2011|Associated Press
BAGHDAD — Attacks killed 10 people in Iraq yesterday, including the 8-year-old daughter of an imam who preached against sectarian violence and three police officers ambushed in Baghdad, officials said.
The string of bombings and shootings underlined the security concerns Iraq still faces as American troops prepare to leave the country by the end of this year....
--more--"
"$400m to go to abused Americans
BAGHDAD — Iraqi lawmakers approved a controversial $400 million settlement yesterday for Americans who claim they were abused by Saddam Hussein’s regime during the 1990 invasion of Kuwait. The settlement is part of a deal reached last year between Baghdad and Washington. Also yesterday, Iraqi officials said a suicide bomber blew himself up near an army checkpoint in the northern city of Mosul, killing seven people."
"Bomber rams Iraq police station, kills 20" May 06, 2011|Associated Press
BAGHDAD — A suicide bomber driving an explosives-packed vehicle rammed his way into a barricaded police compound yesterday, killed 20 police officers, and wounded 40 others in the second major deadly blast in Iraq this week.
Iraqi officials have been scrambling to show they are in control of security in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s death on Monday, but the uptick of bombings suggests that Al Qaeda-linked groups in Iraq remain a threat despite the death of their ideological patron.
Yeah, well, which "Al-CIA-Duh" would that be, huh?
The made-up "Al-CIA-Duh?"
Or the "Al-CIA-Duh" CREATION for the COURTROOM!?
Related:
Prop 101: Al-CIA-Duh and the OSI
Prop 101: Al-CIA-Duh's Greatest Hits
Prop 101: The "Terrorism" Business
New York Times Admits War on Terror is U.S. Creation
Oh, AmeriKa's MSM KNOWS ALL ABOUT and yet STILL PUSHES the CHARADE, huh?
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for this bombing or for another on Tuesday that killed nine people in a Shi’ite neighborhood in Baghdad. But the types of targets — Iraqi security forces and Shi’ite Muslims — indicate Al Qaeda in Iraq’s involvement.
“The attack bears the hallmark of Al Qaeda,’’ said a member of the region’s provincial council, Hamid al-Milli.
See:
Occupation Iraq: Israel's IEDs
Occupation Iraq: Israelis Killing U.S. Troops
Occupation Iraq: Israeli-Trained Death Squads
Plan B
"Al-CIA-Duhs" Catch-and-Release Program
Asymmetrical Warfare Group
Operation Gladio
Operation Northwoods
Occupation Iraq: British Bombers
Occupation Iraq: America's Roadside Bombs
'The Salvador Option'
Special Police Commandos
Proactive, Preemptive Operations Group
Prop 201 tutorial
FRU
Islam's 9/11
Who is Bombing in Iraq? Are the bombers Al-Qaeda, the CIA or Israel?
Who are the "terrorists" again?
The blast in the mainly Shi’ite city of Hillah, about 60 miles south of the capital Baghdad, also underscores Iraq’s fragile security at a time when US forces are preparing to leave the country.
Those damn "terrorists" making us stay!
Violence in Iraq has dropped dramatically since just a few years ago, and Iraqi forces have firmly taken over security responsibilities from American troops.
Now the Iraqis are doing well?
But many Iraqis and US officials question whether the departure of the roughly 46,000 American soldiers still here will leave Iraq more vulnerable to violence.
So much for leaving.
--more--"
"Robbers kill five, steal $3.4 million
BAGHDAD — Thieves armed with guns fixed with silencers stormed a currency exchange company in a northern Iraqi city, killing five people, and detonated a bomb to fend off pursuing police, Iraqi officials said. The assailants managed to make off with about $3.4 million. As they fled, they left a car bomb outside the building, which exploded on the police patrols racing to the scene. Seven police and passersby were injured when it exploded."
So Iraq can't even protect the banks, and what was one doing with so much cash?
"17 killed in prison uprising in Iraq" May 09, 2011|Associated Press
BAGHDAD — The accused coordinator of a fatal Baghdad church siege last year was shot and killed yesterday after wresting a gun from a prison guard and launching an hourslong revolt that left 17 people dead, including a top Iraqi counterterrorism general.
None of the prisoners — all suspected members of Al Qaeda in Iraq — managed to break out of the heavily fortified Interior Ministry headquarters in eastern Baghdad....
The midnight melee at what is supposed to be one of country’s most secure jails heightens doubt about whether Iraqi forces are ready to protect the nation as US troops prepare to leave by December....
You sensing a theme?
--more--"
"Gunmen kill family of 3 in Iraq; mortar attack slays 2" May 16, 2011|Associated Press
BAGHDAD — Gunmen broke into a house early yesterday and fatally shot a family of three as they slept, Iraqi officials said. Separately, mortar rounds struck in central Baghdad, killing two.
The dawn house attack, which killed a mother, father, and 13-year-old boy, occurred in the mixed Sunni-Shi’ite neighborhood of Baiyaa in the southwestern part of the capital, a police officer said. The shooters, who were wearing military uniforms, fled before they could be captured, he said. The motive behind the deadly shooting was not immediately clear.
Actually, I think it is.
In Baghdad’s central Tahrir Square, two mortar rounds slammed into the street at about 1 p.m., killing two pedestrians and injuring 10 others, another police officer said. Two other mortar shells landed in central Jadiriyah district and injured five civilians, he added....
Five Katyusha rockets hit the Green Zone, but there was no immediate word on casualties....
But violence is down.
--more--"
"Kirkuk car bombs target Iraqi police, killing at least 29; Attacks hit region already frayed by rivals’ disputes" May 20, 2011|By Jack Healy, New York Times
BAGHDAD — Three explosions aimed at Iraqi security forces ripped through the divided northern city of Kirkuk yesterday, killing at least 29 people, most of them police officers, and wounding scores more.
The attackers used a now-familiar tactic, detonating successive explosions that injured those who rushed to the scene of the first eruption. The initial blast was caused by a small improvised explosive device attached to a sedan in a parking lot outside Kirkuk police headquarters. After the police ran to the scene, a larger car bomb went off, killing 26 officers and three civilians....
A HALLMARK of MOSSAD!
The attacks came at a fragile moment for Kirkuk. Three ethnic groups are grappling for control of the area and its rich oil reserves. The fight for primacy in Kirkuk among Arabs, Kurds, and Turkmens is one of the most potentially volatile issues facing Iraq as 46,000 US troops prepare to withdraw over the next six months....
Hassan Toran, a Turkmen and head of the provincial council: “It’s possible the attacks will increase if American troops leave Iraq.’’
Earlier this year, the US military sent troops into Kirkuk to help defuse a standoff between rival groups of security forces that had threatened to destabilize the city.
The dispute began in February when leaders of the semiautonomous Kurdistan region deployed their own soldiers — known as pesh merga — near largely Arab neighborhoods around Kirkuk, saying they were worried about attacks on peaceful demonstrations. But the move angered local Arab leaders, and US diplomats and military officials pressed Kurdish leaders to withdraw their soldiers.
Some officials and residents in Kirkuk said the standoff — which ended without bloodshed — demonstrated the need for a continuing US presence.
Translation: we are never leaving, not until the Empire falls.
Iraqi leaders have said they plan to hold discussions in coming weeks about whether they should ask for some US troops to stay longer — a politically delicate question. US leaders have suggested they would consider the request.
Is that last sentence ever an understatement.
--more--"
"4 killed in attacks targeting Iraqi forces" May 24, 2011|Associated Press
KIRKUK, Iraq — Two bomb blasts targeting security forces in different parts of Iraq yesterday killed two people and wounded 20, underscoring Iraq’s instability, though the nation’s prime minister insisted that security forces have been mostly successful in curbing insurgent attacks....
Violence has dropped dramatically across Iraq compared with a few years ago, but analysts say it could be decades before the nation is stable.
Well, they JUST TOLD YOU HOW LONG we will be STAYING!!
--more--"
"Militiamen demand US troops leave Iraq" by Associated Press / May 27, 2011
BAGHDAD — Tens of thousands of militiamen and supporters of anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr marched in Baghdad yesterday in a dramatic show of strength, saying to both the US and Iraqi governments: If American troops stay past Dec. 31, there will be violence....
See: Occupation Iraq: Iraqis Restore Saddam Statue
Iraq’s widespread instability and still-struggling security forces have led US and Iraqi leaders to reconsider the deadline for the sake of the country’s security.
Also yesterday, a Bagdad military spokesman said gunmen killed Major General Qassim al-Moussawi, head of a committee tasked with investigating people for ties to Saddam Hussein’s regime.
--more--"
Also see: Iraq to disband maligned tribunal
