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July 25, 2008 12:19:49 PM CDT

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US Marines Want Out of Iraq

Posted Oct 11, 07 3:15 AM CDT in World,  US 

(Newser) – The US Marine Corps is lobbying to be withdrawn from Iraq and instead be given the lead role in Afghanistan, reports the New York Times. The move would leave the Army with primary responsibility for the increasingly unpopular war in Iraq. Supporters believe it would allow the branches to operate more efficiently in operations that are straining resources. 

Air Force commanders are likely to oppose the move, which would reduce their role in Afghanistan because Marines operate their own aircraft. The Marine Corps commandant pitched the concept at a Pentagon conference last week. "This is not about trading one ground war for another,” said a Pentagon official. “It is about the nature of the fight, and whether the Afghan mission lends itself to Marine deployment.”

Source New York Times

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U.S. marines and Iraqi troops move between ruined buildings in Ramadi.   (Associated Press)
U.S. marines and Iraqi soldiers on patrol the Shiite district of Sadr City in Baghdad.   (Associated Press)
Iraqi youths ride bicycles past U.S. marines on patrol in Baghdad.   (Associated Press)
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Iraq  • Iraq war  • Afghanistan  • Pentagon  • David Petraeus  • US Army  • Robert Gates  • Marine  • Joint Chiefs of Staff  • deployment


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