Iraq exit strategy

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Hey, Obama: In Iraq Exit, Don't Forget Strategy

US withdrawal or not, the country still has 'geostrategic significance'

(Newser) - Iraq is centrally important to the Middle East region, and the Obama administration does the country and the world a disservice by focusing on troop withdrawal without considering the future, writes Henry Kissinger. “The outcome in Iraq will influence the psychological balance in the war against radical Islam, specifically...

Cocky Karzai Calls Gates' Bluff
 Cocky Karzai Calls Gates' Bluff 
MAUREEN DOWD
Dec 13, 2009 9:01 AM CST

Cocky Karzai Calls Gates' Bluff

Defense sec gets dissed by Afghanistan, Iraq 'puppets': Dowd

(Newser) - Robert Gates may be the man "running the world's best military," a force not inconsequential to stability in Afghanistan these days, but Hamid Karzai thumbed his nose at the defense secretary on his recent visit. "Puppets just aren’t what they used to be," notes Maureen...

US Speeds Up Iraq Withdrawal
 US Speeds Up Iraq Withdrawal 
Sep 30, 2009 7:10 AM CDT

US Speeds Up Iraq Withdrawal

(Newser) - The United States is speeding up its military withdrawal from Iraq, sending 4,000 more troops home next month, top commander Ray Odierno will announce today. That'll bring the total number of troops in the country down to 120,000 by the end of October. "We have already begun...

Without Bush, Left Forgets Wars
 Without Bush, 
 Left Forgets Wars 
OPINION
Aug 18, 2009 12:24 PM CDT

Without Bush, Left Forgets Wars

(Newser) - It wasn't exactly back in the Crusades that opposing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was the left’s most passionate cause, uniting activists and voters alike. Then George W. Bush left office. Now, even though there are still around 130,000 troops in Iraq and 68,000 and counting...

Top US Commander Wants Troops Out of Iraq Pronto

(Newser) - The US should get out of Iraq sooner rather than later, a top Army officer wrote in a recent memo obtained by the Washington Independent. Col. Timothy Reese, the chief of the Baghdad Operations Command Advisory Team, says American forces “smell bad to the Iraqi nose,” and their...

Gates: Troops May Leave Iraq Early

(Newser) - The United States is considering speeding up its withdrawal from Iraq because of the sustained drop in violence there, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said today, following discussions with his top commanders in the war. "I think there's at least some chance of a modest acceleration," this year, Gates...

Gates Makes Surprise Visit to Iraq
Gates Makes
Surprise Visit to Iraq
Jul 28, 2009 3:17 AM CDT

Gates Makes Surprise Visit to Iraq

(Newser) - US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has landed in Iraq for a surprise visit, the AP reports. He'll meet with troops stationed at a command post in southern Iraq who are largely serving as advisers. He's also expected to see Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and visit the restive Kurdish region....

4 US Troops Killed During Iraqi City Pullout

(Newser) - Four US soldiers were killed in combat shortly before the American military completed a withdrawal from Iraq's cities last night. But prime minister Nouri al-Maliki assured Iraqis in a televised address today that government forces are in control: "Those who think that Iraqis are not able to protect their...

Fix Iraq to Fix the Region
 Fix Iraq to Fix the Region 
OPINION
Jun 7, 2009 10:30 AM CDT

Fix Iraq to Fix the Region

A 'decent and stable' country could set an example

(Newser) - Many in the Middle East demanded action after President Obama’s Cairo speech, but the action that’s crucial right now is the Iraq peace process, writes Thomas Friedman in the New York Times. Hillary Clinton must lead us in an effort to establish a “decent and stable political...

Britain Ends Iraq Mission
 Britain Ends Iraq Mission 
Apr 30, 2009 6:43 AM CDT

Britain Ends Iraq Mission

(Newser) - Britain officially ended its combat operations in Iraq today, lowering the flags of its armored brigade and turning over control of its Basra base to US troops, the Guardian reports. “The role of British ground forces is finished,” a defense official confirmed. “Today, Iraq is a success...

Obama Makes Surprise Detour to Iraq
 Obama Makes 
 Surprise Detour to Iraq 
UPDATED
Apr 7, 2009 11:05 AM CDT

Obama Makes Surprise Detour to Iraq

(Newser) - President Obama made an unannounced stop today in Baghdad, where he told some 600 US troops at Camp Victory that it's time for Iraqis to "take responsibility for their country" after America's commitment of six years and thousands of lives. "You have given Iraq the opportunity to stand...

Suicide Bomber Kills 28 at Baghdad Police Academy

Police recruits targeted as US prepares to withdraw

(Newser) - At least 28 people were killed and 57 wounded today when a suicide bomber struck Baghdad's main police academy, Reuters reports. The attack, carried out by a man on a motorbike wearing a vest packed with explosives, marks the first major strike in Baghdad in over a month. Police recruits...

Obama: Iraq War Ends by Aug. 31, 2010

(Newser) - President Obama didn’t mince his words in his address at Camp Lejeune, NC, today. “By Aug. 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end,” he declared, earning his first applause from the audience of Marines. “Iraq is not yet secure, and there will be difficult...

Obama Sways GOP on Iraq, Loses Dems
Obama Sways GOP on Iraq, Loses Dems
Feb 27, 2009 6:16 AM CST

Obama Sways GOP on Iraq, Loses Dems

McCain backs plan; Pelosi thinks leaving 50K is too many

(Newser) - Key congressional Republicans, including John McCain, gave their backing to President Obama's plan to withdraw all combat forces from Iraq by August 2010. The New York Times reports that GOP members at a bipartisan White House meeting yesterday left more impressed than some Democratic counterparts, who thought Obama was leaving...

Obama to Withdraw Troops From Iraq in 19 Months

(Newser) - President Obama plans to withdraw most US troops from Iraq by August 2010, the AP reports. Insiders say a training force of 30,000 to 50,000 will remain but will be largely evacuated by December 2011, when the security pact between the US and Iraq expires. The US has...

Many US Troops Home in a Year: Obama

President sees Iraqis ready to handle own security

(Newser) - President Obama promised today to bring a "substantial" number of troops home from Iraq before next year's Super Bowl, MSNBC reports. In an interview with Matt Lauer, Obama said Iraq's smooth provincial elections this weekend ensured the homecoming. He disclosed no details, but said he plans to “roll...

First 100 Days? Too Slow for O
First 100 Days? Too Slow for O
Jan 20, 2009 8:57 AM CST

First 100 Days? Too Slow for O

In new White House, change will happen in 100 hours—or maybe mere minutes

(Newser) - At minute one, everything changes. The inaugural passing of the baton will happen at lightning speed today, Politico reports, as the new team hits the ground running, amid an economic crisis that makes the traditional timetable obsolete. Through the morning, White House staff will work furiously to get the building...

Green Zone Turned Over to Iraqis

US transfers control of Baghdad's fortified enclave

(Newser) - The heart of the US occupation in Iraq was returned to Iraqi control at midnight last night, the Washington Post reports. Iraqi soldiers now control checkpoints leading to the heavily fortified Green Zone enclave in Baghdad. American troops and workers have moved out of many buildings, including the former palace...

Brown Announces July Withdrawal in Baghdad

Brown says troops home by July in surprise Baghdad visit

(Newser) - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown made a surprise visit to Baghdad today and announced that all but a handful of British troops will leave Iraq by July 2009. About 4,000 British service members remain in Iraq, mostly around Basra, though at the height of the war 100,000 were...

US Troops to Stay in Iraqi Cities Past Deadline

Odierno says troops to stay past June, remain in 'close partnership' with Iraqis

(Newser) - Not all American troops will be leaving Iraqi cities in June, despite a new security agreement with the Iraqi government requiring them to do so, Gen. Ray Odierno said today. A number of troops still to be negotiated with the Iraqi government will remain in city security posts to support...

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