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U.S. Would Resume Iraq Combat Role if Necessary

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Posted on Aug 22, 2010
U.S. troops in Iraq
AP / Sgt. Armando Monroig, U.S. Army

U.S. troops patrol a neighborhood in Iraq in 2008.

The U.S. military is moving to trim its troop count in Iraq to 50,000 by Sept. 1, at which point the remaining personnel will assume an “advise-train-assist” role. But the American commander there says that if Iraqi security forces fall down on the job, U.S. troops could be thrust back into a combat role. —JCL

Reuters:

The top U.S. military commander in Iraq said local security forces will be ready for the withdrawal of American troops next year, but the United States could return to combat operations if needed.

The Pentagon plans to cut troop numbers in Iraq to 50,000 by September 1—down from 176,000 at the peak of the deployment after the 2003 invasion to topple dictator Saddam Hussein.

U.S. troops will stay in Iraq in an “advise-train-assist” role until the end of next year, Army General Raymond Odierno said in an interview aired on Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” program.

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By FRTothus, August 23, 2010 at 5:28 am Link to this comment

The US should be brought up on War Crimes charges, its
leaders hung.

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By omisaide7, August 23, 2010 at 4:40 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

The lingering US presents in Iraq is only a disguise for a permanent “occupation”, and an excuse to farther install contract mercaneries in the place of US soldiers. I don’t know why they think they are fooling us.

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By purplewolf, August 22, 2010 at 4:53 pm Link to this comment

How long do you think it will take before we are back in Iraq fighting for them as we all know they will fall down on the job.As in the Vietnam war we fought while their young men were in the movie theaters.

How long does it take for America to train one of our soldiers before we consider them ready to go fight on another shore? I don’t know, anyone? Why is it the US that has to train these people until they are what we call ready to go fight for themselves. Well, it should take even less time to train the Iraqi people as they will be fighting in their own backyard and will not have to adapt to a different climate and environment or language. And what about all of their old trained fighting people that the Bush administration fired? Why can’t they train their own people to defend themselves. After all they have been fighting for centuries before we ever knew they existed.We know they know how to do it and if we keep doing it for them they will never do it for themselves.

Where is that famous Repukelican mantra we keep hearing here at home about the coddling of the old, sick,poor,disabled and unemployed or underemployed, that the GOP and fiends keep yelling about costing money here at home for those they feel are undeserving, yet we are the ones who also worked and paid into those “safety net programs” and not a word about the cost of the wasted expense of our soldiers, effort and monies(borrowed of course)on Bush’s illegal lied for wars??? Guess if it ultimately makes money for the elite, MIC, etc it’s okay with the GOP and the rest of use can go away as far as they are concerned.

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By ofersince72, August 22, 2010 at 3:53 pm Link to this comment

We are a criminally insane country that really shouldn’t
even be allowed with a pea shooter.

The international community should disarm America, shove
the United Nations up the U.S. ass and leave America
in its own filth and rot.

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By ofersince72, August 22, 2010 at 3:29 pm Link to this comment

My fingers automatically now just type

The U.S. government is nothing but a bunch of cowardly
murdering thieves and tramps that belong behind bars
and where they can inflict no more of their tortureous
deeds.  They have sick and perverted minds that think only
of money and resources and how and who they can steal from
next.  They have now consideration for life, wilflife,
natural habitat, human beings other themselves. They have
completely destroyed what little we had of a democracy,
made sure we won’t ever come that close again, gave our
airwaves away so we could be programmed to believing our
vote counted, laughed at us while they rigged elections,
wink anda nod during the primaries that are so corrupt and
expensive,  won’t be satisfied until every tree in North
America and South America is cut down and replaced with
concrete to drive their silly vehicles around on.  Sold
these simple cell phone culture not only to us stupid ass
baby boomers , but now , kids and young adults wouldn’t
know how to live with one these useless gadgets.
Of course , we will do combat if needed, it is always
needed to support a bankrupt and morally corrupt society.

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By rollzone, August 22, 2010 at 1:03 pm Link to this comment

hello. our crack military crap unit is older than our
military. our military industrial killing toy
Congressional complex and our grunts are permanent
global fixtures. pretend Iran launches against Israel.
simultaneously they must launch against Kuwait and
nearby naval targets. the preposterous scenario of
direct engagement with the combined forces of the
United States military (even without nukes) is suicidal
insanity, and no national leader seriously engages any
notion beyond political parameters. our human killing
toys now exist to support themselves.

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