Fox News Reports On The Final U.S. Soldiers Leaving Iraq Today

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by Josh Feldman | 5:03 pm, December 18th, 2011

» 16 comments

The last United States soldiers stationed in Iraq left for home today, marking the final chapter in the nine-year war. Over 4000 Americans died over the course of those years, as well as thousands more Iraqis. There was little fanfare to acknowledge the war’s end, and Iraqi citizens were divided on their reactions to the troop withdrawal. Some cheered that the occupation was over, others were more grateful for the U.S. presence in Iraq, but believed the war had gone on too long.

The Associated Press details how the slow process of winding down U.S. presence in Iraq was carried out.

The final troops completed the massive logistical challenge of shuttering hundreds of bases and combat outposts, and methodically moving more than 50,000 U.S. troops and their equipment out of Iraq over the last year — while still conducting training, security assistance and counterterrorism battles.

As of Thursday, there were two U.S. bases and less than 4,000 U.S. troops in Iraq — a dramatic drop from the roughly 500 military installations and as many as 170,000 troops during the surge ordered by President George W. Bush in 2007, when violence and raging sectarianism gripped the country. All U.S. troops were slated to be out of Iraq by the end of the year, but officials are likely to meet that goal a bit before then.

The total U.S. departure is a bit earlier than initially planned, and military leaders worry that it is a bit premature for the still maturing Iraqi security forces, who face continuing struggles to develop the logistics, air operations, surveillance and intelligence-sharing capabilities they will need in what has long been a difficult region.

Many are now looking at what will happen to the war-torn nation now that United States forces are no longer there. Already, Iraq is facing a political crisis between the Sunni coalition and the Shiite prime minister Nouri al-Maliki. President Obama is already planning to meet with al-Maliki to discuss the next stage of the relationship between the United States and Iraq.

Watch the report from Fox News below:

al-Maliki, Iraq, Troops, United States

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=611456563 Frank Looper

9 years, and not a fracking (positive) thing to show for it.
Anonymous

Fook Bush!!!!
12voltman1

Less people in Iraq have electricty now then before the war. Mostly in suni neighborhoods.
9 years later!
http://twitter.com/ZonaCumia Zona

WMD’s!
Anonymous

Too bad this is bullshit. We’re not really leaving Iraq.
The instillation of a 50 Billion$ a year embassy.
The mass hiring of mercenaries.
This is just a stunt by the Obama administration to make Obama look good. To make him look like he can really keep his word. Don’t fool yourself foolish “liberals”. America still is and will be in Iraq for many,many years to come.
OSTL

Nice goin, obama!
Anonymous

Yeah, Obama is the one who invaded, with a half-baked, idea of how to handle the occupation. Hmm.. who was president in 2003 starts with B and is suprisingly smarter than Perry, but not by much.
Anonymous

Wasn’t it Bush who promised to pull out by the end of 2011?
Anonymous

Yes and it still would of been bullshit. If Bush was still in the White House the 50 Billion$ a year embassy and mercenary army would still be there.
http://www.facebook.com/idiotproof53 Scott Ward

But what about the secret Chinese in Iraq, who incidently, our troops were protecting, while the Chinese suck up all the oil that DICK Chaney “promised” to the rest of us here in America, that we were gonna get and “didn’t have to pay for” LMAO! you know, that oil that we need. Oh, and all the drugs (i.e., Opium, and the Cannabis Indica, which grows up to 10-12 feet tall, that is guarded by our troops) in Afghanistan, hundreds of acres. Hmmm, guess someone forgot about it.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_LDO6LIQBI2JQ4Q5MWLWBKGKSJY bensanity

What about the 17,000 “private contractors” with guns protecting the embassy? I think I saw someone say recently that they are “going to need to be saved at some point.” Talibani and the Iraqi people didn’t sign the troop extension because they want us there. I think that includes 17,000 mercenaries.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bee-Ruled/100001985815996 Bee Ruled

This headline SHOULD read:

0bama Surrenders Iraq to the Radical Islamists and to Iran.

When the truth IS told, it will sound like THIS.
Anonymous

You do know that “THIS” is in your head, right?
CarmanK

And I am quite sure that FOX was not pleased with the way the exit was handled. President OBAMA can do nothing right, so they had to find some errors and ways to desparage the great moment in our history.
david r

They are breaking their necks getting out of there while Obama can still claim “We won!”
Anonymous

If you say so.