Last U.S. Combat Brigade Leaves Iraq

[alienlovechild 75]

For these troops of the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, it was a moment of relief fraught with symbolism. Seven years and five months after the U.S.-led invasion, the last American combat brigade was leaving Iraq, as President Obama's Aug. 31 deadline for ending U.S. combat operations there neared.

When 18-year-old Spc. Luke Dill first rolled into Iraq as part of the U.S. invasion, his Humvee was so vulnerable to bombs that the troops lined its floor with flak jackets.

.Now 25 and a staff sergeant after two tours of duty, he rode out of Iraq this week in a Stryker, an eight-wheeled behemoth encrusted with armor and add-ons to ward off grenades and other projectiles.

"It's something I'm going to be proud of for the rest of my life — the fact that I came in on the initial push and now I'm leaving with the last of the combat units," he said.

That presence is far from over. Scatterings of combat troops still await departure, and some 50,000 will stay another year in what is designated as a noncombat role. They will carry weapons to defend themselves and accompany Iraqi troops on missions (but only if asked). Special forces will continue to help Iraqis hunt for terrorists.

So the U.S. death toll — at least 4,415 by Pentagon count as of Wednesday — may not yet be final.

Before the Aug. 31 deadline, about half the brigade's 4,000 soldiers flew out like most of the others leaving Iraq, but its leadership volunteered to have the remainder depart overland. That decision allowed the unit to keep 360 Strykers in the country for an extra three weeks.

U.S. commanders say it was the brigade's idea, not an order from on high. The intent was to keep additional firepower handy through the "period of angst" that followed Iraq's inconclusive March 7 election, said brigade chief, Col. John Norris.

It took months of preparation to move the troops and armor across more than 500 kilometers (300 miles) of desert highway through potentially hostile territory.

The Strykers left the Baghdad area in separate convoys over a four-day period, traveling at night because the U.S.-Iraq security pact — and security worries — limit troop movements by day.

Along the way, phalanxes of American military Humvees sat at overpasses, soldiers patrolled the highways for roadside bombs, and Apache attack helicopters circled overhead as the Strykers refueled alongside the highway.

The biggest threat was roadside bombs planted by Shiite extremist groups who have a strong foothold in the south, Chief Warrant Officer McKinney said.

But except for camels straying into the road, and breakdowns that required some vehicles to be towed, there were no incidents.

The worst of the ride was conditions inside the Strykers — sitting for hours in a cramped space — and the temperatures outside that reached 50 Celsius (120 Fahrenheit).

The driver's compartment is called the "hellhole" because it sits over the engine and becomes almost unbearably hot. The vehicle commander and gunner can sit up in hatches to see the outside world. At the tail end are hatches for two gunners. Eight passengers — an infantry squad in combat conditions — can squeeze in the back.

Meanwhile, to the north, insurgents kept up a relentless campaign against the country's institutions and security forces, killing five Iraqi government employees in roadside bombings and other attacks Wednesday. Coming a day after a suicide bomber killed 61 army recruits in central Baghdad, the latest violence highlighted the shaky reality left by the departing U.S. combat force and five months of stalemate over forming Iraq's next government.

For Spc. Dill, who reached Kuwait with an earlier convoy, the withdrawal engendered feelings of relief. His mission — to get his squad safely out of Iraq — was accomplished.

"I know that to my brothers in arms who fought and died, this day would probably mean a lot, to finally see us getting out of here," he said.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703649004575438210063921610.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLETopStories

[slim 1,533]

Is anyone taking bets on "official" civil war start date?

[alienlovechild 75]

Is anyone taking bets on "official" civil war start date?

In Iraq or America? I say that because anything about the Iraq War used to generate controversy but now most of the talk is about a single mosque in NYC.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I saw one yahoo in a news video today crowing about how "America had won". Brilliant

[Peikko 1,575]

There are still plenty of American troops in Iraq.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

There are still plenty of American troops in Iraq.

Yep. It just window dressing to make people think things have changed. Business as usual for the forseeable future.

[Peikko 1,575]

I read somewhere, or heard it on Radio 4 maybe? that the Iraquis want the Americans to be around for another 20 years or so. That's how messed up they see their own country.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Yep. The US is never going to leave - they just wanted another beach-head in the MENA

[alienlovechild 75]

Yep. The US is never going to leave - they just wanted another beach-head in the MENA

Why? It sure isn't the oil as any oil imported to the U.S. from Iraq wasn't worth the billions spent and lives lost.

There are plenty of bases regionwide so that's not close to being sensible answer.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Why? It sure isn't the oil as any oil imported to the U.S. from Iraq wasn't worth the billions spent and lives lost.

There are plenty of bases regionwide so that's not close to being sensible answer.

It's "not a sensible answer" because you say so. That old chestnut again

You disagree with me, I can accept that. But you don't offer anything of your own other than offhand dismissal. Great.

There are indeed plenty of bases regionwide. Now there is a +1

[slim 1,533]

There are still plenty of American troops in Iraq.

50,000 support troops is not enough in a country of 31 million people - many of whom hate each other.

Yep. The US is never going to leave - they just wanted another beach-head in the MENA

We'll leave if it gets too hostile or if we don't need to be there anymore, just look at Saudi.

I'm guessing we'll be out of Iraq in a Mogadishu kind of way by next summer.

[luckytxn 2,265]

Bring all troops that are worldwide back home now.

[Peikko 1,575]

Bring all troops that are worldwide back home now.

Particularly the ones engaged in humanitarian projects. Don't want to be spending money on those lousy pakis, they deserve to drown.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Life is simple for people who aren't interested in what goes on outside of their front gate.

[Kevin and 10]

There are still plenty of American troops in Iraq.

Contractors too.