Last U.S. Troops Cross Iraqi Border 7 am December 18th 2011

Just after 7 am on December 18, 2011, the last U.S. troops crossed the Iraq/Kuwait border, marking and end to the war in Iraq, almost nine years after invasion.  The war cost $1 Trillion and over 4500 U.S. troops lost their life.  32,000 were wounded in action and many more carry the mental scars of the war.

The last convoy comprised of 110 vehicles and 500 troops from Fort Hood, Texas crossed as the sun was rising in Iraq.

While most of the soldiers that crossed the border out of Iraq early this morning were still in school, many of us will remember the 24 hour live cable coverage of U.S. leaving Kuwait and racing across the desert toward Baghdad.  While the military mission was quickly accomplished, winning the peace, i.e. establishing infrastructure,  rule of law and a semblance of peaceful co-existence was not planned well.   Saddam Hussein was captured, tried by Iraqis and subsequently executed.

The war took its toll on Americans, U.S. soldiers and their families.   Some would point at a war that was started under false pretenses, while others believe it was the intelligence that was faulty.  President Obama, during his speech at Fort Bragg, NC earlier this week, spoke of a dictator that has been replaced and a free independent Iraq that will determine its own destiny.  How all of that comes out in the wash remains to be seen.

The U.S. military, along with the coalition of the willing did a remarkable job and the surge most certainly turned things around.   Violence has decreased in Iraq and how all of that plays out in the future remains to be seen.  There is still a hotbed of anti-government forces in Fallujah.  Fallujah was the scent of protest this week celebrating the departure of American troops, burning American flags. 

President Obama is taking credit for ending the war, touting that it fulfills one of his campaign promises.   Before you listen to  all the rhetoric of  President Obama ending the War… President George W. Bush  signed an agreement in November 17 2008 that all US Forces were to withdraw from Iraq by 31 December 2011.  Status of Forces Agreement.

President Obama called Iraq "The Dumb War", but when questioned during a joint press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Malaki, he said that history would be the judge.   While it is great to have the troops home by Christmas with  their families, there is some concern that in view of the situation with Iran the withdrawal of all troops may be premature.   Military commanders had recommended that 20,000 to 40,000 troops remain in Iraq to protect U.S. interests.

The quiet exit of the last U.S. forces highlighted the danger and uncertainty that remains in Iraq, even as violence throughout the country has fallen to its lowest level since the 2003 invasion.
The last of the troops left Contingency Operating Base Adder about 2:30 a.m. Kuwait time for the 218-mile trek through the empty, dark desert to the border. In contrast to the U.S. invasion in 2003, the final American convoy, made up of soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, drew little notice from Iraqis. The road from the U.S. base to the border was almost entirely deserted, which was the way the U.S. military wanted it.  Washington Post

Many Middle East experts believe that Iran will make an attempt to assert its influence in Iraq.  Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia, have similar concerns.  The Pentagon has shrugged this off by pointing to the fact that enough troops are in the region to deal with any contingency.

As U.S. troops leave the region, it is too early to tell how the military and political dynamics will affect the region.  General Martin E. Dempsey says the U.S. focus on the Middle East and its partner countries there is unwavering.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey is traveling with a USO holiday tour and taking time to meet with his counterparts and officials in several countries, including Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Right now I think there are concerns, maybe some that would rise to a level of skepticism about the future [in the region]," he told reporters who are traveling with him.
"But I think that's why our presence here is so important," the chairman said, "to help ease those concerns and reduce that skepticism."
Dempsey added, "We've got to make sure we maintain our vigilance, our deterrence and our engagement in the Middle East."
The focus for the Defense Department in 21 countries that make up the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility include Afghanistan, Iran and its nuclear aspirations, and regional instability associated with the Arab Spring, the revolutionary wave of protests and violence that erupted Dec. 18, 2010.  War on  Terror News

.As historians take up the mantle of judging the war in Iraq, over 4500 troops have been killed, 32,000 wounded in action and many more scarred for life.   Let's hope that the blood shed by soldiers was not in vane.  Yes the dictator is gone and Iraq is free, but where will be the twists and turns that have not been anticipated?

Pakistan and Iraq Headline Today's News with More than 40 Killed

As Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, battle in stores during Black Friday and U.S. troops are completing their withdrawal from Iraq, there is disturbing news of more killings in both Iraq and Pakistan.  At least 15 people have been killed and more than 20 have been wounded in a Saturday bombings in the Abu Ghraib area of Iraq.  Pakistan has accused NATO of a helicopter attack on two Army check points in the north west, killing at least 25 soldiers.

BAGHDAD (AFP)

Bomb attacks in central Iraq killed at least 15 people and wounded more than 20 on Saturday, security officials and a doctor said.

The latest bombings came two days after triple blasts killed 19 people in the southern port city of Basra.
In the first attack, bombs on each side of the main road from Abu Ghraib, west of Baghdad, to Fallujah hit a truck carrying construction workers, First Lieutenant Omar Zawbai of the Abu Ghraib police told AFP.
Dr Omar Delli of Fallujah Hospital said "the hospital received seven bodies and seven wounded," two of whom later died.
An interior ministry official put the casualty toll at eight dead and 13 wounded from the Abu Ghraib attack.  AFP

The attacks come amidst the withdrawal of American troops.  Approximately 18,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq, mostly responsible for packing and moving American equipment back to the U.S. or relocating it to Afghanistan.  All troops are expected to be withdrawn by the end of the year.

The recent escalated violence in Iraq calls into question the capability of the Iraqi government to maintain control after U.S. troops have departed.  Brigadier General Bradley A. Becker, who is responsible for oversight, support and sustainment for U.S. forces participating in Operation New Dawn, believes that Iraqi Security Forces are capable to face the challenge after U.S. troops leave.  The proof will be in the pudding.  


Although Iraq, unlike Afghanistan, had a trained military prior to the U.S. invasion, there appears to be a lot of discontent and disagreement among the various ethnic factions.  The challenge for Iraq will be to unify the various factions and to keep Iran out of its business.  With the international community putting pressure on Iran, it will most likely try to assert its influence on Iraq.  The political situation is also unclear in neigbouring Syria.   The whole region is a delicate balancing act.  


Pakistan is another region of major concern.  Again, on Saturday, a NATO helicopter allegedly pushed across the border.  This time it allegedly attacked Pakistani Army Checkpoint.  Sadly this will not improve relations with the Pakistani government.  
 

Pakistan on Saturday accused NATO helicopters of firing on two army checkpoints in the northwest and killing 25 soldiers, then retaliated by closing a key border crossing used by the coalition to supply its troops in neighboring Afghanistan.
The incident Friday night was a major blow to already strained relations between Islamabad and U.S.-led forces fighting in Afghanistan. It will add to perceptions in Pakistan that the American presence in the region is malevolent, and to resentment toward the weak government in Islamabad for co-operating with Washington.
It comes a little over a year after a similar but less deadly incident, in which U.S. helicopters accidentally killed two Pakistani soldiers near the Afghan border, whom the pilots mistook for insurgents. Pakistan responded by closing the Torkham border crossing to NATO supplies — as it did Saturday — for 10 days until the U.S. apologized. Washington Post

 Pakistan is the key to success in Afghanistan, but these incidents do not help the situation.  The Pakistani military blamed NATO for attacking the Mohmand tribal area and said that NATO "carried out unprovoked and indiscriminate firing."

NATO said that it was aware of the reports and that it would comment after more information on the incident had been gathered.  It said that air support had been called for the region and that it is highly likely that NATO is responsible for the killings.

#Nato spokesman tells BBC its forces are "highly likely" to be behind attack which killed 24 #Pakistan soldiers bbc.in/dxJUR3

The situation in the complete region is still very volatile.  Bombings continue in Iraq and NATO continues to attack across the Afghan/Pakistani border.  These recent incidents give food for thought.  Is the withdrawal from Iraq and the draw down in Afghanistan political expediency or based on the conditions on the ground?