U.S. ending combat operations in Iraq!

[pilotsimone]

After 7.5 years, the last convoy of fighting forces is leaving the country...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38744453/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/

I don't know how to embed the video for this, but here is Rachel Maddow reporting from Iraq:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/#38762176

[wynderer]

i think this is only 'active duty' troops they are bringing home or shipping elsewhere -- we [the USA] built a HUGE base in Iraq, & i doubt that it will be emptied -- there's always all our foreign mercs, too, to fill in when bringing USA citizen troops home is deemed a good political or economic move [Edit: Oops! i think this was a News & Update thread, & not open for discussion --mods, please delete this if so]

[frank samuel]

Blackwater and other mercenaries agencies have lucrative contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan. After all they are guarding the interest of the investment companies there. Will the US leave Iraq and Afghanistan ? I wish they did but realistically there's a lot of money to be made there. Surprisingly most of these security companies are back by the CIA in insurgency operations for which the military does not have a need to know.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10429981

[Decibellistics]

At least it's a step

[Decibellistics]

And my idealism sets in....think about how beautiful of a moment in theory this could be.....If the mass Iraqi public was genuinely fed up with all of the bull****......and the ideological hooks were not set so tight.....this could be a chance for them to work collaboratively to rebuild a beautiful place......the hanging gardens could return........I certainly am sending my hope towards the people there. Maybe this is why I felt such an intensity today. Anyways, thanks for the post....I was shocked...been working all evening

[sjkted]

Blackwater and other mercenaries agencies have lucrative contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan. After all they are guarding the interest of the investment companies there. Will the US leave Iraq and Afghanistan ? I wish they did but realistically there's a lot of money to be made there. Surprisingly most of these security companies are back by the CIA in insurgency operations for which the military does not have a need to know.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10429981

Yep. I think they're switching this from a public war to a war with private contractors. I doubt we're leaving, we just won't have any good ol' American boys dying over there. Instead, we will have mercenaries and less visible contractors replacing them from South America who will not make the daily news.

Since we got into this mess, I've always followed Raed's blog. You may remember him as the infamous Iraqi blogger who was anonymous and always posting the best news several weeks ahead of the propaganda MSM during the initial invasion. He has since moved to San Fransisco, but he keeps blogging on all of these topics and IMO is the best public source we have for the real deal. His blog is at http://raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com/

--sjkted

[Luke]

they are still leaving 50 thousand (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11020270) troops "to advise and train Iraqi security forces and to protect U.S. interests" but not performing "active military/combat duty".
Still nice reduction from 142 000 "military presence".
Number of troops as private contactors , police advisors etc. is not known.

[jeannacav]

I live close to the place where all those going too iraq are trained.
The local boom-booms have been sort of quieter lately.

But,
one or 2 days ago, there was a bomb shock that was so big that it nearly threw my printer off its stand. (to give an idea, the printer doesn't move much at all when it is printing)
I do always hope they will stop really soon, but I am not getting much indication here.

sorry to say,

jeanna

[Strat]

I live close to the place where all those going too iraq are trained.
The local boom-booms have been sort of quieter lately.

But,
one or 2 days ago, there was a bomb shock that was so big that it nearly threw my printer off its stand. (to give an idea, the printer doesn't move much at all when it is printing)
I do always hope they will stop really soon, but I am not getting much indication here.

sorry to say,

jeanna

There are different bases for troops depending on what position they're assigned to, also depending on the military branch. That's amazing you can feel the explosions though, I'd never imagine.

[jaybee]

2pIqxuygWwM


WAR...what is it good for??? Absolutely NOTHING. Say it AGAIN....



http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy78/beeejay/nexus%20avebury/crop%20circles%20August%2009/helicopter%20anomaly/bits%20and%20bobs/1_146933_1_6_jpg.jpg


http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy78/beeejay/nexus%20avebury/crop%20circles%20August%2009/helicopter%20anomaly/bits%20and%20bobs/gb65a69_jpg.jpg


http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy78/beeejay/nexus%20avebury/crop%20circles%20August%2009/helicopter%20anomaly/bits%20and%20bobs/injurediamericansoldier4_jpg.jpg


http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy78/beeejay/nexus%20avebury/crop%20circles%20August%2009/helicopter%20anomaly/bits%20and%20bobs/injurediraqicivilian8_jpg.jpg


http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy78/beeejay/nexus%20avebury/crop%20circles%20August%2009/helicopter%20anomaly/bits%20and%20bobs/030417_postwar_05_jpg.jpg


http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy78/beeejay/nexus%20avebury/crop%20circles%20August%2009/helicopter%20anomaly/bits%20and%20bobs/untitled11.jpg


http://www.chris-floyd.com/war/

[wynderer]

Right on, Jaybee! war is good for the NWO, tho -- kills off the alpha males [& females, now] among the poor when enlisting is the only way to make money other than staying home & selling drugs; helps w/population reduction; gives the Reptilians lots of fear & agony to feed on; takes the natural idealism of the young & subverts it into killing for God & country; creates chaos in countries making it easy for satanic pedophiles to find prey; & is perfect for the divide & conquer strategy

[jaybee]

Right on, Jaybee! war is good for the NWO, tho -- kills off the alpha males [& females, now] among the poor when enlisting is the only way to make money other than staying home & selling drugs; helps w/population reduction; gives the Reptilians lots of fear & agony to feed on; takes the natural idealism of the young & subverts it into killing for God & country; creates chaos in countries making it easy for satanic pedophiles to find prey; & is perfect for the divide & conquer strategy


I hear you.......but...


NEGATIVITY is not good for anyone or anything.... even those who mistakenly think they
can benifit from it....there is a price to pay....

say it again



2pIqxuygWwM

[sjkted]

Here's what Raed has to say on the supposed US troops leaving Iraq in 2010:

llO89yVqrHM

[Operator]

i think this is only 'active duty' troops they are bringing home or shipping elsewhere

You may have corrected your sentence right ... I can't help thinking about the possibility that they're not going home at all.
It is a known fact that the USA can't start another war because troops are too scattered around. Now they are conveniently/silently
repositioned in the area. Should closely monitor developments ...

[Lost Soul]

Perhaps the "combat mission" is over or better, that the units have been ordered to stand down. Guess what? Units still based in Iraq will be doing the same thing only this time they won't be eligible for earning the Combat Infantry Badge for their firefights.

[Fredkc]

So...
"Mission Accomplished!" (yes, again.) (Yes, same mission)

Strike anyone else as odd that, when it was a general's turn to agree, from Baghdad, he did so in a bunker, surrounded by 10 feet of sandbags?

I wonder just how "accomplished" it would be if the Iraqi government said, "Fine. So take your army, your spooks, your mercenaries, and the camps you are operating in Northern Iraq, conducting operations inside Iran, and go home."

Same lies, different President.
Fred