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After nearly six years of war and 4,300 US military deaths, President Obama declared yesterday that combat operations in Iraq will end in 18 months and that most US troops will head home by then - but that the vast majority of the 142,000 troops now on the ground will stay through the end of this year to safeguard Iraq's national elections in December. The president announced that 35,000 to 50,000 troops will stay in the country as late as Dec. 31, 2011, the full withdrawal deadline set by Iraqi leaders and President George W. Bush, and that Obama pledged...

WASHINGTON - After years of bitterly debating whether to set a timetable for troop withdrawals in Iraq, Congress has agreed to one. The general consensus came Friday in the form of statements endorsing President Barack Obama's plan to bring home roughly two-thirds of the U.S. military force in Iraq by August 2010. It was a compromise of sorts for the Democratic president, who campaigned on the promise of bringing every soldier and Marine home from Iraq within 16 months of taking office. His plan paves the way for some 100,000 troops to come home and as many as 50,000 troops...

In 18 months, President Obama plans to give America what it hoped it had six years ago -- its "Mission Accomplished" moment in Iraq.Obama announced Friday his plan to end combat operations in Iraq by the end of August 2010, saying the goal of a "sovereign, stable and self-reliant" Iraq is achievable. Senior officials said the war, effectively, will end before Labor Day next year. But even supporters of the plan warn that any success in Iraq is fragile. And even if the war is over, the job still is far from done. President Bush was accused of prematurely declaring victory in...

Iraq War: President Obama traveled to Camp Lejeune, N.C., on Friday to announce that the U.S. would stay in Iraq at least until 2012 and keep 50,000 troops there even after combat ends. Sound familiar?Obama's withdrawal plan would take U.S. forces in Iraq down from a current 142,000 troops to 35,000 to 50,000. Under the status of forces agreement between the U.S. and Iran, negotiated and signed last year by the Bush administration, all forces must be out of Iraq by the end of 2011. In short, though President Obama will get credit, it was Bush's plan — not Obama's....

Obama told top leaders in Congress on Thursday that he will transition the mission in Iraq to training, advising and engaging in limited counter-terrorist operations.

BAGHDAD, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- The foundation of successful counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan and Iraq includes the ability to get inside the enemy's decision cycle, that is, to act decisively before he does or respond to new enemy tactics with unique and timely countermeasures. Prior to its deployment to Iraq, the 25th Infantry Division, supported by the Center for Army Lessons Learned located at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., launched the Rapid Adaptation Initiative, which is designed to capture critical information and reduce the time needed to disseminate it. It is bottom-up situational awareness shared horizontally across unit boundaries. Individual and team...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. John McCain said Wednesday that security gains in Iraq could be lost if the new administration pulls troops out too quickly, but he didn't dismiss the feasibility of President Barack Obama's 19-month timetable. The administration was finishing details this week on a plan that would withdraw most of the nation's 142,000 troops in Iraq by August 2010. The proposal would leave as many as 50,000 troops behind to advise and train Iraqi security forces and to protect U.S. interests. McCain, who lost the presidency to Obama last year, suggested that the timeline — three months...

Iraqi policemen shot dead four US soldiers and their local interpreter in the main northern city of Mosul on Tuesday, an interior ministry official said. "Four US soldiers and their Iraqi interpreter were killed by two Iraqi policemen who opened fire at them in the Dawasa district of (central) Mosul and then fled," the official told AFP, declining to be named. The incident took place during a US army visit to the Mosul headquarters of the Iraqi police in charge of protecting the city's bridges, police said. The bullet-riddled body of the interpreter was taken to the local mortuary. It...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2009 – With U.S. operations in Iraq shifting from providing security to ensuring Iraqi sovereignty, troops there are stepping up their training of Iraqi forces. Iraqi policeman Lt. Ahmed, center, and members of his special weapons and tactics team look on during training at Convoy Support Center Cedar in Iraq’s Dhi Qar province in December 2008. U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. James Jordan  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. U.S. soldiers in southern Iraq in recent days have trained Iraqi forces in everything from special weapons and tactics to criminal investigations to mortar firing. And,...

MADISON, WI - Wisconsin said goodbye Tuesday to hundreds of part-time soldiers bound for Iraq in the largest deployment of Wisconsin National Guard forces since World War II.About 3,200 or so members of the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team and six other Army National Guard units marched onto the floor of the Veterans Memorial Coliseum for a send-off ceremony, creating a sea of camouflage and buzz cuts. About 5,000 family and friends looked on from the stands, holding signs, whooping and calling out their loved ones' names. Lawmakers from around the state, including Gov. Jim Doyle and U.S. Sens. Herb...

SKANDARIYAH, Iraq — A longtime U.S. forward operating base will soon be handed over to the Iraqis, continuing a transition toward greater Iraqi control across the nation. Forward Operating Base Iskan was once home to more than a battalion-sized element of American soldiers. Within the month, U.S. forces will turn over the base to the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity. Iraqi army soldiers could be stationed at the base as well. "The security program is basically working," said Maj. Mike Swienton, an engineer with the 172nd Infantry Brigade. "We’re reconfiguring our area of operations and putting the Iraqi face forward." Earlier...

Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers, along with an Iraqi Soldier and policeman, ready themselves during a rehearsal in front of division headquarters on Camp Liberty Feb. 8. Photo by Sgt. Whitney Houston. CAMP LIBERTY — Honor guards, comprised of Soldiers chosen for their professionalism and attention to detail, are symbols of history and pride, manifesting the best military’s offer with their pinpoint movements and traditions. Soldiers serving with 1st Cavalry Division and 4th Infantry Division teamed with members of the Iraqi Army and Iraqi National Police to form a premiere honor guard for the Multi-National Division - Baghdad’s transfer of...

Back in the 1930s, my father was working in New Orleans. One of his memories is of seeing cargo ships being loaded with scrap iron with a destination of Japan. He was both angry and upset when he saw that iron coming back at Americans on Dec. 7, 1941. He was even angrier when it was coming at him a couple of years later on an island in the South Pacific. Of course, no one in America advocates trading with the Taliban or the insurgents in Iraq, two entities with which we are now engaged in war. How about trading...

A truckload of Iraqi Policemen head to a local voting station in Baghdad's Adhamiyah district, Jan. 28, 2009, to cast their vote in the country's second election since the fall of Saddam Hussein. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jerry Saslav. CAMP VICTORY — During the 2005 provincial Iraqi elections, voters had their fingers stained with election ink to prevent them from voting twice. Some held their fingers up in pride as they took part in democracy; others hid their faces from cameras, afraid of becoming victims of sectarian violence. This year, ink or not, Iraqi Security Forces will make their...

PLEASE SAY A PRAYER AND FORWARD THIS. The Department of Defense announced today the death of four soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died from wounds suffered when two OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters crashed Jan. 26 in Kirkuk, Iraq. They were assigned to the 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y. Killed were: Chief Warrant Officer Philip E. Windorski, Jr., 35, of Bovey, Minn. Chief Warrant Officer Matthew G. Kelley, 30, of Cameron, Mo. Chief Warrant Officer Joshua M. Tillery, 31, of Beaverton, Ore. Chief Warrant Officer Benjamin H. Todd,...

BAGHDAD, Jan. 28, 2009 – Nearly 500 new Iraqi policewomen graduated from the Baghdad Police College here Jan. 26, marking the largest female class ever to graduate from the school, officials said. Among their first duties, the new graduates will serve front-line roles providing security for the Jan. 31 election. “We feel proud and happy that we are bringing new opportunity to Iraqi women today, and more women will follow us,” a graduate said. Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Bulani congratulated the new graduates for “taking another step toward rebuilding Iraqi security.” “These women are now sharing duties with the policemen...

Iraq votes in key test of nation's stabilityPosted: 29 January 2009 1136 hrs Iraqi soldiers stand outside a polling center in Najaf, Iraq BAGHDAD: Millions of Iraqis vote on Saturday in an election seen as a gauge of how far the war-torn nation has progressed since a US-led invasion ousted Saddam Hussein from power almost six years ago. Iraq has in the past year seen a stark improvement in its security situation, but tens of thousands of police and soldiers will guard the country's first ballot since 2005, testing their ability to keep the peace. The stability of Iraq has...

PLEASE SAY A PRAYER AND FORWARD/PASS THIS ON. DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Pvt. Grant A. Cotting, 19, of Corona, Calif., died Jan. 24 in Kut, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 515th Sapper Company, 5th Engineer Battalion, 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation. For more information the media may contact the Fort Leonard Wood public affairs office at (573) 563-4145.

The U.S. military has officially signed over ownership of Camp Ramadi to the Iraqi government, though American troops are not scheduled to leave the base before 2012. According to the U.S. command in Baghdad, a memorandum of agreement has been drawn up and signed "outlining the areas that will continue to be used by Coalition forces." American and other troops have operated from Camp Ramadi since shortly after the invasion of Iraq in 2003. For several years, Ramadi was among the deadliest battlegrounds for American troops and was the heartland of the Sunni insurgency. Rocket and mortar attacks on the...

Red, white and blue will be waving today in the passenger terminal at Tucson International Airport as members of a local National Guard unit are welcomed home from war. Twenty-eight members of the Arizona Air National Guard's 162nd Fighter Wing are expected to arrive around midday on commercial aircraft, returning from deployments to Balad Air Base in Iraq. The Tucson-based guardsmen, all pilots and aircraft maintainers for the F-16 Fighting Falcon, have been overseas for one to eight months. While away, they assisted members of a Minnesota-based Guard unit in supporting F-16 operations in Iraq.

Maj just got the word, on Shep Smith show, scheduled to be announced tomorrow. All combat brigades to be out in 16 months. Real effect is immediate surrender of purpose. No commander is going to undertake any major mission knowing that, at the very longest, no US offensive military power will be in-country after next Spring, so why waste lives to gain something we soon will give away. Offensive operations will stop. Brigades will go into a useless, purely defensive mode. It's over. Our POTUS surrendered. About 3000 Americans volunteered to pay the ultimate price in Iraq so we could...

Incoming White House senior adviser David Axelrod said this morning that President-elect Barack Obama will fulfill his campaign promise and begin on Wednesday the process of withdrawing America forces from Iraq within 16 months. On Wednesday, Obama will call in his military commanders and ask them to come back with a plan for withdrawal.

It's no longer a close call: President Bush was right about the surge. According to Michael O'Hanlon and Jason Campbell of the Brookings Institution, the number of Iraqi war dead was 500 in November of 2008, compared with 3,475 in November of 2006. That same month, 69 Americans died in Iraq; in November 2008, 12 did. Violence in Anbar province is down more than 90 percent over the past two years, the... --snip-- Younger liberals, by contrast, have had no such chastening experiences. Watching the Bush administration flit from disaster to disaster, they have grown increasingly dismissive of conservatives in...

<p>Gen. David Petraeus, whose strategy for countering the Iraq insurgency is credited by many with rescuing the country from all-out civil war, stepped aside today as Gen. Ray Odierno took over as the top American commander of the conflict.   At a traditional change-of-command ceremony attended by top Iraqi and American military and civilian officials, Petraeus said the Rockaway native's skills and experience make him "the perfect man for the job."   With Defense Secretary Robert Gates presiding at the ceremony in a cavernous rotunda of a former Saddam Hussein palace outside Baghdad, Petraeus handed over the flag of his command, known as Multi-National Force Iraq, to Odierno and then bade farewell.</p>

WASHINGTON — Military commanders are drawing up plans for a faster withdrawal of American troops from Iraq in anticipation that President-elect Barack Obama will reject current proposals as too slow, Pentagon and military officials said Wednesday. The new plans would provide alternatives to a timetable drawn up by the top American commanders for Iraq to bring troops home more slowly than Mr. Obama promised during his presidential campaign. Those plans were described to Mr. Obama last month. The officials said that Mr. Obama had not requested the new plans, but that they were being prepared in response to public statements...

Funeral honors Moorestown surgeon killed in Iraq by The Associated Press A funeral service will be held this morning for a prominent New Jersey surgeon from who was killed in Iraq.The funeral for Army Maj. John P. Pryor is scheduled for 10 a.m. in Philadelphia's Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. Pryor died Christmas Day when a mortar round hit near his living quarters in Iraq. John Pryor, center, at work at the University of Pennsylvania trauma center in Philadelphia in 2007. The 42-year-old married father of three was a trauma surgeon at the Hospital of the University of...

Watch him squirm. I almost want to like David Gregory. Almost.

BAGHDAD Maybe it was the only shot heard for days in a neighborhood once ordered by the cadence of gunfire. Perhaps it was the smiles at checkpoints and the shouts of Iraqi policemen navigating the always snarled traffic. "God's mercy on your parents," they beseeched. "God's blessings on you." Maybe it was the music box still playing "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" at a kiosk overflowing with Christmas tree decorations and heart-shaped red pillows. For anyone returning to Baghdad after spending time here during its darkest days two years ago, when it was paralyzed by sectarian hatred and overrun...

How We Decisively WON in Iraq in 2008 One of the boldest predictions ever made on The Futurist was back in May 2006, when I made a detailed case for why victory in Iraq would arrive precisely in 2008, not sooner or later. There was also a half-time update in September 2007 to the initial May 2006 prediction over here. This was an unusually bold prediction to make, given the state of Iraq in May 2006, which was before the Surge was even discussed. So now, in 2008, I am happy to declare that the United States has WON in...

In a year of housing foreclosures, bank and automaker meltdowns, bailouts and layoffs, we can almost forget that we still have heroes amongst us -men who make us want to stand at attention and salute. The leader of American troops in Iraq from Jan. 2007 to Sept. 2008 implemented a counterinsurgency strategy that significantly reduced the levels of violence in a nation on the verge of civil war. To the surprise of many, America - with Iraqi and some international help - suddenly began winning the war in Iraq. Bring out the champagne and raise a toast to the man...

         See also: Iraq and Its Lessons, Part 1What went wrong in Iraq?  Why?  Who was to blame?  Still comfortably ensconced in my armchair on Monday morning, after telling you what happened and what went right, we now get to what went wrong. There is no way that seven years, 3,393 Coalition fatalities and 95,000 Iraqi civilian fatalities can be considered "good."  But again, the proper measure is not a comparison to zero casualties, but to the best that could have been achieved with any feasible alternative. By what went "wrong", I mean when viewed with 20-20 hindsight.  It is...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The Iraqi Presidency Council approved a resolution Sunday that will allow non-U.S. foreign troops to remain in Iraq after a U.N. mandate expires at year's end.

John P. Pryor, 42, of Moorestown, the dedicated leader of the University of Pennsylvania's trauma team and a decorated major in the Army Reserve who wrote eloquently about the painful parallels between battlefield deaths and urban homicides, was killed on Christmas by enemy fire in Iraq while serving as a combat surgeon. Dr. Pryor deployed Dec. 6 and was with a risky frontline surgical unit when he was killed by shrapnel from a mortar round. It was his second tour of duty in Iraq. Dr. Pryor, who was experienced and cool under pressure, was born in Mount Vernon, N.Y., and...

Servicemembers walk alongside their float during the inaugural Joint Base Balad holiday parade, Dec. 25, 2008. Photo by Airman 1st Class Jason Epley, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing. JOINT BASE BALAD — The sight may have been out of the ordinary, but for some strange reason, seeing reindeer, sleighs and Santa Claus detained by U.S. Navy Customs agents did not surprise service members here Christmas Day. This odd scene took place along the route of the inaugural Joint Base Balad Holiday Parade, sponsored by the U.S. Army’s 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), and displayed the sense of tradition U.S. servicemembers try to...

BAGHDAD -- Iraq's fractious parliament squeezed its abrasive speaker out of a job Tuesday and authorized non-U.S. foreign troops to stay in the country for another half-year, a pair of high-stakes moves in its final session of 2008.The resignation of Sunni speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani capped a long-running power struggle with Shiite and Kurdish lawmakers and even members of his own party. Lawmakers applauded his announcement, quickly approved it, then passed a measure allowing Britain's 4,000 troops and several smaller contingents from other countries to stay through July. "I do believe that I was faithful to doing good work," al-Mashhadani said...

BAGHDAD — In September 2008, the President of the United States announced an American military drawdown in Iraq. The drawdown is a return on success, which follows the departure of the five “surge” brigades, the Marine Expeditionary Unit, two Marine Corps battalions, and a majority of the Coalition nations. These reductions have been made possible because security conditions on the ground improved dramatically, the Iraqi Securtiy Forces grew in capacity and capability, and the partnership between the Government of Iraq and the Coalition continues to improve. With the passing and ratification of the Strategic Framework Agreement and the Security Agreement,...

Former Sons of Iraq members now serving as an Iraqi policemen in Suleikh speak about the improvements of being an IP versus an SoI while on a break at Joint Security Station Suleikh in northeastern Baghdad, Dec. 21. Photo by Sgt. Zachary Mott. SULEIKH — Fifty former members of the Sons of Iraq program are now protecting the streets of Suleikh wearing the bright blue uniform of Iraqi Police officers. The men, along with more than 400 other former members of the much publicized SoI program from Baghdad’s Adhamiyah District, are now Iraqi policemen charged with protecting the streets and...

DIWANIYA — Coalition forces conducted status checks on highway checkpoints controlled by the Sons of Iraq during a patrol Dec. 15. Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, conducted the patrol and found citizens working diligently to maintain the safety of their city. “I have mid-day duty. I watch the highways and search the areas (around my checkpoint). Sometimes, (the Iraqi Police) call on me to help search cars,” said Calvin, a member of the SoI. The SoI program works with the Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army to make the provinces safe for their citizens. The combined...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 23, 2008 – The holiday decorations are ever-present at the 926th Engineer Brigade headquarters at Camp Liberty, Iraq. Competitions are under way to determine who can fashion the most festive door, and holiday parties – without liquor, of course – remind everyone that the days are counting down to Christmas. The lineup for Dec. 25 includes an all-hands “Saper call,” a “basketball brawl” similar to the one the brigade sponsored at Thanksgiving, and football games playing back to back on the dining facility TVs. But Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Talley, the brigade commander, said the festivities can’t overshadow...

BAGHDAD -- President George W. Bush on Sunday made a farewell visit to Iraq, a place that defines his presidency, just 37 days before he hands the war off to a successor who has pledged to end it

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has told US troops in Iraq that their mission there is in its "endgame".

Ukrainian Soldiers roll their national flag prior to casing it during an End of Mission ceremony at Camp Echo, Dec. 9, 2008. Photo by Sgt. Rodney Foliente, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs. CAMP ECHO — An End of Mission ceremony was held here for the Ukrainian Army, Dec. 9. More than 5,000 Ukrainian servicemembers served in Iraq during Ukraine’s five years of service in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.“Enduring peace, stability and prosperity are common values to fight for in the modern world. Your mission in Iraq has been successfully completed,� said Viktor Nedopas, Charge d’Affairs of the Ukrainian Embassy...

I spent the last two weeks of last month as an embedded reporter with the United States Army in Baghdad and was disappointed to see that, despite the overwhelming success of the surge, Iraq is as rundown and dysfunctional as ever. Yes, the country is less violent now than at any time since the U.S. invaded in 2003, but Iraq is still Iraq. Many Americans and Iraqis I spoke to feel a sense of dread and foreboding about what will happen when American forces soon begin to withdraw. Without the presence of American soldiers as peacekeepers, Gen. David Petraeus' brilliant...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6, 2008 – The war in Iraq isn’t over, but a successful end is in sight, thanks to hard work between the United States and Iraq, President George W. Bush said in his weekly radio address today. “Earlier this week, Iraq's Presidency Council approved two landmark agreements that will solidify Iraq's democratic gains, affirm its sovereignty, and put its relations with the United States on a strong and steady footing,” he said. “The first agreement that America and Iraq have signed is called a strategic framework agreement.” This pact sets out a common vision for U.S.-Iraqi relations...

TAJI — The Czech contingent, Senior Iraqi and Coalition partners gathered at the Iraqi Army Armor School here Dec. 4 to mark the Czech Republic end-of-mission and to recognize the Czechs for their work training and advising the Iraqi Army. Czech Republic Army Maj. Frantisek Grmela commanded 14 Soldiers who served as trainers and advisors to the IraqiArmy Armor School at Taji for the past six months. Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq TAJI — The Czech contingent, Senior Iraqi and Coalition partners gathered at the Iraqi Army Armor School here Dec. 4 to mark the Czech Republic end-of-mission and...

Have you noticed lately that mainstream media are giving less attention to the war in Iraq, especially concerning our troops progress? CNSNews recently reported that, "There were only two front page New York Times stories that mentioned "Iraq" in the headline in October 2008 – there were 11 in October 2006 and 17 in October 2004. … The Washington Post ran four front-page stories that had headlines using the word "Iraq" in October 2008 – in October 2006 there were 17 stories, and 27 stories in October 2004." (Was it coincidental timing that, when George Bush was up for re-election...

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - President George W. Bush on Thursday hailed the Iraqi Parliament's approval of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). The agreement, which is expected to be ratified by Iraq's presidential council, will require U.S. combat troops to leave in 2009 and all American troops by the end of 2011. "Today's vote affirms the growth of Iraq's democracy and increasing ability to secure itself. We look forward to a swift approval by Iraq's Presidency Council," Bush said in a statement. "Two years ago, this day seemed unlikely - but the success of the surge and the courage of...

VILSECK, Germany — Remember. It was a word repeated each time a photograph of a fallen 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment soldier flashed on the screen at a packed Memorial Fitness Center at Vilseck on Tuesday morning. Twenty-five of the more than 3,500 Dragoons who deployed to Iraq from Vilseck in August 2007 were killed in action during the deployment along with four soldiers from other units assigned to the regiment in Iraq. Positive recollections of the fallen accompanied their portraits. "Mentally tough and never backed down … faithful to his brothers to the end … the rock others depended on...

Once it was impossible to keep track of all the bloodshed. Now it's impossible to keep track of all the progress. General Petraeus once told me during the height of the fighting, that South Baghdad was the canary in the mineshaft. In his exact words regarding what Lieutenant Colonel Pat Frank had to deal with in one of the toughest places in Iraq, "It will be the canary in the mineshaft; if they can pull it off, this will be doable.” It is critical to point out that General Petraeus told me this in 2007 — just at the crest...

BAGHDAD THE Iraq War is over. Flames still burst from various sources and wild cards remain, such as the potential that Muqtada al-Sadr might stomp his feet and encourage his diminished militias to attack us. Yet support for Sadr among Shia is hardly monolithic. In fact, many Shia view him as a simpleton whose influence derives strictly from respect for his father. Others cite the threat from Iran, but the Iranian participation in the fighting here remains overstated. Nobody knows what the future will bring, but the civil war has completely ended. The Iraqi army and police grow stronger by...