U.S. Troop Withdrawal: Dream or Nightmare for Iraq?

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS
by Rebecca Freitag

Tuesday marks the day that U.S. combat troops have been ordered to withdraw from most Iraqi cities, villages, and towns, leaving the Iraqi military virtually on their own.

Well, not quite.

Right now, there are about 131,000 troops in Iraq, including 12 combat brigades. After the troops leave Tuesday, the number gets reduced all the way down to -- about 128,000, until January when the national election takes place.

The support troops that remain will continue to advise and assist Iraqi soldiers, and provide intelligence and much needed air support. Their presence will be more low-profile as they gradually transfer power to the Iraqi military, but is the Iraqi military ready for such responsibility?

The Status of Forces Agreement that was signed under the Bush Administration addresses the framework of how the military would operate while occupying Iraq, including what they do and when they leave. The agreement originally stated that U.S. combat troops would leave once an Iraqi government was formed. However after Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki was elected in 2006, it was regularly renewed, even after an Iraqi constitution was made. The final agreement was that most "combat troops" will be out by June 30, with another major withdrawal in August 2010, and a complete withdrawal by the end of 2011.

While the Iraqi military most definitely cannot handle the country by themselves, the U.S. needs to leave sooner than 2011. They have not proven that they want our help. Iraq, its government, its military, and its citizens have been using the U.S. military as a crutch for too long. President Obama has even said that Iraq needs to take responsibility for its country. But if they take responsibility, will it be enough?

Overall, violence has significantly decreased since 2006-2007 when it was at its highest since the U.S. invasion, and more than 150, or about 85 percent, American bases and outposts have closed in Iraqi cities this year.

The Iraqi government declared June 30 a national holiday last week, and Prime Minister Maliki said that the withdrawal of U.S. forces is a victory that should be celebrated in feasts and festivals.

In recent weeks, as some U.S. troops have left, the number of attacks rose. Bombings in Kirkuk and Sadr City have left more than 200 people dead. U.S. and Iraqi military and government officials warned of a rise in attacks around the time of the withdrawal, but if the withdrawals continue, and the increase in violence continues, will the U.S. send troops back to Iraq? What happens if Iraq returns back to the numbers in 2003 when violence was at its worst? Will they extend or shorten the deadline? What's next for Iraq?

The Iraqi political situation is at a standstill. If the government did something to fix the problems they're going through instead of letting the U.S. do it for them, we wouldn't have to be there anymore. If the U.S. cares more about Iraq than Iraq does, the whole situation shouldn't be an American problem anymore, and we should leave.

Maliki is calling for celebration, but he should be calling for help.

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS