US Troops To Remain Active In Iraq After Pullback

U.S. Army Cpl. David Tyrpin signals a Stryker vehicle while patrolling the Diyala River Valley in Iraq, Dec. 27, 2008. The soldiers are assigned to the 25th Infantry Division's 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team. U.S. and Iraq soldiers are working together to try to disrupt al Qaeda networks in the area. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Bobby L. Allen Jr.

From Yahoo News/AP:

BAGHDAD – American forces will still conduct joint combat operations even after they pull back to bases outside Baghdad and other cities as part of the U.S.-Iraqi security agreement, a spokesman said Sunday.

Brig. Gen. Frederick Rudesheim, a deputy commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad, said the redeployment to the periphery will actually help improve security in the capital because U.S. troops can help stop militants from using bases in rural areas to stage urban attacks.

"I want to leave it very clear that there's no cessation of combat operations," Rudesheim said at a news conference in Baghdad's heavily guarded Green Zone.

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My Comment: This is the military's way of saying that all is still not safe in Iraq, and that the U.S. Army will still be in the background to be called in to assist the Iraqi Army during combat operations.

While this is not a surprise, what is worrisome is that last weeks bombings in Baghdad and the poor security situation in Mosul clearly show that the Iraqi military is not yet up to the job. That American withdrawal from the war theater is probably a year or two too soon.

The summer and fall of 2009 is going to be crucial for Iraq .... the intensity of the war will determine to what extent the Iraqi government will be able to consolidate and pacify the more violent sections of their country. In turn, American involvement will be directly tied into this level of success and/or failure.