Is The U.S. Military Leaving Iraq At The End Of This Year?

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates talks with soldiers during a visit to Camp Victory, Iraq, April 7, 2011. Gates took questions and held an open discussion on issues facing deployed soldiers. The soldiers are assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Advise and Assist Brigade. DOD photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jerry Morrison

Military to Iraq: Are You Really Gonna Kick Us Out? -- The Danger Room

There are fewer than nine months left in the U.S. military’s long war in Iraq. By the end of the year, the remaining 47,000 U.S. troops will finish packing up their gear and leaving. It’s safe to say their leaders are feeling a certain separation anxiety.

Most notably, Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited Iraq last week and loudly warned that its fractious political leadership was running out of time to request the U.S. to stay. If that construction seems odd — and reminiscent of a jilted lover — it’s out of diplomatic necessity and bureaucratic reality. The U.S. and Iraq signed an accord in 2008 mandating a full military withdrawal. To halt that withdrawal requires a cumbersome renegotiation, and the host nation has to initiate it. Clock’s ticking.

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More News On The U.S. Military Withdrawal From Iraq

Senior US military official in Iraq advocates keeping some troops longer -- Christian Science Monitor
Army Chief Dempsey Willing to Keep U.S. Troops in Iraq Past 2011 -- Bloomberg
US army may not help in future Iraq crises: official -- AFP
No region safe in Iraq, U.S. warns -- UPI
U.S. has second thoughts on Iraq -- Times Union/AP

My Comment: The prudent thing is to keep some U.S. troops in Iraq (in the desert) for an indeterminate time. But politics .... both in the U.S. and in Iraqi .... will result with most (if not all) U.S. troops out by the end of this year.