10,000 U.S. Soldiers To Remain In Iraq?

BAGHDAD ARRIVAL - U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick, center, and U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Anthony J. Rock, right, welcome U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to Baghdad International Airport, April 21, 2011. Mullen is visiting the Central Command area of operations. elmick is deputy commanding general for Operations, U.S. Forces Iraq, and Rock is director, Iraq Training and Advisory Mission - Air Force, U.S. Forcs Iraq. DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

Iraq Troop Talks Falter -- Wall Street Journal

Allies Want U.S. to Stay Past Withdrawal Date but Baghdad Fears Unrest.

WASHINGTON—Senior U.S. and Iraqi military officials have been in negotiations about keeping some 10,000 American troops in Iraq beyond the scheduled withdrawal of all U.S. forces at year's end, according to officials familiar with the talks.

But the discussions face political obstacles in both countries, and have faltered in recent weeks because of Iraqi worries that a continued U.S. military presence could fuel sectarian tension and lead to protests similar to those sweeping other Arab countries, U.S. officials say.

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More News On Some U.S. Soldiers Remaining In Iraq

Mullen Says U.S. Must Get Iraq Transition Right -- U.S. Department of Defense
US mulls 'keeping 10,000 troops in Iraq' -- AFP
Maliki rules out extension of U.S. troops' presence after 2011 -- Xinhuanet
Iraq PM tells Mullen Iraqi troops can take over -- AP
Maliki says troops ready in talks with US's Mullen -- AFP
US seeking to keep 10,000 troops in Iraq beyond 2011: Report -- DNA

My Comment: From a military standpoint, keeping 10,000 soldiers (if not more) makes sense since the security situation in Iraq is still unstable. But from a political standpoint (both from Baghdad and Washington), such an extended stay is regarded as political suicide and a recipe for even more violence.

My prediction .... U.S. soldiers will leave, but no one is going to talk about a few thousand that will stay behind to "train" the Iraqi military.

As U.S. Troops Leave, Americans Left In Iraq Are Predicting A Dangerous Environment

Perils Await Americans As Military Pulls Out Of Iraq -- Washington Times

Sadrist militants say, ‘We don’t need diplomats’.

Make no mistake, Mazin al-Nazeni hates Americans. Soldiers, diplomats, oilmen - the militant leader in Basra, Iraq’s second-largest city, considers all of them to be Enemy No. 1.

But U.S. diplomats in the southern port city say they’re here to stay - even if it’s at their peril.

It’s a quandary for the Obama administration as the U.S. tries to move from invading power to normal diplomatic partner. But with the last U.S. troops obligated to be gone by year’s end, the protection of American diplomats will fall almost entirely to private contractors and Iraqi security forces.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has raised fears that diplomats in Iraq won’t be safe, and the dour pronouncements coming from Mr. al-Nazeni and others in his hard-line Sadrist movement are not encouraging.

Read more ....

My Comment: It will not only be dangerous for Americans, but almost for all other foreign nationals. Hence .... do not be surprised when you start reading more posts like this one.

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.