Combat Mission in Iraq to end this Month

Atlanta, GA (Aug 2) – With violence on the surge in most of Iraq, President Obama stands committed to his promise of reducing the United States military role from combat to support by the end of August.

Addressing the National Convention of Disable Veterans today in Atlanta President Obama renewed his pledge stating, “As a candidate for President, I pledged to bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end,” adding “Shortly after taking office, I announced our new strategy for Iraq and for a transition to full Iraqi responsibility.  And I made it clear that by August 31st, 2010, America’s combat mission in Iraq would end.”

By current figures millions of pieces of equipment have been transferred from Iraq, portions sent to Afghanistan some, returned home and other facilities for refurbishing prior to being placed back into service if possible.

The President stated, “Already, we have closed or turned over to Iraq hundreds of bases,” along with sending more than 90,000 troops home. The President received a large round of applause following most of his remarks regarding implementation of his strategy in Iraq.

Under agreement with the Iraqi government, the United States plans on leaving a transitional force until the end of next year during that period, the mission will focus on supporting, training Iraqi forces, and counterterrorism teams. The mission will include, protecting civilian and military efforts all of which, are extremely dangerous tasks.

In a statement regarding providing support for troops, numbering more than 1 million, Obama stated, “Remember, our nation has had vigorous debates about the Iraq War.  There are patriots who supported going to war, and patriots who opposed it.  But there has never been any daylight between us when it comes to supporting the more than one million Americans in uniform who have served in Iraq — far more than any conflict since Vietnam.”

Referencing action in Afghanistan, and the buildup of troops in the region, President Obama made one thing clear, “Even as we end the war in Iraq, even as we welcome home so many of our troops, others are still deployed in Afghanistan.  So I want to remind everyone, it was Afghanistan where al Qaeda plotted and trained to murder 3,000 innocent people on 9/11.  It is Afghanistan and the tribal regions of Pakistan where terrorists have launched other attacks against us and our allies.  And if Afghanistan were to be engulfed by an even wider insurgency, al Qaeda and its terrorist affiliates would have even more space to plan their next attack.  And as President of the United States, I refuse to let that happen.”

Overall, the President received a very welcome reception and thanked the men and women of the Armed forces that have given so much for their country. The President closed with, “The faith, that fundamental American faith, that there are always brighter days ahead; and that we not will not simply endure, but we will emerge from our tests and trials and tribulations stronger than before — that is your story.  That is America’s story.  And I’m proud to stand with you as we write the next proud chapter in the life of the country we love.”

President Obama’s scheduled visit in Atlanta did not end meeting with veterans, the President traveled on to the Hyatt, to attend a DNC finance event meeting with several members of the nations Democratic leadership.

R. Grone – WorldNewsVine

Posted by worldnews on August 2, 2010. Filed under DNC,DNC - On The Trail,News,terrorism,White House Press Releases,WorldNewsVine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.