Amelia
Rookie
- Banned
- #121
I think many are missing the point as to why U.S. troops are leaving Iraq by December 31, 2011:
Obama announces U.S. troops leaving Iraq by year's end
The Associated Press
Date: Fri. Oct. 21 2011
In recent months, Washington had been discussing with Iraqi leaders the possibility of several thousand American troops remaining to continue training Iraqi security forces.
Throughout the discussions, Iraqi leaders refused to give U.S. troops immunity from prosecution in Iraqi courts, and the Americans refused to stay without that guarantee.
Moreover, Iraq's leadership has been split on whether it wanted American forces to stay.
When the 2008 agreement requiring all U.S. forces to leave Iraq was passed, many U.S. officials assumed it would inevitably be renegotiated so that Americans could stay longer.
The U.S. said repeatedly this year it would entertain an offer from the Iraqis to have a small force stay behind, and the Iraqis said they would like American military help. But as the year wore on and the number of American troops that Washington was suggesting could stay behind dropped, it became increasingly clear that a U.S. troop presence was not a sure thing.
The issue of legal protection for the Americans was the deal-breaker.
More: Obama announces U.S. troops leaving Iraq by year's end - CTV News
As I understand it, Obama could have left troops in Iraq past year-end - but because Iraqi leaders refused to give U.S. troops immunity from prosecution in Iraqi courts - Obama is pulling them out. Thank you, Mr. President.
That's nice spin for the fact that Obama's administration didn't have the diplomatic leverage to get immunity for our soldiers.