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Photo: AP
US Marines in Iraq
Photo: AP

US Marines' Iraq command ends

Changing of guard signals start of accelerated drawdown of US troops in Iraq

The US Marines marked the end of nearly seven years in Iraq on Saturday by handing the Army their command of Anbar province, once one of the war's fiercest battlefields but now a centerpiece of US-Iraqi cooperation.

 

The changing of the guard - overseen by military brass and some of Anbar's influential Sunni sheiks - signals the start of an accelerated drawdown of American troops as the US increasingly shifts its focus to the war in Afghanistan.

 

Iraqi and American color guards stood together at attention as both countries' national anthems were played by a US military band.

 

As many as 25,000 Marines were in Iraq at the peak of the fighting, mostly in Anbar province. Fewer than 3,000 remain. All but a handful of those will ship out in a matter of weeks.

 

American commanders are trumpeting security gains in places such as the western Anbar province as a sign that their partnership with Iraqi security forces is working, and that the local troops can keep the country safe.

 

But fears are growing about a possible resurgence in sectarian tensions - fed by the Shiite-dominated government's plans to blacklist more than 500 parliamentary candidates over suspected links to Saddam Hussein's regime.

 

In Baghdad, US Vice President Joe Biden met with Iraq's leaders Saturday to try to alleviate the pressures. While he kept expectations of a breakthrough low -telling reporters after a meeting with President Jalal Talabani it was up to the Iraqis, not him, to resolve the issue - his visit alone underscored Washington's concerns. 

 

If all goes as planned, the last remaining Marines will be followed out by tens of thousands of soldiers in the coming months. President Barack Obama has ordered all but 50,000 troops out of the country by Aug. 31, with most to depart after the parliamentary election in March.

 

The remaining troops will leave by the end of 2011 under a US-Iraqi security pact.

 


פרסום ראשון: 01.23.10, 23:54
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