MB Civic

David Dayen in FDL ..

The US still has around 4,000 troops in the country, all of whom are scheduled to leave by the end of the month. But then the US embassy will house over 16,000 American personnel undergoing diplomatic missions, guarded by a massive mercenary Army. And it’s likely that some number of military personnel will remain in Iraq to train the Iraqi security forces on new equipment they purchased from the US, as well as assisting in future arms sales. And you could see a negotiation open as early as next year on returning more trainers. Incidentally, these troops are still being attacked every day, according to the military, so despite the rhetoric about leaving with our heads held high, we’re actually leaving under some duress

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