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Is the Iraq War Over? Are U.S. Troops Still Fighting and Dying in Iraq?


By kevinzeese - Posted on 24 August 2010

No, the war is not over, troops are still dying and they are still engaged in combat.

In the week since the much publicized withdrawal of "combat" troops from Iraq it has become more evident that the Iraq War continues under a new name: "Operation New Dawn."

The first off-message comments came from the Department of Defense. Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said shortly after the "end" of the war, "I don't think anybody has declared the end of the war as far as I know. Counter-terrorism will still be part of their mission." He said the more than 50,000 remaining troops will be well armed and that among their responsibilities will be counter-terrorism which will mean taking on Islamist militants in combat situations. The former head of the Central Command who had been in charge of military operations in Iraq echoed the Pentagon sentiments when Petraeus told CBS News, "We're not leaving" Iraq and that the troops remaining behind will have "an enormous capability."

To make matters worse, General Ray Odierno said it was possible that U.S. combat troops would return to Iraq if the security situation worsened. Odierno also said that he was certain the U.S. would consider staying in Iraq after 2011 if invited. There is more talk of the U.S. staying beyond the 2011 deadline for withdrawal of all troops. Iraq's top military officer said last week that American forces may be needed for another decade, something to which Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says the U.S. is open.

Army Times reported that combat brigades remain in Iraq but their name has been changed to “Advise and Assist Brigade, the Army’s designation for brigades selected to conduct security force assistance.” There are seven Advise and Assist Brigades in Iraq, as well as two additional National Guard infantry brigades “for security” and two combat aviation brigades also remain in Iraq. Combat Brigades are the source for the Advise and Assist Brigades “to retain their inherent capability to conduct offensive and defensive operations, according to the Army’s security force assistance field manual, which came out in May 2009.”

As the Washington Post reports combat is still on the agenda for America’s no longer labeled combat troops: “American troops in Iraq will still go into harm's way. They will still accompany Iraqi units on combat missions -- even if only as "advisers." American pilots will still fly combat missions in support of Iraqi ground forces. And American special forces will still face off against Iraqi terrorist groups in high-intensity operations. For that reason, when American troops leave their bases in Iraq, they will still, almost invariably, be in full "battle rattle" and ready for a fight.”

And sadly, the war's "end" does not mean an end to deaths of U.S. soldiers in Iraq. An American soldier was killed in a rocket attack in southern Iraq on Sunday, the U.S. military said, marking the first American fatality since the last "combat" unit in Iraq was pulled out of the country. The military did not provide a lot of information on what the soldier was doing but said he was conducting operations in Iraq's southern province of Basra.

It also does not mean an end to deployments of new troops to Iraq. Five peace activists blockaded six buses carrying Fort Hood Soldiers deploying to Iraq. The buses were slowed to a halt; while police made no arrests, they forced the activists out of the street using automatic weapons and police dogs so the deploying soldiers could proceed.

In addition to soldiers remaining in Iraq, the country remains in miserable condition. Foreign Policy in Focus reports: "Iraq has between 25 and 50 percent unemployment, a dysfunctional parliament, rampant disease, an epidemic of mental illness, and sprawling slums. The killing of innocent people has become part of daily life." They also report that half the urban residents in Iraq live in slums, up from 20% before the U.S. invasion.

But the deception continues. President Obama is planning a speech on Iraq when he returns from summer vacation. Reportedly the speech will highlight Obama keeping his promise to end the war. In fact, keeping troops in Iraq was always part of Obama’s plan. During the campaign he called them “residual” troops and would never say how many tens of thousands would remain after he “ended the war.”

Please join me in writing President Obama and urging him to level with the American people. Tell him the disaster Iraq continues to be and that more than 100,000 U.S. troops and mercenaries remain, continuing to engage in combat and continuing to die. Let him know that Americans can handle the truth and do not want to be lied to. You can send a letter by clicking here.

And, then join efforts to really end the Iraq War, bring home all the troops and hand over all military bases. The U.S. needs to get out of Iraq – as well as Afghanistan.

Kevin Zeese is executive director of Voters for Peace (www.VotersForPeace.US).

Hey kidz!!! Never forget the "Zio-Press" that sold us these illegal wars and occupations . . . ;-)

(link to Russia Today video clip - approx. 5 minutes)
"Declassified: Massive Israeli manipulation of US media exposed"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kureFeGmoDI&feature=player_embedded

My, my, and just think . . . our good ol' Senate classified the
documents . . ;-)

Now, where have I heard that "Evidence on these Israelis is classified" line before??? . . .

"Evidence linking these Israelis to 9/11 is classified. I cannot tell you about evidence that has been gathered. It's classified information."
- US official quoted in Carl Cameron's Fox News report on the Israeli spy ring.
http://whatreallyhappened.org/WRHARTICLES/fiveisraelis.html

You kidz remember, about 10 years ago . . . all those ISRAELI "By Way Of Deception You Shall Make War" MOSSAD agents the FBI was rounding up??? . . .

(link to 4 part FOX NEWS Special)
"The Israeli Spy Ring"
http://whatreallyhappened.org/WRHARTICLES/spyring.html

Man, just think how much ground we have covered in the last ten years, kidz . . BushCo came to power . . . Lucky Larry Silverstein leased the World Trade Centers . . . PNAC'ers Wolfowitz, Feith, Pearl, etc. set up Office of Special Plans at the Pentagon . . . Bernanke and Geithner introduced WE THE PEOPLE to "Weapons Grade Derivatives" Mathematics . . .
. . . 9-11 happened. . . then the world blew up . . .

Who has benefitted? Cui bono? Certainly not this ol' fool from North Cackilacki . . . who dared tell the NSA and the Telcos they were breaking the law . . .
. . . who dared say the official 9-11 Story was physically IMPOSSIBLE . . and who dared point out the 600 pound Kosher Khazaar Gorilla in the room as a much more likely suspect . . . ;-)

What was it good ol' Israeli mass murderer Ariel Sharon said mere weeks after 9-11???

"EVERY TIME WE DO SOMETHING, YOU TELL ME AMERICANS WILL DO THIS AND WILL DO THAT. I WANT TO TELL YOU SOMETHING VERY CLEAR: DON'T WORRY ABOUT AMERICAN PRESSURE ON ISRAEL;
WE, THE JEWISH PEOPLE, CONTROL AMERICA. AND THE AMERICANS KNOW IT."
-- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon October 3, 2001

And of course, all those crypto-Zionist darlings of Intellectual Left jumped right on the "WAR OF TERROR" bandwagon based on the Big Lie of 9-11 without ever a peep . . . even good ol' MAD Magazine has been quick to demonize anyone that dared come out in favor of the 9-11 TRUTH MOVEMENT . . "What, me worry?", indeed . . . ;-)

(clipped text from Dr. Ray Griffin's Open Letter from
"Left-Leaning Despisers of the 9/11 Truth Movement: Do You Really Believe in Miracles?An Open Letter to Terry Allen, Noam Chomsky, Alexander Cockburn, David Corn, Chris Hayes, George Monbiot, Matthew Rothschild, and Matt Taibbi.

According to several left-leaning critics of the 9/11 Truth Movement, some of its central claims, especially about the destruction of the World Trade Center, show its members to be scientifically challenged.

In the opinion of some of these critics, moreover, claims made by members of this movement are sometimes unscientific in the strongest possible sense, implying an acceptance of magic and miracles."
(end clipped text)

(full article)
http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=20039

Perhaps, the Zionist 5th Column traitors amongst WE THE PEOPLE are finally starting to get a little worried, after all . . .

(clipped headline and link)
"ISRAEL’S ROLE IN THE A M M ( ANTI MUSLIM MOVEMENT)- Israel and the anti-Muslim blow-up
By MJ Rosenberg"
http://desertpeace.wordpress.com/2010/08/24/israels-role-in-the-a-m-m-an...

Like I've said many times before, having grown up during the Cold War turned Hot in Vietnam, I find it completely surreal that I now trust the Russian Press much more than the "press-titutes" of the hijacked American Zio-Press . . .

. . . it's pretty bad when the Russian Media calls you a bunch of schmucks, . . .

. . . and you have to agree with them!!! . . . ;-)

And, of course, the topper to this comedy of the absurd is that WE THE PEOPLE . . .
in violation of the Symington Amendment on Foreign Aid to non-compliant Nuclear States (ISRAEL) . . . gave Israel the MONEY that they in turnused to pay off our supposed 4th Estate Media to sell use these illegal WARS and occupations . . .

But TRUTH is a funny thing . . . as our "Special Friends" are obviously discovering by the tone of this article by MJ Rosenberg . . .

As the man said, we reap what we sow, later than we sow, and MORE than we sow . . . ;-)

It would appear that Israel and their 5th Columns have spent the last decade raising a world wide crop of pissed off people. . . that are immune to the lies of the corrupted "Press-For-Sale" . . .

And WE THE PEOPLE definitely aren't scared of those "Taboo" name calling tactics
anymore, either . . . ;-)

(link to video clip - approx. 3 minutes)
"'It's a Trick, We Always Use It.' (calling people 'anti-Semitic')"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUGVPBO9_cA

"Once upon a time you dressed so fine
You threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you?
People'd call, say "Beware doll, you're bound to fall"
You thought they were all kiddin' you
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hangin' out
Now you don't talk so loud
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging for your next meal"
- "Like A Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan

peace.

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