Randi Rhodes Forums

Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi commandos showed off skills they learned from U.S. military forces, who Saturday formally handed over control of combat operations to Iraqi security forces.

The top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. Raymond Odierno, was on hand to watch the final American combat team, the 4th Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division, tender responsibilities to the 6th Iraqi Army Division.

President Barack Obama has ordered the current 64,000-strong U.S. presence to be down to 50,000 by September 1.

Six U.S. brigades will remain to provide support to Iraqi soldiers and police........

..........."We're still very committed to Iraq," Odierno said. "We're still going to have 50,000 troops on the ground for a significant period of time to continue to help them [Iraqi forces] build that confidence."

Asked if he felt his mission was accomplished, Odierno replied, "I think we've come a long way, having been here through the very bad times, the progress that we made is encouraging, the fact that we're getting down to 50,000 -- how we've executed that, I think we've executed that extremely well. I think we're set up now to finish the mission here. But for me it's not final, there is still work that has to be done here by those that are to follow me.".........

(CNN) -- Britain was withdrawing its troops Sunday from Iraq, ending a role that began with the 2003 U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein, British defense officials said.

The announcement that Britain was withdrawing its 170 troops came days earlier by Liam Fox, the defense secretary, who said the troops had completed their mission to train Iraqi naval forces.

"We now look forward to a strong, long-term defense relationship with Iraq," Fox told the House of Commons when he announced Wednesday that British troops would leave the country.

The announcement effectively ended Britain's role in Iraq, a role that was widely unpopular in the United Kingdom. About 179 British troops were killed during operations in Iraq.

Hundreds of thousands took to the streets in Britain when the war began, protesting the deployment of British troops to join then-President George Bush's "Coalition of the Willing." At the height of the war, more than 46,000 British troops were deployed primarily in and around the southern port city of Basra..............

(AP)

BAGHDAD - Frequent bombings, assassinations and a resurgence in violence by Shiite militias have made Iraq more dangerous now than it was just a year ago, a U.S. government watchdog concludes in a report released Saturday.

The findings come during what U.S. Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Stuart W. Bowen Jr. called "a summer of uncertainty" in Baghdad over whether American forces will stay past a year-end withdrawal deadline and continue military aid for the unstable nation.

"Iraq remains an extraordinarily dangerous place to work," Bowen concluded in his 172-page quarterly report to Congress and the Obama administration on progress — and setbacks — in Iraq. "It is less safe, in my judgment, than 12 months ago."


more at link.


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/07/ ... 5821.shtml

.......Bowen also said his inspectors published six audits over the last three months, including reviews of U.S. government contractor Anham, LLC, which is based in suburban Washington. The review found that Anham allowed its subcontractors in Iraq to overcharge the U.S. government, including a $900 bill for a control switch that cost $7.05 and $3,000 for a circuit breaker worth $183.30.


As a result, Bowen's inspectors are seeking to review all Anham contracts with the U.S. government in Iraq and Afghanistan, which total about $3.9 billion.......