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In reply to the discussion: Hmmm? I wonder why people chose to leave off this part of Michael's interview [View all]OnyxCollie
(9,958 posts)President Bush and Iraq Prime Minister Maliki Sign the Strategic Framework Agreement and Security Agreement
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2008/12/20081214-2.html
We're also signing a Security Agreement, sometimes called a Status of Forces Agreement. The agreement provides American troops and Defense Department officials with authorizations and protections to continue supporting Iraq's democracy once the U.N. mandate expires at the end of this year. This agreement respects the sovereignty and the authority of Iraq's democracy. The agreement lays out a framework for the withdrawal of American forces in Iraq -- a withdrawal that is possible because of the success of the surge.
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Immunity for troops was Iraq deal breaker
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/immunity-for-troops-was-iraq-deal-breaker/
President Obama pulled the plug Friday on negotiations that would have kept American troops in Iraq past the end of this year. CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports the president's demand for immunity for U.S. troops stationed there was the deal breaker.
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Update 10/25/11: Iraq refuses to extend U.S. military diplomatic immunity after WikiLeaks exposed crimes
http://www.chelseamanning.org/press/update-102511-iraq-refuses-to-extend-u-s-military-diplomatic-immunity-after-war-crimes-exposed-through-wikileaks-cable
What did Wikileaks reveal? A reported American airstrike that murdered civilians and children, was not in fact an airstrike, but rather the actions of on the ground troops. Because of this Wikileaks revelation, the Iraq government has refused to renew American soldiers diplomatic immunity, and as a result the U.S. will withdraw almost all its troops from Iraq by the end of the year.