Kucinich: We are Not Exiting Afghanistan. We are Staying.

[ProSense]

66. Even if

one considered a small residual force as "not leaving," there is no denying that bases were closed, the combat troops were withdrawn and the war ended.

It all started in 2009.

Leaving Iraq Is a Feat That Requires an Army

By MARC SANTORA

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq — There is no more visible sign that America is putting the Iraq war behind it than the colossal operation to get its stuff out: 20,000 soldiers, nearly a sixth of the force here, assigned to a logistical effort aimed at dismantling some 300 bases and shipping out 1.5 million pieces of equipment, from tanks to coffee makers.

It is the largest movement of soldiers and matériel in more than four decades, the military said.

By itself, such a withdrawal would be daunting, but it is further complicated by attacks from an insurgency that remains active; the sensitivities of the Iraqi government about a visible American presence; disagreements with the Iraqis about what will be left for them; and consideration for what equipment is urgently needed in Afghanistan.

All the while, the Army must sustain its current force of about 124,000 troops across the country, trucking in fuel, food and other essential supplies while determining what to leave behind for the 50,000 troops who will remain in a mostly advisory role until 2011.

- more -

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/world/middleeast/09pullout.html?_r=1

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=637814

This is likely how the withdrawal from Afghanistan will proceed.