Next year will be different for troops in Iraq

[unhappycamper]

Next year will be different for troops in Iraq
By Charles Levinson - USA Today
Posted : Monday Oct 27, 2008 12:31:25 EDT

BAGHDAD — When the clock strikes midnight Dec. 31, the U.S. military’s days of operating freely in Iraq will come to an abrupt end — regardless of whether a new long-term security agreement is in place, current and former military officials say.

The U.S. military will face restrictions that could make it extremely difficult for troops to operate effectively if the security agreement, which is being negotiated between the U.S. and Iraqi governments, passes in its current draft form, the officials say.

If Iraq’s leaders take a hard line and fail to pass the agreement before Jan. 1 — a possibility that has appeared more likely in recent days — U.S. military operations could come to a halt as soldiers retreat to bases, ground their aircraft and stop supporting Iraqi forces.

“Without (a security agreement), we would potentially have to cease all operations,” Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, told USA Today in an e-mail. “The Iraqi people would face the greatest impact with regards to their security.”

The security deal, which would provide a legal basis for the U.S. presence in Iraq after a United Nations mandate expires at the end of the year, has been under negotiation for months. In its current draft form, it would establish a time frame for the withdrawal of most U.S. troops by 2011 and establish guidelines for how and where U.S. forces can conduct combat operations.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/10/gns_iraq_restrictions_102508/%2e