ooops, not troops. Trainers. US military trainers, who just happen to be members of the US military. As the NPR story indicates, the US is waiting for Iraq's government to formally request a continuing US military presence past the end of the year withdrawal date. Iraqi PM al -Maliki has asked parliament to allow him to make a deal with the US for continuing US military presence. Take a listen.
Leon Panetta and Hilary Clinton, both speaking at the National Defense University on August 16 addressed the non-withdrawal:
Both officials said the Obama administration intends to adhere to the commitment to withdraw all combat troops by the end of the year, though Panetta said it is ready to consider an Iraqi request for a continuing training presence.
“We are leaving by the end of the year. Our combat mission is over. The discussions now are what kind of assistance we can continue to provide with regard to training, with regards to other assistance that can be provided. We have done it with other countries. We have done it with other countries in that region. And I think this would be what I would call a normal relationship.”
Clinton said the idea of a U.S. training presence past the end of the year is a discussion Iraqis are having internally and are “beginning to have” with the United States.
Empires have their own imperatives, driven by the interests of the military, contractors, and industries whose profits and careers rest on constant military operations. It doesn't matter what these continued military adventures
cost the home country. The 'homeland' for the military industrial imperial complex is not the US, but the Pentagon.
(cross-posted at Possible Experience)