August 19, 2010 10:12 a.m. EDT
See a breakdown of U.S. and coalition casualties.
Mosul, Iraq (CNN) -- The last U.S. brigade combat team in Iraq has left the country, a move that helps U.S. President Barack Obama reach his goal of 50,000 troops in the country by September 1.
Their departure leaves about 56,000 U.S. troops in the country, according to the U.S. military.
Capt. Christopher Ophardt, spokesman for the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, said the last of the 4,000 members of the unit crossed the border into Kuwait early Thursday.
A few hundred members stayed behind to finish administrative and logistical duties but will fly out of Baghdad later Thursday, Ophardt said.
Much of the brigade departed more than a day ago, but the announcement was delayed for security reasons.
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Their departure comes more than seven years after U.S. combat forces entered, though their departure does not signify the end of all U.S. combat forces in the country.
Another 6,000 U.S. troops must leave Iraq to meet Obama's deadline for the end of U.S. combat operations in the country and the beginning of Operation New Dawn, in which the remaining U.S. forces are expected to switch to an advise-and-assist role.
more:
CNN's Jomana Karadsheh, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Adam Levine and Chris Lawrence contributed to this story
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Photos of returning troops at Life
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The Obama Administration plans to double the "civilian force" in Iraq after US military withdrawal in 2001. The "civilian force" they are talking about is the same private security firm community they railed against under the Bush Administration.
As the last brigade of US combat troops began to leave Iraq Thursday the Obama administration reportedly planned to double the number of private security guards it has in the country to fill the void. About 50,000 troops will stay in Iraq until the end of next year to train Iraqi forces and after August 31 the mission in Iraq will no longer be known as Operation Iraqi Freedom and will instead be known as Operation New Dawn. When the last of the military troops leave at the end of 2011, the Obama administration is planning to more than double the number of private security guards it has in Iraq The New York Times reported late Wednesday. The US State Department move is aimed at protecting civilians still exposed to al Qaeda-linked insurgents and Iranian-backed militias. Contractors employed by the State Department will train the Iraqi police and US diplomats in two new $100 million outposts will be left to defuse sectarian tensions in northern Iraq. The security contractors, defending five fortified compounds around the country, will operate radars to warn of enemy rocket attacks, search for roadside bombs, fly reconnaissance drones and staff quick reaction forces to help civilians in distress. more ...
My note:
WELCOME HOME, dear troops!
