August 31 was the deadline for withdrawing US combat troops from Iraq. Although President Obama says he achieved that goal, over 50,000 regular troops remain there, nominally providing training and support. They are however, armed and will accompany the Iraqi military on some missions. About 5000 special forces troops also remain there, helping Iraqi forces find and capture or kill insurgents.
The 50,000 regular military forces are scheduled to return home by the end of 2011, but the Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul-Qadir al-Ubaidi does not believe that deadline. He argues that a US military presence in Iraq will be needed for several years â âmaybe endlesslyâ (see article excerpted below).
Moreover, according to Antonia Julhasz, oil industry analyst for GlobalExchange.org and author of The Tyranny of Oil, in addition to the US military forces staying in Iraq, about twice as many private military companies (PMCs) also remain there. Many of these are essentially mercenaries who work for companies like Xe Services (formerly Blackwater), Titan Corporation, Pathfinder Security Services, DynCorp, and Aegis Defence Services (UK). There is no stated deadline for removal of PMCs from Iraq.