Only 20 U.S. Bases Left in Iraq: Spokesman
Agence France-Presse
November 7, 2011
There are only 20 American military bases left in Iraq ahead of a year-end U.S. withdrawal, down from a peak of 505, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement on Monday.
There are "only 20 U.S. bases that remain to be evacuated, while U.S. forces are continuing their evacuation and withdrawing all their Soldiers and equipment, and are handing over those bases and sites to the Iraqi government according to the signed agreement between the two sides," Dabbagh said.
He was referring to a 2008 security agreement between Baghdad and Washington that calls for all U.S. troops to leave the country by the end of 2011.
Dabbagh added that 485 bases and military sites have been handed over to Iraqi forces, from a peak figure of 505 in 2008.
The roughly 39,000 U.S. Soldiers remaining in Iraq must leave by year-end, unless Baghdad and Washington reach an agreement on a post-2011 U.S. military training mission.
Talks are stalled over the issue of immunity from Iraqi prosecution for military
trainers - the U.S. insists that any Soldiers remaining here must have it, while
Iraqi leaders say such protection is unnecessary.
Source: http://www.military.com/news/article/only-20-us-bases-left-in-iraq-spokesman.html?ESRC=eb.nl