Two of Idaho’s members of Congress said that President Barack Obama’s move to end combat operations in Iraq signaled an expected change in military strategy and underscored the success of the surge of troops in 2007.
Obama addressed the nation to discuss the transition by the military to advise and assist Iraq’s security forces. “Our combat mission is ending, but our commitment to Iraq’s future is not,” Obama said.
“Our troops and their families have made great sacrifices and have served our country with great honor, and it is because of their outstanding work and the positive impact of the surge that combat operations in Iraq are able to end,” Congressman Mike Simpson said in a prepared statement. “It is important that we don’t allow Iraq to become a breeding ground for insurgents and that the United States support the Iraqi people as they continue this endeavor to create a stable democratic nation.”
Brad Hoaglun, a spokesman for Risch, said the senator watched the speech, but that the end of combat operations was not a surprise and followed a charted course.
Representatives for Sen. Mike Crapo and Rep. Walt Minnick did not respond to a request for comment.
The U.S. will keep 50,000 troops in Iraq. In September, about 1,500 Idahoans will go to Iraq with the Idaho Army National Guard’s 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team as part of a mobilization of 2,700 troops. Obama said during the speech that all U.S. troops will leave by the end of next year.
Watch Obama’s speech below.
[...] President Barack Obama announced the formal end to the combat mission in Iraq at the end of August, but 50,000 American troops remain in Iraq. Two American soldiers have already been killed in September, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. [...]