his service in iraq wasn't over. he returned for another tour of duty in 2009. >> they have 95 percent i would say downtime. >> pumping it into the house and the blood gets flowing you have to do something. >> wilson has some advice for those returning home from iraq. >> take your time get reconnected with your family. don't expect for your family to be the way it was. you have to give it time. >> how has two tours in iraq changed the father of two young sons? >> the things you get uptight about it was not a big deal. i was happy to be alive. if i was happy to be in one place. every day is a good day. i can't complain. >> like 2006 mustafa abdullah worked three years as a military interpreter. >> at that time my family starts receiving serious threats. i was terrified. >> major chris phelps an officer of the 5th civil affairs group steps up to help. >> being a great guy a great marine he tried everything within his man power to bring me to the united states. >> in april 2006 mustafa got the news he hoped for. >> we g

forces in iraq. general lloyd austin speaking now. >> after more than eight years we have seen great progress. progress that has enabled our military to transition to the lead for the u.s. efforts in iraq to our partners in the embassy. and progress that has given the iraqi people opportunities that they have not seen in their lifetime. this would not have been possible without the many sacrifices, the tireless, dedication and bravery and the magnificent performance of our men and women in uniform, our coalition partners and our core of dedicated civilians. and i could not be more honored to represent all of them here today, as we begin a new chapter in our strategic relationship with iraq. secretary panetta, ambassador jeffrey, general and mrs. dempsey. general mathis, distinguished members of the iraqi government, iraqi security force leaders, fellow general officers, command sergeants majors, partners and friends of united states forces iraq, good afternoon and thank you one and all for joining us

prime minister or a strong prime minister in iraq which is what iraq needs right now because the most challenging months probably for iraq are the months following the withdrawal of the united states. and maliki's responsibilities are huge. i think that of course does not justify any extra judicial actions or something that is not constitutional, but... no audio) will use to be the minister of culture was accused of terrorism. in fact it's a fugitive right now. there is more to it than just making a charge against a person as important as hasmi. but i think we have to wait and see what evidence will be presented. i have a lot of faith in the iraqi judiciary and i think they will sort it out very well. >> woodruff: sorry about that. the video slipped away there just a moment but it came back. back to you, faisel istrabadi. could it be with what mr. kadhim is saying, a temporary move on the part of prime minister maliki to be stronger now that the american troops have left?

not like in iraq no iraq we went into iraq not to establish a democracy we went into iraq because the administration believed that saddam hussein's iraq was a threat to the united states why didn't the us just get out of iraq as soon as they found out that there is nothing there what they should have done. you have to have to ask george bush why he didn't do that do you think iraq's vast oil reserves had nothing to do with the decision to go to iraq i don't believe that. we went into iraq because iraq has a world with that's the question iraq has a world to be sure and if we need oil from iraq we'll buy it and we don't seize other people's oil fields and send the oil back to the united states we buy oil we import roughly half of our oil so what you're saying you couldn't afford having said on who's saying getting rich and powerful considering to hated america it wasn't just rich and powerful it's a question of what behavior one could anticipate and he had invaded kuwait as we know he had invaded iraq as we know. nobody knew what he was going to do next there has been a number of surve

let's go to the iraq war for a second. you served in iraq in a very tough time. at what point it you recognize that this is really going badly? >> well, i'll tell you that it did not take long for me to, you know, let me back it up a little bit. so i watched the iraq war from 30 vantage points. the first one in 2003, 2004, as a part of the initial invasion force. and i saw the growth of the insurgency in late 2003 early 2004 and i found it a little disturbing, but i thought we were going to be okay. and then i served on details to the central intelligence agencies, where i got to see some behind the scenes and really became concerned about the growing civil war in 2005/2006. i'll tell you that the minute i stepped into that side in january of 2007, i thought that we were in for a world of hurt. i'll tell you that in my estimate, we were months away from losing completely. as you'll remember, there were intel experts who had said as late as november 2006 that we lost there. >> we've got about a minute left and i want to sort of ask you about how we got out of iraq

not like in iraq no iraq we went into iraq not to establish a democracy we went into iraq because the administration believed that saddam hussein's iraq was a threat to the united states and why didn't the us just get out of iraq as soon as they found out that there is nothing there what they should have done. you have to have to ask george bush why he didn't do that do you think iraq's vast oil reserves had nothing to do with the decision to go to iraq i don't believe that. we went into iraq because iraq has over with that's the question iraq has a world to be sure and if we need oil from iraq we'll buy it we don't seize other people's oil fields and send the oil back to the united states we buy oil we import roughly half of our oil so what you're saying you couldn't afford having said on who's saying getting rich and powerful considering to hated america it wasn't just rich and powerful it's a question of what behavior one could anticipate and he had invaded kuwait as we know he had invaded iraq as we know. nobody knew what he was going to do next there has been a number of surveys

not like in iraq no iraq we went into iraq not to establish a democracy we went into iraq because the administration believed that saddam hussein's iraq was a threat to the united states why didn't the us just get out of iraq as soon as they found out that there is nothing there what they should have done. you have to have to ask george bush why he didn't do that do you think iraq's vast oil reserves had nothing to do with the decision to go to iraq i don't believe that. we went into iraq because iraq has a world with that's the question iraq has oil to be sure and if we need oil from iraq we'll buy it we don't seize other people's oil fields and send the oil back to the united states we buy oil we import roughly half of our oil so what you're saying you couldn't afford having said on who's saying getting rich and powerful considering to hated america it wasn't just rich and powerful it's a question of what behavior one could anticipate and he had invaded kuwait as we know he had invaded iraq as we know. nobody knew what he was going to do next there has been a number of surveys that

troops from iraq. the president marked the moment with a visit to the fort bragg army base in north carolina. >> as your commander in chief, and on behalf of a grateful nation, i'm proud to finally say these two words, and i know your families agree -- welcome home. gwen: early in t week there was a sayer -- a ceremonial visit from iraq minister nouri al-maliki. but there are some loose ends out there. >> there are. more in iraq than there are here in the united states where the withdrawal from iraq was extremely popular, still is extremely popular. but there in iraq, we still don't know whether -- there's still violence there. will that violence abate with the u.s. withdrawal? or will it spike back up? they have major questions to answer about how they're going to divide oil revenues. about how their judiciary is going to be set up. and the geopolitical questions. how big of an influence is iran going to have in iraq? that's something that a lot of people in this country are worried about. and there a

, provide oversight of iraq from egypt and from iraq. in afghanistan we develop a little bit differently. clearly the infrastructure wasn't available early on so we were doing most of our work from the philippines. we created a virtual country office in the philippines and we were literally on the ground full-time in afghanistan with auditors and investigators doing the work. as the program increased in scope and complexity we worked out with the embassy to put an office there and now we have seven auditors for the foreign service national auditors we have for american u.s. direct higher investigators, 14 and national investigator and we are going to put on one more investigator so we are committed both through iraq and afghanistan in providing audit oversight and investigated over side of the programs in afghanistan. with that, i would appreciate -- thank you for the opportunity to appear before you and i would welcome any questions you might have about our oversight activity and the activities to improve that going forward to it specs

he has been streaming live from the iraq kuwait border as the last u.s. troops leave iraq. i'm marianne rafferty. now, we join a repeat of invole thursday night's republican presidential debate already in progress. m as it is can stick h it. there will be a private option et cetera. earlier on this might have confused congressman ryan to know for whom you said it was the initial medicare fix it was right wing social engineering. later on you backed off that comment and said there was much you could find in mr. ryan's plan to like. can you blame governor romney for saying you have a consistency problem on this issue? >> i'm not in the business of blaming governor romney. i'm in the business are trying to understand what we can do as a policy. if you go back and look at the meet the press quote it didn't reference him. i will say it again. a free throw see sighty should make big decisions with the support of the people. you can win a communications argument, regan was good at that. on meet the president one you will have a major change and have to communicate with the america

it's going to be difficult particularly in iraq because of the american past of the organisation in iraq the square massacre a constant cases of smuggling of weapons it is very unlikely they'll be accepted by the iraqi people but keep in mind that all of this rebranding will continue and there's so many ways to find ways to get back into the country as another company. and with all eyes now on how iraq will fare on its own after u.s. forces pull out we look back at how the war began richard perle was one of the chief architects of the u.s. invasion he shared with us here at r.t. his views on the justifications and the failings behind the war in iraq and if you are coming your way a little bit later this hour. of turning things over to the iraqis more or less immediately we got involved in an occupation and occupations are never popular and the fact that we were an occupying power was very important in the development of the insurgency against the occupation. now in five minutes past the hour here in moscow you're watching are the streets of benghazi once again the focal point for crowds

bases in iraq. those days are over but rather the kind of training and assistance we offer to other countries. given the challenges we face together in a rapidly changing region, we also agree to establish a new formal channel of communication between our national security advisers. and finally we're partnering for regional security, for just as iraq has pledged not to interfere in other nations, other nations must not interfere in iraq. the drawdown in iraq has allowed us to refocus our resources, achieve progress in afghanistan, put al qaeda on the path to defeat and to better prepare for the full range of challenges that lie ahead. so make no mistake, our strong presence in the middle east endures and the united states will never waver in defense of our allies, our partners or our interests. this is the shared vision that prime minister maliki and i reaffirm today. an equal partnership, a broad relationship that advances the security, the prosperity and the aspirations of both our people. mr. pri

troops in iraq have been leaving iraq at a quick pace. lately they've been leaving at a rate of 500 a day. republicans have criticized the impending end of the iraq war, saying that we should stay there longer. vice president cheney saying he thinks the united states should have negotiated to keep 15,000 or 20,000 american troops in iraq. the pro-war "washington post" editorial page lamenting today the administration didn't try very hard to leave thousands of american troops in iraq. john mccain has been calling bringing the troops home a failure. defending the war represents failure, what would success be? the administration sees ending the war as success. in their words, they see it as a promise kept. >> president obama and i came to office absolutely determined to bring this war to a responsible end and to keep the promise we made to the american people and the people of iraq that we would meet our commitments. we will keep our promise to remove our remaining troops from iraq, which when we came to office numbered 140,000 american forc

not like in iraq no iraq we went into iraq not to establish a democracy we went into iraq because the administration believed that saddam hussein's iraq was a threat to the united states so why didn't the us just get out of iraq as soon as they found out that there is nothing there what they should have done. you have to have to ask george bush why he didn't do that do you think iraq's vast oil reserves had nothing to do with the decision to go to iraq i don't believe that. we went into iraq because iraq has over with that's the question iraq has a world to be sure and if we need oil from iraq we'll buy it we don't seize other people's oil fields and send the oil back to the united states we buy oil we import roughly half of our oil so what you're saying you couldn't afford having said on who's saying getting rich and powerful considering to hated america it wasn't just rich and powerful it's a question of what behavior one could anticipate and he had invaded kuwait as we know he had invaded iraq as we know. nobody knew what he was going to do next there has been a number of surveys t

troops brought a measure of stability to iraq. the country's political parties have seemed unable to find a solution to these problems. all the infighting, intrigues, and recriminations are another destabilizing factor. >> some politicians claim that the iraqi security forces are not capable of guaranteeing security. this is making many iraqis in secure. >> the iraqi defense ministry says that the country's security forces will be able to maintain public order when u.s. troops have left. >> we have several options. there are agreements on cooperation with the u.s. and countries in europe, like france and germany. >> that does little to allay the fears of some business partners. some worry that the country might descend into civil war when the americans have left. >> of all of the other challenges facing iraq, there has been no political reconciliation between the three main ethnic and religious groups in the country. they are scrambling for both power and resources, like oil, water, and land. there are also concerns about how regi

iraq's new dynamic is on display here every day. after nearly nine years it's iraq's shiites who have benefitted the most. they have won this country. the united states toppled a dictator who's been replaced by a shiite government with close ties to iran. it's hard to imagine how that was ever part of the plan. across town at baghdad's famous book market, karim hanoush, himself a shiite, doesn't want u.s. troops to leave. he says iran has calculated all this very well. they want a shiite iraq so they can control the assets, economy and politics. fear of iran's growing power is sharper still in the sunni stronghold of fallujah. fallujah remains violent. a bomb killed policemen here just after we arrived. compared to other parts of iraq there's been little development in sunni towns like fallujah. this building was destroyed by u.s. forces seven years ago and still looks like this. people here accuse the government of persecuting them, ignoring them, trying to cut sunnis out of the new iraq. [ speaking in a foreign language ] >> repor

what america wants from iraq is not what iran wants from iraq. the balance of power is shifting with the end of u.s. forces in iraq. >> there is a u.s.-iran dimension, no doubt. and there is -- although both u.s. and iran wanted saddam out, beyond that, more than power, there are significant differences between the united states and iran with regards to iraq. we would have liked to maintain a military presence beyond the end of this year. the iranians are very much opposed and they used their influence quite cleverly to preclude such a presence. but now we can adapt by using intelligence as a means with u.s. intelligence with iraq. >> when you were ambassador to baghdad and you envision the day that american forces would leave the country, are the leading the country to a better off or worse off than you had imagined back then? >> i think it is better off. the dark days of the 2006-2007, when the country was threatened to fragment along sectarian lines. the institutions of iraq have grown since then. but i did not think, frankly, that we would be

you know i remember seeing a lot of children in iraq i mean not in iraq and iraq war resister refused orders to iraq but in afghanistan certainly when i was riding around on those convoys i can still remember the faces of the children who stared at me over my rifle so kids of been difficult for me just being able just understanding that i have been desensitized to a level of violence that most people are very uncomfortable with and things that seem normal for me to even talk about in passing are normal for folks and tend to me. often times and it's a shame. you know. even you know recently it was a personal tragedy in a way it feels with some very dear friends of mine and i i offended you know not trying to be offensive or anything but their kids found out i was in the military and they asked me what i thought about i said i didn't like the military because the military kills people and to me that thought is so normal but that's not something that's normal to society you know something that is interesting about this study is that a lot of those that become victims of suicide they don'

after the american left iraq withdrawal from iraq we could see straight away in two days not in maliki has started a kind of like dictatorship he kicked out his partners from government and i think we are descending down a kind of at least a noose for the duration between the three parts of iraq ok if i go back to you i mean it's very interesting to me is that as as the departure of the u.s. officially leaves we see all of these events unfolding very quickly i mean is there really any kind of democracy in on iraq or is it just been a fiction for americans to feel that they've done something right. to be honest with you i think until until the americans were there they rock is it seems to me that there is to choose to have some kind of a backup that they could build institutions and if it all went wrong they could count on u.s. security presence in iraq to help them and i think now that the u.s. military has left that has been dealt a psychological blow those institutions still exist but they don't feel as confident as before because they feel that they have lost that support ok i'm goi

the last brigade from iraq to kuwait. among the same roads the troops travelled in on when they innovated iraq in 2003. >> tonight the world's attention is fixed on iraq. >> the shock and awe gave way to the long, slow war. dozens of daily atakes and spiraling toll. a brutal dictator was reduced from this to this. even his image crumbling in battle. but a different country is left behind. no doubt, iraq still faces major hurdle, but there have been milestones. the first election january of 2005. brave iraqis waving their purple fingers in the air. the badge of courage. and 4,487 american troops died. more than 32,000 wounded and the cost in dollars topped $700 billion. >> over the years, martha raddatz has been in iraq nearly two dozen teams and only this final day, she traveled out of iraq with the last troops to leave. mart martha? >> reporter: just over a couple months ago, there were 42,000 troops in iraq, today there are none. on a dusty base in southern iraq, u.s. troops made their final preparations to leave this l

his service in iraq wasn't over. he returned for another tour of duty in 2009. >> they have 95 percent i would say downtime. >> pumping it into the house and the blood gets flowing you have to do something. >> wilson has some advice for those returning home from iraq. >> take your time get reconnected with your family. don't expect for your family to be the way it was. you have to give it time. >> how has two tours in iraq changed the father of two young sons? >> the things you get uptight about it was not a big deal. i was happy to be alive. if i was happy to be in one place. every day is a good day. i can't complain. >> like 2006 mustafa abdullah worked three years as a military interpreter. >> at that time my family starts receiving serious threats. i was terrified. >> major chris phelps an officer of the 5th civil affairs group steps up to help. >> being a great guy a great marine he tried everything within his man power to bring me to the united states. >> in april 2006 mustafa got the news he hoped for. >> we g

after the american left iraq withdrawal from iraq we could see straight away in two days not in maliki has started a kind of like dictatorship he kicked out his partners from government and i think we are descending down a kind of at least for the duration between the three parts of iraq ok if i go back to you i mean it's very interesting to me is that as as the departure of us officially leaves we see all of these events unfolding very quickly i mean is there really any kind of democracy in on iraq or is it just been a fiction for americans who feel that they've done something right. to be honest with you i think until until the americans were there the rock is it seems to me that there is to choose sions have some kind of a backup that they could build institutions and if it all went wrong they could count on u.s. security presence in iraq to help them and i think now that the u.s. military has left there's the delta psychological blow those institutions still exist but they don't feel as confident as before because they feel that they have lost that support ok i'm going to jump in h

in iraq. that's why i called on president obama to return to the negotiating table. >> leon panetta, the secretary of defense, communicated we were going to have a presence in iraq going forward. they were unable to negotiate a status agreement to allow the troops to remain. >> a caveat here, the last one was mitt romney speaking with "the des moines register" editorial board last week and right after what you heard he just said there, right after he said not leaving up to 30,000 troops in iraq is a failure of the obama administration. this is what he said immediately thereafter. >> but is the wind-down in iraq appropriate? yes. >> to be fair, like on everything, you can put mitt romney down as being both for bringing the troops home and leaving them there. whatever you need to hear. mark him down as for and against. most of the other republican candidates, at least the ones not named ron paul, think ending the war in iraq is a bad idea. they think that the problem with the iraq war is that it

have we turned iraq over to iran? >> we have turned iraq over to the iraqis. the iranians have been trying to dominate iraqis ever since 2003. they haven't been successful. they are not about to be dominated by anybody. we have helped give them the opportunity to rejoin this region as a viable member and as an opportunity to give others an example to follow especially with the new democracy. >> i hope it comes out the right way. let's go right now to those on the other side of the world where the circumstances are more urgent mora than it is now. greta van susteren joins us on the telephone. greta, thanks so much for coming on board. now your reflectses? i know you were just in north korea on the passing of kim jong-il. >> this is going to shake this country like it has never been shaken before. the people in that country is a living in paradise and kim jong-il is the person taking care of them. tonight he is dead and it is going to shake them like it has never been shaken before. you see outside influence from china so they know a little more that's going on

to want iraq's future will be in the hands of its people america's war in iraq will be old. but just today several bombs rocked baghdad killing at least sixty nine people the explosions appear to have hit mostly shiite sections of the city it's the worst violence iraq has seen and months no one has claimed responsibility yet but it's believed sunni insurgents are behind it here you are looking at scenes from the chaos today ambulances and police rushing from scene to scene and smoke clouds billowed out of the various blast sites as many as twelve bombs exploded in what was clearly an organized attack well amid the increased violence what did the u.s. really accomplish in the war in iraq tommy analyze this earlier i was joined by brian becker national coordinator of the answer coalition of their decade of fighting and hopes of bringing about a free and democratic country i asked him if the u.s. has come even close to accomplishing that here's his take. well i don't think those were the real objectives of the united states those are the slogans under which the bush administrat

everything that happened there i've always believed anybody who lived in iraq as i have lived in iraq that. nobody goes there for tourism. it's a complete. a country which is hot it's fifty degrees centigrade most of the time flies that. there's nothing to see except plain does what are you there for you there for your own obviously otherwise why would anybody spend a trillion dollars to go lose about forty five thousand two thousand what for and the reason is the oil is plenty. and secondly it's very high quality very high grade you don't need to find very much to some for content is very low and just below the surface costs a dollar to think about a dollar and a half to three years or a lot and therefore anybody who has access to the. can be. a game changer as far as the politics of oil is concerned and i think that's precisely why the americans are there and how do you think the united states pulling out of afghanistan is going to affect india well obviously it's in our neighborhood it's going to stand is in the neighborhood of course it makes a difference because naturally the peo

there are concerns about whether iraq can maintain their own security and stable system. >> iraq now has become reliant completely on its own security apparatus. >> there are a lot of questions about growing influence from eye rab. once u.s. troops pulled out completely. >> his interest is iraqi sovereignty and preventing meddling by anybody inside of iraq. and i believe them. >> now, syria is also another concern. the iraqi government has not been as forceful in criticizing the violent crack down. the prime minister saying he doesn't believe he has the right it call the president to step down. mr. obama was asked about this. he described their differences as tactical and he said that he believes the prime minister is doing what he thinks is bet for the people of iraq. wolf? >> that's pretty shocking when you think about it, dan. the only countries in the arab league in lebanon, which obviously hezbollah has close ties with syria and iraq, all of the other members basically are with the u.s. europeans, rest of the world, in condemning him. but malachi in baghdad refusing to do so. we

people die in iraq every single day. but these guys -- i got to tell you, i've gone back every years since 2003 at least once -- impressed with these guys' dedication to mission. staying focus, they've carried out their task and they feel they have achieved something. general was saying there is still a long way to go despite the progress that's being made and a terrorist threat does still exist very much so in iraq. it's not particularly a happy place to be if you are an iraqi. but these fellows feel like they've done what's asked of them and are looking forward to getting home. takes two to four days to clear through the bureaucracy really of arriving here, then flying out. but they are looking forward to it. >> michael holmes there for us, thank you, as always. >>> get you some numbers now about this war. when the war was at its peak in 2006, there was om 239,000 u.s. service members in iraq at more than 500 bases. the war cost more than $800 billion. almost 4,500 american service members died in this war. another 30,

iraq's sovereignty must be respected iraq now home to the largest u.s. embassy in the world and while the combat troops are gone sixteen thousand will stay to guard the embassy today we mark the end of operation new dawn now the flags are being lowered by the story colors of flight number or they will never fade the memory of all who have sacrificed so much the bases cleared out to bring the promise of freedom to the people of iraq it was the freedom never asked for and came with a high price for both iraqi and american citizens the war was neither painless nor prompt it love the people of iraq with a country destroyed by a decade of war teetering on the verge of sectarian chaos as to change the nations try now to look ahead christine for r.t. . there are of course not just the events of the war but the results of those events and the implications they've had on the past present and future of this country and its place in the world i want to put up a survey of opinions in iraq now that the combat troops are gone so when asked who benefited the most from

actually achieved in the war in iraq. and good evening it is monday december twelfth seven pm here in washington d.c. i'm christine you're watching our team. well take a look now at some new developments in the occupy wall street movement over the last few days two camps in major metropolitan cities were shut down and cleared out by police you see here this is boston police there very early saturday morning took apart the occupy camp there protesters had been there about two and a half months about fifty people were arrested and it was a similar scene in san francisco late last week although there seventy people were arrested witnesses say police in riot gear gave protesters five minutes to clear the area then clear rest the rest of the camps themselves police then apparently tore down more than one hundred tents and threw the rest of protesters belongings into a garbage truck all right so clearly this is a ramped up effort by police and other authorities around the country to put a stop to the occupation aspect of this m

actually achieve in the iraq war. good evening it's monday december twelfth eight pm here in washington d.c. i'm christine you're watching our team. well take a look at some new developments in the occupy wall street movement now over the last few days two camps in major metropolitan cities were shut down cleared out by police you see here these are police in boston very early saturday morning taking apart the occupy camp there protesters have been there about two and a half months and in this particular incident nearly fifty people were arrested it was a similar scene in san francisco late last week although there seventy people were arrested witnesses say police in riot gear came to the camp gave protesters five minutes to clear the area then cleared rest of the camps there themselves police then apparently tore down the more than one hundred tents and threw the rest of protesters belongings into a garbage truck all right so clearly a ramped up effort by police and other authorities around the country to put a stop

forces coming out of iraq. you know, when you talk to many of the troops here, you begin to get into their mindset about whether it's their first deployment or whether it's their fifth or sixth, they all have the same sense that this is history. that being here at the end of this conflict and seeing the u.s. finally out of iraq is a major milestone in the history books. they all think about that. i had a conversation with a chaplain and he talks about seeing other soldiers returning. here's some of what he said. >> i think it's awesome, i mean, the fact that we're bringing something to the close. as the chaplain, i get to go out and we watch the guys cross the border and say, hey, welcome to kuwait. you're on your way home. it's an exciting time. you see guys jumping out of the vehicles, giving hugs. saying, hey, we made it. we did it. we're safe. for a chaplain, that's a cool thing. we also do the other side of it as well. so seeing this is important to us. >> reporter: it's interesting because i've talked to

iraq's sovereignty must be respected iraq now home to the largest u.s. embassy in the world and while the combat troops are gone sixteen thousand will say to guard the embassy today we mark the end of operation new dawn now the flags are being lowered the story colors will fly no more they will never fade in the memory of all who have sacrificed so much the bases cleared out to bring the promise of freedom to the people of iraq it was a freedom never asked for and came with a high price for both iraq and american citizens the war was neither painless nor prompt it left the people of iraq with a country destroyed by a decade of war teetering on the verge of sectarian chaos has to change nations try now to look ahead christine for is now our t.v. . there are of course not just the events of the war but the results of those events and the implications it had on the past present and future of this country and its place in the world so i talk about all of this i spoke earlier with iraq war veteran and r.t. blogger jake del barco as well as michael o'brien a f

damage to the infrastructure of iraq he said. so i think. we on american must cooperate in order to. put up this. culture that hate. between two peoples the timeline for u.s. troop withdrawal was set in two thousand and eight and while the obama administration initially tried to extend the deadline the official transfer of power came sixteen days ahead of schedule on december sixteenth two thousand and eleven right now the u.s. and iraqi governments are working on a new type of diplomatic relations building a new type of trust if you will but now the next step is in the hands of the iraqi government to move the country forward as america's influence waned political infighting and sectarian divisions in the iraqi parliament have diminished as well giving iraqis hope for a strong future but as iraq appears to move past this dark chapter they have a message for their former occupiers to our friends america that the police another amnesty. because you are a mystic is a great mistake and affects you. but as teach and also your future relations an

troops withdrew from iraq r.t. takes a look at the legacy that some say they've left behind. will be brief to fall that first nigeria at least sixty one people have been killed in days of unrest in the northeastern part of the country members of the radical muslim group boko haram clashed with security forces in a fierce gun battle people living near the city's central mosque were asked to leave before armed soldiers moved tanks into the neighborhood the recent string of clashes began on thursday with boko haram campaigning to implement strict sharia law across the country. in middle east yemen being shaken by unrest the security forces fire all massed crowds killing ten injuring dozens offices use guns tear gas and water cannons against demonstrators in the capital there were mounting with former president ali abdullah saleh be tried for his role in violent crackdowns an anti-government protest we are still in power thirty three year rule ended last month when he handed over power to his vice president and exchanged for complete immunity from prosecution. iraq's vice preside

military involvement in iraq and the start of iraq as a, quote, sovereign, self-reliant and democratic nation. president obama has promised that all american troops will be out of that country by new year's eve, home for the holidays with their families. >> in the coming days, the last american soldiers will cross the border out of iraq with honor and with their heads held high. after nearly nine years, our war in iraq ends this month. >> so the war ends, but as you're about to see here tonight, u.s. entanglement and engagement in iraq does not. we'll have that part of the story in a moment from our new colleague, nbc news special correspondent ted koppel. we begin tonight on the ground in iraq with more on the military withdrawal, that from our chief foreign correspondent richard engel. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. there are now only about 5,000 u.s. troops in iraq and once they're gone, there should be no more deployments. at first, shock and awe. then years of awful violence. 4,500 americans killed. 150,000 iraqis. a dictator toppled. it's now down to thi

embassy in iraq is going to be about almost twenty thousand strong it's going to have numerous. offices like training training of troops etc who will be. basically americans who would be military men but working for the u.s. embassy by agreeing to withdraw troops as per the agreement they are in no way coming back burning civilian claude's and in fact i don't see any lessening of american influence as far as iraq is concerned. and you can log on to our website r.t. dot com for more stories comment and analysis and here's what's there for you right now there's much western media hype over this amateur footage filmed during russia's weekend election protests with claims that the strange aircraft used for aerial photography was a u.f.o. or a government surveillance drone. plus a bridge a blaze dramatic pictures of raging on this vital piece of infrastructure in russia's far east with hundreds brought in to help fight the flames. russian trucks with humanitarian aid bound for serbs in kosovo have been blocked on the checkpoint by e.u. forces eagle over the net has the details by say

forces from iraq. let's see what happens in iraq over the next few months. one thing i think we should be looking for and see if it comes up in the q&a -- actually, there they are. >> please, have a seat. good afternoon, everyone. when i took office nearly 150,000 american troops were deployed in iraq. my pledge to end this war was possible. today only several thousand troops remain there and more are coming home every day. this is a season of homecomings. military families across america are being reunited for the holidays. in coming days, the last american soldiers will cross the border out of iraq with honor, and with their heads held high. after nearly nine years, our war in iraq ends this month. today i'm proud to welcome prime minister maliki, the elected leader of a sovereign, self-reliant, and democratic iraq. we're here to mark the end of this war to honor the sacrifices of all those who made this day possible and to turn the page, begin a new chapter in the history between our countries. a no

from iraq. they served and marked the end of the war in iraq. joining us live is major matt warner who is with the u.s. air force. tell me, what was your role? you spent time in iraq with some of the men and women coming homing. what was your role. >> i spent about a year in iraq and i'm pilot by trade but while i was in iraqi was on the ground with the iraqis to help them rebuild the air force and provide advice to the air star on items to buy to rebuild the air force. >> reporter: tell me about this sense of relief about coming home and the war being over and not facing another tour of duty in iraq. >> well, obviously not going back to iraq is fantastic. that's clearly -- that's clear but we are deployed in afghanistan so there is a chance the people can come back and redeploy to afghanistan at some point in the future. but it is good to know iraq is finished up. >> reporter: now you spent time in iraq you think it's stable and think it's a good time to pull out? >> i think so, yes. i was a ch

we don't want to great big footprints inside of iraq. and i think that's demonstrated by what will happen at the end of this month, which is, we're getting our troops out. but we will have a very active relationship, military to military, that will hopefully enhance iraqi capabilities and will assure that we've got a strong partner in the region that is going to be effective. with respect to the embassy, the actual size of our embassy with respect to diplomats is going to be comparable to other countries that we think are important around the world. there are still some special security needs inside of iraq that make the overall number larger. and we understand some questions have been raised inside of iraq about that. look, we're only a few years removed from an active war inside of iraq. i think it's fair to say that there are still some groups, although they're greatly weakened, that might be tempted to target u.s. diplomats or civilians who are working to improve the performance of the power sector inside of iraq or are working to he

forces from iraq? relying on the strategic framework agreement, have you reached a specific mechanism for the implementation of the framework agreement? your excellency, president obama, you said that there will be long-range relationships with iraq. can you tell us exactly, will iraq be an ally of the united states or just a friend, or will have a different type of relationship? thank you very much. >> definitely, without mechanisms, we will not be able to achieve anything we have. these mechanisms will control our continuous movement. therefore, the framework agreement has a higher committee, or a joint committee from the two countries that meets regularly, and it has representatives from all the sectors that we want to develop relationship in -- commerce, industry, agriculture, economy, security. so the joint higher committee is the mechanism in which the ideas will be reached in relationship between the ministries that will implement what is agreed upon. we believe through these two mechanisms, the

war in iraq in just u.s. war in iraq in just moments. tank top v neck 3 piece suit dance wear bolo snakeskin boots sequin costume under things stiletto heels skinny jeans houndstooth snuggie pork pie hat oshkosh socks 5% cash back. right now get 5% cash back at department stores. >>> all right. welcome back to our continuing coverage of the u.s. troops leaving iraq by the end of the year. retired general james spider marks ran the army intelligence center in 2003 as the war in iraq started. he joins us now from washington. here with me in the studio. >> yeah, and also with us is retired general wesley clark, a former nato supreme allied commander. general, let's talk about this, all that oil. what happens now? >> well, that's the question because that oil makes iraq different from most other states in the world. there's tremendous wealth. the wealth is partially controlled by the federal government but may not all be controlled by the federal government. that's lots of oil out there to be explored and development. kurgistan has oil and p

troops have left iraq. and over the next few days a small group of american soldiers will begin the final march out of that country. some of them are on their way back to fort bragg. as general helmik said, they know that the last tactical road march out of iraq will be a symbol, and they are going to be a part of history. as your commander in chief i can tell you it will indeed be a part of history. those american troops will move south on desert sands, and then cross the border out of iraq with their heads held high. one of the most extraordinary chapters in the history of the american military will come to an end. iraq's future will be in the hands of its people. america's war in iraq will be over. we knew this day would come. we've known it for some time. but still, there is something profound about the end of a war that has lasted so long. nine years ago american troops were preparing to deploy to the persian gulf and the possibility that they would be sent to war. many of you were in grade school. i w

and iraq. we're talking about the fact that the withdrawal of all american troops will successfully take place by december 31st, marking the end of a nearly nine-year war. we will take you to that joint press conference as soon as it begins. >>> it's time to move to the political sidebar. governor rick berperry is catch heat for this campaign ad run inning io running in iowa. >> i'm not ashamed to admit i'm a christian. you don't need to be in the pew every sunday to know something is wrong with this country when gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can't pray in school. as president i'll end obama's war on religion. >> all right. so for the first time since that ad began running on thursday, perry got an earful from voters in iowa. one heckler asked him why he demonized gay people. he left the coffee shop and didn't respond. he was wearing that brokeback mountain jacket. i'd like to ask him about that. president obama's election came tan is taking its fights for jewish vote to fa