Marines End 7-Year Baghdad Stay

As one war ramps up, another one is winding down. On Saturday, the U.S. Marine Corps ended their nearly seven-year stay in Iraq and handed duties over to the Army, the first part of an accelerated withdrawal of troops in a movement to shift focus on the war in Afghanistan. The last Marines will be followed by thousands of soldiers in the next few months, as President Obama ordered all but 50,000 troops out of Iraq by August 31. Meanwhile, Vice President Biden landed in Iraq on Friday to discuss with Iraqi leaders the rising tension between Shiites and Sunnis over a plan to ban election candidates who may have links to Saddam Hussein’s regime.