Some Troops to Stay in Iraq

As American troops withdraw from Iraq, violence is on the rise. Why? “The Iraqi government is neglecting many of the successful counterinsurgency initiatives it is inheriting from the U.S. military,” reports The Wall Street Journal. Iraq is allowing U.S.-funded jobs to evaporate—one contractor who had 1,000 workers to clean up neighborhoods now has 60—and “Many Iraqis fear a security gap just as the U.S. military hands the reins to the Iraqi government.” In response to the deteriorating situation, General Ray Odierno, the top general in Iraq, had news that is likely to upset some: “[O]ne-fifth of American combat troops would stay behind in Iraqi cities even after the June 30 deadline that the United States and Iraq had set for the departure.” The general refused to put a number on the actual number of troops that will remain.