久久亚洲国产成人影院-久久亚洲国产的中文-久久亚洲国产高清-久久亚洲国产精品-亚洲图片偷拍自拍-亚洲图色视频

US military marks end of its war in Iraq

Updated: 2011-12-15 19:18

(Agencies)

  Comments() Print Mail Large Medium  Small 分享按鈕 0

Sectarian tensions

The fall of Saddam opened the way for Iraq's Shi'ite majority community to ascend to positions of power after decades of oppression under his Sunni-run Baath party. But nine years after the invasion Iraq remains a splintered country, worrying many that the days of sectarian slaughter are not over.

US military marks end of its war in Iraq

A member of US security personnel pulls her luggage while waiting to depart from Iraq, at the former US Sather Air Base near Baghdad December 15, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

Even the political power-sharing in Maliki's Shi'ite-led government is hamstrung by sectarian divides. The government at times seems paralyzed as parties split along sect lines, squabbling over key laws and government posts.

Sunni Iraqis fear marginalization or even a creeping Shi'ite-led authoritarian rule under Maliki. A recent crackdown on former members of the Baath party has fueled those fears.

Sectarian divisions leave Iraq vulnerable to meddling by neighbors trying to secure more influence, especially as Sunni-controlled Arab nations view Iranian involvement as an attempt to control Iraq's Shi'ite parties at the cost of Sunnis.

Iraq's Shi'ite leadership frets the crisis in neighboring Syria could eventually bring a hardline Sunni leadership to power in Damascus, worsening Iraq's own sectarian tensions.

"Was it worth it?"

US troops were supposed to stay on as part of a deal to train the Iraqi armed forces. Washington had asked Iraq for at least 3,000 troops to remain in the country. But talks over immunity from prosecution for American soldiers fell apart.

Memories of US abuses, arrests and killings still haunt many Iraqis and the question of legal protection from prosecution looked too sensitive for Iraq's political leadership to push through a splintered parliament.

At the height of the war, 170,000 American soldiers occupied more than 500 bases across the country. Now only two bases and 5,500 troops remain in the country. All will be home before the end of the year when a security pact expires.

Only around 150 US soldiers will remain in Iraq after December 31 attached to the huge US Embassy that sits near the Tigris River. Civilian contractors will take on the task of training Iraqi forces on US military hardware.

Every day hundreds of trunks and troops trundle in convoys across the Kuwaiti border as US troops end their mission.

"Was it worth it? I am sure it was. When we first came in here, the Iraqi people seemed like they were happy to see us," said Sgt 1st Class Lon Bennish, packing up recently at a US base and finishing the last of three deployments in Iraq.

"I hope we are leaving behind a country that says 'Hey, we are better off now than we were before.'"

主站蜘蛛池模板: 美国一级特a黄 | 岬奈一区二区中文字幕 | 香港免费毛片 | 精品国产免费观看久久久 | 欧美日韩国产综合一区二区三区 | 亚洲日本欧美产综合在线 | 国产成a人片在线观看视频 国产成版人视频网站免费下 | 亚洲综合色就色手机在线观看 | 男人的天堂欧美精品色偷偷 | 男女晚上爱爱的视频在线观看 | 精品视频自拍 | 国产精品免费视频一区二区三区 | 亚洲小视频在线观看 | 手机看片高清国产日韩片 | 性欧美欧美之巨大69 | 欧美一级毛片免费播放器 | 91精品国产免费久久久久久青草 | 国产精品久久不卡日韩美女 | 国产成人啪精品视频免费软件 | 日本一区三区二区三区四区 | 色偷偷女男人的天堂亚洲网 | 午夜性色福利视频在线视频 | 爱久久精品国产 | 精品久 | 免费人成在线观看网站 | 夜间福利网站 | 亚洲第一大网站 | jiucao在线观看精品 | 久久久国产一区二区三区丝袜 | 国产精品自拍视频 | 57pao强力打造手机版 | 免费精品久久久久久中文字幕 | 日韩黄在线观看免费视频 | 国产精品日本欧美一区二区 | 色秀视频在线观看88品善网 | 久久精品一级 | 未满14周岁啪啪网站 | 国产成人yy精品1024在线 | 日本加勒比系列 | 国产成人精视频在线观看免费 | 天堂影院jav成人天堂免费观看 |