Obama to set course for Iraq mission

JULIE PACE
August 2, 2010 - 2:24PM

AP

US President Barack Obama will set a course for America's changing mission in Iraq on Monday as the US military prepares to end its combat operations there.

In a speech at the national convention of the Disabled American Veterans in Atlanta, Obama was to address the progress being made to meet his deadline of drawing down all US combat troops by the end of the month.

A transitional force of 50,000 US troops will remain to train Iraqi security forces, conduct counterterrorism operations and provide security for ongoing US civilian efforts.

Advertisement: Story continues belowObama has said all US troops will be gone from Iraq by the end of next year.

At the same time Obama has drawn down forces in Iraq, he has increased the US commitment in Afghanistan, ordering a surge of 30,000 additional troops.

But with casualties on the rise, there are fresh concerns about the nine-year mission in Afghanistan, as well Obama's plan to begin withdrawing troops in July 2011, a timetable that critics say will embolden the Taliban and other extremist groups in the region.

Facing a potential loss of public and congressional support for the Afghanistan war, the White House is painting the US mission there as humble and achievable: keeping the region from being a haven for terrorists.

"What we're looking to do is difficult, very difficult, but it's a fairly modest goal," Obama told the CBS Sunday Morning show.

During his remarks on Monday, Obama is also expected to speak about the government's efforts to support troops serving in both Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as veterans of other wars.

Obama was to then attend a fundraising lunch for the Democratic National Committee, his latest stop in a fundraising sprint that also includes events in Chicago later this week.

© 2010 AP

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