US hands over Iraqi base
- 12 years ago
US armored trucks - on their way out of Iraq.
The vehicles are leaving a strategic base on the Euphrates River, which on Sunday was handed over to Iraqi security forces.
That is part of a US plan to withdraw all but a handful of troops from Iraq by the end of the month.
The contigent of troops based here, at camp Kalsu, are headed for elesehwere in the Middle East, say commanders.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) COMMANDER OF U.S. FORCES IN KALSU BASE, LIEUTENANT COLONEL JASON HAYES, SAYING:
"Preparations to leave the Kalsu right now, we are on schedule to be able to make it out of here before christmas. We'll be leaving here and going to Kuwait and once we get to Kuwait, we will just wait for further orders."
The country-wide withdrawal is a massive effort.
After a decade of fighting, the US military has to move thousands of soldiers and an estimated 3 million pieces of equipment.
Andrew Raven, Reuters
The vehicles are leaving a strategic base on the Euphrates River, which on Sunday was handed over to Iraqi security forces.
That is part of a US plan to withdraw all but a handful of troops from Iraq by the end of the month.
The contigent of troops based here, at camp Kalsu, are headed for elesehwere in the Middle East, say commanders.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) COMMANDER OF U.S. FORCES IN KALSU BASE, LIEUTENANT COLONEL JASON HAYES, SAYING:
"Preparations to leave the Kalsu right now, we are on schedule to be able to make it out of here before christmas. We'll be leaving here and going to Kuwait and once we get to Kuwait, we will just wait for further orders."
The country-wide withdrawal is a massive effort.
After a decade of fighting, the US military has to move thousands of soldiers and an estimated 3 million pieces of equipment.
Andrew Raven, Reuters