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February 18th,
2010 - Iraq War to Be Rebranded ‘Operation New Dawn’ |
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Iraq War to Be
Rebranded ‘Operation New Dawn’ From Agence France Presse February 18, 2010 Washington - President
Barack Obama's administration plans to rebrand its military operation in Iraq
"Operation New Dawn," beginning September 1, a Pentagon memorandum
shows. The memo, signed by US
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, shows the Pentagon approving a request to
switch the name of the US military effort in Iraq from its current
designation - "Operation Iraqi Freedom." "The request … is
approved to take effect 1 September 2010, coinciding with the change of
mission for US forces in Iraq. "Aligning the name
change with the change of mission sends a strong signal that Operation Iraqi
Freedom has ended and our forces are operating under a new mission,"
Gates wrote in the memo, first reported by ABC News. The document, which is
addressed to General David Petraeus, the head of US Central Command, adds the
rebranding "presents opportunities to synchronize strategic
communication initiatives ... and recognize our evolving relationship with
the government of Iraq." The move quickly drew
criticism from Military Families United, a national security pressure group. "You cannot end a war
simply by changing its name," Brian Wise, the group's executive
director, said in a statement. "Despite the
administration's efforts to spin realities on the ground, their efforts do
not change the situation at hand in Iraq. "Operational military
decisions should not be made for purposes of public relations but should be
made in the best interests of our nation, the troops on the ground and their
families back home." Obama ran for office in 2008
on a platform that emphasized a pledge to withdraw US troops from Iraq and
focus on the war in Afghanistan. There are now some 97,000 US
troops stationed in Iraq, the first time the number has fallen below 100,000
since the US-led invasion of the country in 2003, according to the Pentagon. That figure is scheduled to
fall to around 50,000 by the end of August, with those troops left behind
functioning in advisory and training roles solely. All US troops are scheduled
to withdraw from Iraq by the end of 2011. Copyright © 2010 AFP. External link: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g1Bg95t6yV42auorK9zui8XPe6Pg |