Russian Academy of Sciences, a research institution for the study of the countries and cultures of Asia and North Africa. [ Editor’s Note: Since this was published on NEO, we have the news of the agreement to pull all US combat troops out of Iraq, expect for some trainers. Why Iraq after all these years of warfare cannot train its own troops is beyond me. Maybe this is technical training on equipment, but the manufacturers often provide the service using veterans. That said, there was no mention of how many private US combat troops would be left in Iraq. That is one of the invisible parts of the forever wars, which allow withdrawal statements to be made which are only partially true.