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Biden Arrives in Iraq to Mark Troop Drawdown

   VOA News 30 August 2010
   U.S.  VP  Joe  Biden  (L)  speaks  with Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S.
   commander  in Iraq (R), with Iraqi FM Hoshyar Zebar (C) in Baghdad, 30
   Aug 2010

Photo: AP

   U.S.  Vice  President  Joe Biden (L) speaks with Gen. Ray Odierno, the
   top  U.S.  commander  in  Iraq (R), with Iraqi FM Hoshyar Zebar (C) in
   Baghdad, 30 Aug 2010

   U.S. Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Iraq on Monday as U.S. troops
   prepared  to mark the Obama Administration's formal end to U.S. combat
   operations.
   A  U.S. embassy official told reporters that Biden landed in the Iraqi
   capital  at  around  6:00  p.m.,  one day before a speech by President
   Barack Obama hailing the major reduction in American troops.
   Just  under  50,000  U.S.  troops  remain in Iraq, down from a peak of
   nearly 170,000 at the height of the 2007 military surge. Additionally,
   U.S.  troops no longer will be allowed to go on combat missions unless
   requested and accompanied by Iraqi forces.
   Biden  is  expected  to begin a shift toward a greater U.S. diplomatic
   role. He is scheduled to hold talks with Iraqi leaders during a period
   of political deadlock over forming the country's next government.
   His  visit  comes  at a time when Iraq is on high alert for attacks by
   insurgents after a series of bombings that killed dozens of people and
   underscored the fragility of Iraq's recent security gains.

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   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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