| DemocracyNow.org - It was one year ago today that the Obama administration officially announced it was pulling the last full US combat brigade from Iraq. Today, roughly 46000 US troops remain in the country, along with more than 64000 private contractors. This week, as Iraq suffers its deadliest violence of the year there is increasing speculation that the Obama administration will extend its occupation of the war-ravaged nation. Earlier this month, the Iraqi government authorized talks on whether to approve keeping thousands of US troops in Iraq beyond a withdrawal deadline of December 31. Democracy Now! speaks to Raed Jarrar, an Iraqi-American blogger and political analyst based in Washington, DC, who was in Iraq two weeks ago. For the complete transcript, to download the podcast, or for more Democracy Now! reports on the war in Iraq, visit www.democracynow.org FOLLOW DEMOCRACY NOW! ONLINE: Facebook: www.facebook.com Twitter: @democracynow Subscribe on YouTube: www.youtube.com Daily Email News Digest: www.democracynow.org Please consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now! today, visit www.democracynow.org |