Troops in Iraq transferred to Afghanistan

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Source: CCTV.com | 04-21-2009 14:08

In one of the clearest signs of Washington's shifting wartime priorities, nearly 500 US Army combat engineers are being sent from Iraq to southern Afghanistan.

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Kevin Landers, commander of the the  4th Engineer Battalion is seen in his empty office at  Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, April 20, 2009. (AP Photo/ Maya Alleruzzo)

The transfer of the troops, who specialize in clearing roads of explosives, moved into its final stages on Monday.

It's the largest movement so far of personnel and equipment as US President Barack Obama shifts the focus to the fight in the Taliban heartland.

It's now clear some of the troops and firepower will flow directly from Iraq, where the Pentagon plans to gradually draw down its more than 132-thousand personnel before the withdrawal of all combat forces by September 2010.

Obama has ordered 17-thousand more US soldiers and Marines to Afghanistan to bolster the 38-thousand American troops already battling the resurgent Taliban.

Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Landers says they received word of their reassignment last month. Since then, his troops have conducted routine operations while preparing to depart. They've also held a combat patch ceremony which is usually done when soldiers return home.

Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Landers said, "We wanted our soldiers to understand that they have been to combat and they are shifting from one theater to another...when they return back home."

By the end of next year, the US military presence in Iraq could be down to about 30 to 50 thousand personnel to train and advise local security forces.

Although violence is down sharply across Iraq, a gradual rise in attacks recently has brought worries the relative calm may not last.

Editor:Zhang Yun