Six years and two months after former President Bush stood under the infamous “Mission Accomplished” banner atop the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln and announced the end of major combat operations in Iraq, United States combat troops have removed themselves from Iraq’s urban areas into more secure and remote bases of operations.

 It is from these posts where our brave men and women are now slated to conduct limited operations to keep major transportation avenues free from insurgent obstruction and to provide assistance to Iraqi security forces — should it be requested by the Iraqis themselves. Gone are the days of major U.S. led combat operations that are not first approved and probably directed by Iraq’s leadership.