U.S. Army Spc. Alexander McMillan, 22, from Danville, Calif. stands guard near a 'Sons of Iraq' checkpoint guarded by a U.S.-backed Sunni fighter in the village of Abu Seeyah in Diyala province, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)From Yahoo News/AP:
BAGHDAD – Iraq's three-member presidential council on Thursday approved a security pact with the United States that sets out a three-year timeframe for the full withdrawal of American troops, a spokesman said.
The panel's approval was the final step for the agreement, which replaces a U.N. mandate that expires on Dec. 31.
It came one week after Iraq's parliament signed off on the deal following months of tough talks between U.S. and Iraqi negotiators that at times seemed on the point of collapse, and then days of hardscrabble dealmaking between ethnic and sectarian groups.
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My Comment: This final approval means only one thing ..... without an unraveling of the security situation, American soldiers will soon be going home (or going to Afghanistan).