US troops in Iraq on their way to Afghanistan
BAGHDAD — American soldiers who specialize in clearing bombs from roads boarded a plane Thursday from Iraq to the Taliban heartland in southern Afghanistan, part of the largest movement of personnel and equipment between the two war fronts.
The transfer comes as the U.S. military is scaling back its forces in Iraq before a planned withdrawal at the end of 2011, and as President Barack Obama deploys 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan to beef up U.S. operations there.
“Our commanders have decided we’re more needed in Afghanistan than we are here,” said 1st Lt. Chris Selleck. He is one of nearly 500 soldiers of the 4th Engineer Battalion who found out weeks after arriving in Iraq that they would be redirected to Afghanistan.
“Since we are kind of at the beginning of our deployment, they decided to go ahead and ship us over there,” said Selleck.
The battalion began sending troops and equipment — everything from giant tow trucks and bulldozers to desks and chairs — last week.
On Thursday, the transfer moved into its final stages, as soldiers loaded some of the last remaining equipment. Among the items were MRAPs — mine-resistance patrol vehicles — and cargo containers.
The battalion will not be replaced in Iraq, another sign of America’s drawdown in Iraq.
In late March, the Fort Sill, Oklahoma-based 100th Brigade Support Battalion was moved from the giant U.S. base in Balad, 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Baghdad, to southern Afghanistan.
U.S. military commanders have said the sharp decline in violence in Iraq and the increasing capabilities of Iraq’s security forces made it possible to transition the soldiers.
The decline in violence also has given Iraqi leaders opportunities to focus on building sources of revenue.
On Thursday, a senior official overseeing oil and gas licenses in Iraq said the country will keep its late June deadline for bids to develop eight oil and gas fields.
Abdul-Mahdi al-Ameedi said the final contract details will be published later this week.
Meanwhile, the companies have until late June to submit their offers for the 20-year service contracts, al-Ameedi said. He said the winning bids will be announced before July 1.
The service contracts mean companies are paid a flat fee instead of sharing in production revenue.
Associated Press Writer Sinan Salaheddin contributed to this report.
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