Iraq - interview

War veterans continue campaign for full US pull-out from Iraq

by Rosslyn Hyams

Article published on the 2009-03-12 Latest update 2009-03-15 09:19 TU

Zack Baddorf, member of Iraq Veterans against the War, March 2009
photo: RFI English

The United States is set to hand over security to Iraq on 1 April, when the Shiite-led government will assume full control of 90,000 US-backed Sunni militiamen - called the Sons of Iraq. US President Barack Obama has set an August 2010 deadline for the withdrawal of most combat troops from the country. But that's not enough, says Zack Baddorf of the Iraq Veterans Against the War, which is campaigning for the withdrawl of all US troops.

Handing over control is “a step in the right direction," said Baddorf. "But we want not just 100,000 to come home, we want all of them to come home, immediately."

He said that the 140,000 US troops in Iraq today - even 140 – are too many.

The US plans to leave a contingent in Iraq after the security transfer to Iraqi authorities next month, which will remain after most troops leave over the next seventeen months.

"I believe the war is illegal, and I believe we need to compensate the Iraqi people for invading their country," said Baddorf. "We also need to respect their wish. The Iraqi people want the US troops to leave, and so we should."

Baddorf is one of the speakers at the Winter Soldier event on 14 March in Freiburg, Germany, where war veterans from the US, Britain and Germany recount their Iraq experiences to anyone and everyone who is interested.

"I did assume there would be a war I would not agree with, but I believe in serving your nation, and that's what I and the others who'll be speaking in Freiburg did: serve their countries,” he said. “And they want to serve their country now by opposing the war."