Around the beginning of May, and after resurgence of violence in Iraq, reports from Iraqi government came to reassure the American withdrawal from urban areas by the 30th of June, while working towards a full withdrawal from Iraq by the end of 2011.

But it seems like plans are changing:

US army’s chief of staff in Iraq said at a briefing that US forces are ready to stay in Iraq for 10 more years despite previous plans.

“Casey said several times that he wasn’t the person making policy, but the military was preparing to have a fighting force deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan for years to come. Casey said his planning envisions 10 combat brigades plus command and support forces committed to the two wars.”-The Associated Press

General George Casey blamed it on “Global trends”, and said that they are going in the wrong direction all of which makes one wonder if the term: “global trends” used by General Casey is in anyway related to Iraqi oil...hmmmm