Pulling out?

The last U.S. combat brigade serving in Iraq has driven out of the country and into Kuwait, where troops fired up cigars and unfurled American flags to celebrate the exit.

The last U.S. combat brigade serving in Iraq has driven out of the country and into Kuwait, where troops fired up cigars and unfurled American flags to celebrate the exit.

It was a long and bloody tour, and we wish the combat troops God's speed in their return home. Unfortunately, the reality for many of them will be a future deployment to Afghanistan.

While more than 50,000 active U.S. military members will remain in Iraq until the end of next year, their mission is focused on training Iraqi forces. Now it is the Iraqis' responsibility to handle their own security.

Nearly seven and half years after U.S. troops invaded Iraq under the false belief that Saddam Hussein was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction, there is some optimism in Iraq that once seemed impossible.

But there are also many risks and potential pitfalls.

It's expected they will act very much like combat troops. The private guards would scan radar for rocket attacks, fly reconnaissance drones, search for roadside bombs "and even staff quick reaction forces to aid civilians in distress," The New York Times notes. That kind of engagement reminds us of the controversial Blackwater employees shooting Iraqi civilians while protecting their state department clients.

And the private troops will work with much more than rifles and pistols. The state department is buying 60 mine-resistant vehicles, a fleet of armored cars, three planes and 29 helicopters.

Separately, many reporters are quoting sources who warn that Iraq's fledgling government might not be as willing to see American troops leave by the end of next year as officials now contend. That's a subject the Obama administration is loath to discuss publicly, but keeping troops in the country beyond 2011 is a realistic possibility.

Despite these risks and future unknowns, it was satisfying to watch images of troops peacefully rolling out of the country. The price our troops paid in this grueling war was staggering, but we salute their service.