(22 Oct 2011) SHOTLIST
Washington, DC - 21 October 2011
1. Wide of US President Barack Obama walking into briefing room ++AUDIO AS INCOMING++
2. Mid of Obama at podium
3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Barack Obama, US President:
"A few hours ago, I spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki. I reaffirmed that the United States keeps its commitments. He spoke of the determination of the Iraqi people to forge their own future. We are in full agreement about how to move forward. So today, I can report that as promised, the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year. After nearly nine years, America's war in Iraq will be over."
FILE: Iraq - Date and exact location unknown
4. Wide of American troops on patrol
5. Close-up of US soldier talking to Iraqis
6. Mid of US troops (++SHORT SHOT++)
Washington, DC - 21 October 2011
7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Barack Obama, US President:
"Over the next two months our troops in Iraq, tens of thousands of them, will pack up their gear and board convoys for the journey home. The last American soldier will cross the border out of Iraq with their heads held high, proud of their success and knowing that the American people stand united in our support for our troops."
FILE: Iraq - Date and exact location unknown
8. Tilt up of soldiers raising the American flag
9. Wide of American flags at base
Washington, DC - 21 October 2011
10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Adam Mausner, Centre for Strategic and International Studies:
"The troop pullout definitely creates a major power vacuum in the region, and the Middle East abhors a vacuum, so the withdrawal of US troops creates major leverage for Iran to influence Iraq."
11. Wide of Mausner
12. SOUNDBITE: (English) Adam Mausner, Centre for Strategic and International Studies:
"Iraq has virtually no capability to defend itself externally. The United States is really the only thing protecting Iraq from its neighbours. The Iraqi army lacks armour, air power. It has no air defence capability and no plans to create it any time soon. It really will be a decade or more before Iraq can defend itself."
Oceanside, California - 21 October 2011
13. Wide interior barber shop, near Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
14. SOUNDBITE: (English) Angelo Padina, Lance Corporal, U.S. Marines:
"I think that's great, honestly. It's been a long-fought, hard war. We're very proud of what we've done and accomplished and it's great to have our boys back home."
15. Wide interior of barber shop
16. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rodney Davis, Corporal, US Marines:
"I think it's a good thing. You know a lot of marines don't get the time, or Army men or whatever, to spend time with their family and stuff, so like I say, it's a good thing, you know, get them out of there, get them home safe with their family."
17. Wide of marines having hair cut
STORYLINE:
America's long and deeply unpopular war in Iraq will be over by the end of the year and all US troops will be home for the holidays, President Barack Obama declared on Friday.
Stretching more than eight years, the war cost the United States heavily.
More than 4,400 members of the military have been killed and more than 32,000 have been wounded.
The final exit date was sealed after months of intensive talks between Washington and Baghdad failed to reach agreement on conditions for leaving several thousand US troops in Iraq as a training force.
The US had also been interested in keeping a small force to help the Iraqis deal with possible Iranian meddling.
Obama did not mention the tense and ultimately fruitless negotiations.
In August 2010, he declared the US combat mission over.
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