they are now in kuwait. so is richard engel, the only american reporter embedded with them as the troops pulled out. >> reporter: a short while ago he watched the last american combat troops crossed through this gate leaving iraq and entering here in kuwait. they were from the 4-2 striker brigade based at ft. lewis in washington state. they call themselves the raiders, and now they have a special place in the history of the iraq war. >> we're going home! >> reporter: they were the last 440 american combat troops to leave iraq and enter kuwait. >> it feels great to know that we were -- that this battalion, the 1st and the 38th infantry is the last unit to be in iraq, the last combat unit in iraq. >> reporter: the next stop for them is to go to an american military base here in kuwait and then begin their journey home. richard engel, nbc news at the iraq/kuwait border. >>> that soldier you just saw, steven die wewitt, is from the area. his parents saw their son on tv tonight as his convoy rolled into kuwait. o

their mission was over. >> reporter: it looks like we are crossing into kuwait. i have seen the flashes of some cameras, so there are other journalists there. if you look to the left, there are some soldiers waving this convoy in. >> tonight, we get to see the first homecoming stateside, while the 50,000-plus americans who stayed behind are hoping theirs is a noncombat role. either way, as a young lieutenant said last night, it's the end of an era in u.s. military history. we begin tonight with our chief foreign correspondent richard engel who, again, broke the news on this broadcast last night. tonight finds him in kuwait. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. we are still with soldiers from the 42 stryker brigade. they are based at fort lewis in washington state. they will be heading back there soon. they have now taken all of their equipment out of the strykers that we watched cross from iraq into kuwait last night. this is one of the last steps on their long journey out of iraq. on a windless morning, already nearing 100 degrees at 4:00 a.m

their vehicles are all pointing south to kuwait. they head out in darkness. the soldiers have just left camp liberty in baghdad. it's about 2:00 in the morning. they will be driving for seven hours in the night, then take a break before pushing on to the border. the troops scan the roads, but it's mostly a precaution. the threat of attack is considered low. sunrise comes early here, just 5:00 a.m. they have been driving through the night. daylight gives us our first clear view of the road. the strykers are traveling on iraq's main north-south highway -- smooth, wide blacktop. what a difference to how american troops entered iraq. in 2003, american forces crashed through the desert to stay unpredictable to the iraqi army. also different today, the helicopters over the convoy aren't there to provide overwatch. they're carrying reporters, flying low to take pictures. our own video is broadcast by a satellite truck we affectionately call the bloom mobile. >> because it's an armored vehicle -- >> reporter: it was named after nbc correspondent david bloom. in 2003

the striker patrol rolled into kuwait ahead ofs in iraq will remain. richard engle made the crossing with the four striker brigade and lieutenant steven dewitt. >> to say we were the last combat union in iraq. we were the ones that finished that combat mission and we did it -- we did a really good job. >> dewitt is from san jose. his family watched him on "nbc nightly news." she said her son felt the call of duty the day of the september 11th attacks. >> he, at 16, at september 11th he said i'm going to have to go. and he did. when various family members would say why can't you talk him out of it? why should i? he knows this is what he has to do you want nothing more than your child to feel like they have a duty to the world. >> the dewitts knows their son will be home for at least a year, but some members of his brigade are expected to head into afghanistan eventually. as we said, richard engle crossed the border with the troops. we will talk with him live at 6:30. >> you might want to think twice about serving up eggs for breakfast this morning. the

>> reporter: they were the last 440 american combat troops to leave iraq and enter kuwait. >> it feels great to know that we were -- that this battalion, the first of the 38th infantry, is the last unit to be in iraq, the last combat unit in iraq. >> reporter: the next stop for them is to go to an american military base here in kuwait and then begin their journey home. richard engel, nbc news at the iraq/kuwait border. >>> although combat troops are withdrawing, the u.s. military still has a lot of work to do before it's completely out of iraq. and with more on that, we go to nbc's kristen dahlgren. she joins us now from washington. excuse me. kristen, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, lynn. there were those initial reports that all of the combat troops were out, and then we got word from officials that there actually are 6,000 more remaining but that 4th stryker brigade was the last major combat unit to make it out of the country. the additional 6,000 will be flying out either later on today or trickling out over the next couple of weeks before that august 31st deadline.

combat brigade poured across the border and into kuwait. you guys were with a san jose family watching their son cross over. you can imagine their relief at that as well. over the past 18 months, more than 90,000 u.s. troops pulled out of iraq. 6,000 combat troops do remain. those will continue to trickle out over the next few weeks until we get to the official august 31st deadline. the white house saying everything is on track for that. so 50,000 will then remain, but they are no longer in a combat mission, they are calling it operation new dawn. they will be training security forces in iraq. the end of the way, per se, is not the end of the danger to forces over there. they will continue to be armed, only go out with iraqi forces when asked to, and they will get help they need if they get into trouble. also special forces will continue to work with the iraqi forces on finding terrorists in that country as well. but definitely an historic moment last night as we watched that last major u.s. brigade pull out of iraq what is next for many of

we drove the invading army out of kuwait. it was entirely different, and that is the way it -- >> unfortunately, osama bin laden saw it differently and that is why he attacked. >> now the u.s. must controversy. >> this is an attack on the innocent victims of 9/11. >> we do not want to turn in an act of hate against us by extremists into an act of tolerance of those of religious faith. >> ted olson's wife died in the crash on 9/11. the president stepped into this with a speech he made to muslims. then he qualified and qualified it again and now he is right in the middle of it. >> there are two separate issues. one is how president obama handled it, which is badly. and then there is the issue of the mosque itself, which makes me terribly sad both for the lack of fact about this. it is not at ground zero. it is four blocks away. >> two blocks. >> it is an islamic center that is supposed to be multi-cultural and supposed to bridge bridges. it was originally endorsed by christians and jews in new york. and now is being portrayed a

kind in their lives i have met with president and he expressed his desire for kuwait to become a shareholder in the bank i told him i would advise an investment body responsible for such decisions about this opportunity and they would decide whether it was in line with their plans and strategies and he does not intend to offer the share on the market and they don't want to announce it they're looking for a limited circle of investors searching for strategic investor is sovereign on some fantasy and that's why they are approaching governments such as kuwait and perhaps other gulf countries a what if the ruble has been enjoying a strong rally against the dollar on the back of the rising oil price the russian currency is now for below the psychologically important level of thirty to the dollar looks at the key factors driving the markets. the russian ruble is at a three months high versus the greenback and analysts say the rising oil price is not the only reason for the rally since the start of the year with a huge win for the rubble didn't do anything instrument just because of. the central ba

not a day too soon for many troops. >> getting pack to kuwait, one. knowing everybody else is going to get hurt, two. and going home. >> reporter: for troops who have done two, three, four or more tours here it's a time to exhale. >> immense, immense relief. it's over. it's all over for us. >> reporter: and a time to celebrate. >> go, going to go! >> reporter: for iraq's security forces still battling weekly, sometimes daily insurgent incidents, struggle continues. there are still 59,000 troops in iraq with a goal of reducing that number to 50,000 by august 31st when the combat mission is officially over. rob and vinita? >> what will happen to those troops you mention, those 50,000 remaining? >> those 50,000 troops will remain for at least a year in a supposedly support role. they'll be able to back up iraqi troops as quick reaction forces if asked to do so. of course the special forces will continue their role of hunting down terrorists and aiding the iraqis there. >> john hendren in washington this morning, thank you. >>> in the morning's other majo

the august 31 deadline, not a day too soon for many troops. >> back from kuwait. no one else can get hurt. and, two, we're going home. >> for troops of that done two, three, four or more tours here, it's time to exhale. >> immense, immense relief. it's over, all over for us. >> and a time to celebrate. >> way to go! >> for iraq security forces still battling weekly, sometimes daily insurgent explosions, the struggle continues. now, there are still 59,000 troops in iraq with a goal of reducing that number to 50,000 by the end of the month when the combat mission will be officially over. terry, back to you. >> we've still got 50,000 american troops in iraq. what are they going to be doing? >> that's right. in fact, there will be 6,000 combat troops. this is the last brigade that left but there will be 6,000 combat troops still in iraq until the end of the month. the 50,000 hoo remain will stay a rear and they'll be in a advisory role to come in as a quick reaction force if the iraqis need them and the special operation troops will continue to hunt down terrorists wi

military spokesperson in iraq says the main combat troops moved from iraq to neighboring kuwait on thursday. the pullout happened about two weeks ahead of schedule. the u.s. plans to withdraw several thousand more troops before its august 31st deadline to end the iraqi war. >> as far as getting back to kuwait, one, you know no one else is going to get hurt, and, two, i'm going home. >> 12 months straight being in that vehicle, finally getting out and realizing that this will be the last time i wear that kit in a while is a nice feeling. >> even though five months have passed since parliamentary elections in march, iraq has failed to set up a new administration. extremists have taken advantage of the political confusion to continue their attacks. >>> the first british coalition government since the second world war came in to office 100 days ago. they have had a good start with a healthy level of public support, but one of the coalition partners, the liberal democratic party is experiencing a loss of supporters. nhk world reports on the latest development. >> reporter: following the election

border and into kuwait, really right along the route that some of the u.s. forces had used when the u.s. invaded iraq seven years ago. >> woodruff: now, you mentioned there are 50,000 forces still in iraq. who are they? >> well, judy, 20,000 of them are brigades only they're being called advise-and-assist brigades but they have fulledly same fighting capabilities as the striker brigade that left last night. and the hope is that on the way between now and next december or december a a year and a half hence that they will be mostly advise, assisting, training the iraqi forces. plus there's considerable u.s. intelligence, logistical and airlift support, things that the iraqis still aren't able to do themselves. but these forces, these brigades that remain plus another 5,000 special forces, counterterrorism forces who have not been withdrawn at all will still remain a very potent military presence in this country. >> woodruff: and, margaret, where are all these troops deployed? >> that's an interesting question because i've been here five days and i have not see

he condemned it and called for withdrawal of iraqi forces from kuwait but he did emphasize the importance of considering the needs and potential damage to the people of iraq. if there were a military rather than a diplomatic solution. >> you know the administration here has heralded the arrival of democracy and they feel that democracy for loss of justification weapons of mass destruction then democracy works for us. i asked your husband where will democracy end here. he said to me this. the king has the three elements of government. the legislative. that would be our congress. legal system. that would be our judiciary and at the same time the administration, that would be the executive branch. i have become the father figure in this country. i will protect democracy and i will try to insure that jordanians make democracy here an example to others in this entire region. he is very skillful in his answers and always very royal. my question was, where will democracy end? he seems to be saying that what we have now, a constitutional parliamentary monarchy will continue and that is the democr

. >> reporter: the last major combat brigade rolling out of the border, out of iraq, into kuwait and the end of operation freedom. richard engle made the crossing with the fourth striker brigade and lieutenant steven dewitt. >> it's a good feeling. >> reporter: back home in san jose, dewitt's parents watched their son make it safely out of iraq. >> great knowing he's heading for home. we knew it would be early september. it looks like he's on track for that. >> reporter: the crossing came ahead of schedule before the president's august 31st deadline and seven years and five months after the war began. >> we have the element of surprise. >> reporter: 50,000 troops will remain behind to train iraq's security forces. but today, for these soldiers, it's the end here. >> we're going home! >> reporter: and the beginning of whatever comes next. some of those troops from the 4th striker brigade will be deployed again to afghanistan. the u.s. defense department is reporting 4,419 u.s. military deaths since the 2003 invasion. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, washington. >>> steven dewitt is from th

and now their vehicles just behind me in kuwait. >> richard engel in kuwait for us this morning. with some welcome images, richard, thank you very much. it's now six minutes after the hour. here's meredith. >>> matt, thank you. now to pakistan where those floodwaters have left millions homeless. not expected to fully recede until the end of the month. ann curry joins us by phone from jap dpur, pakistan this morning where she is traveling with the country's president. ann, good morning to you. >> reporter: meredith, good morning. this morning in an exclusive interview with nbc news, his first first since the flood catastrophe, pakistan's president nra dari agreed the catastrophe threatens to destabilize his country. he said as long as militants are using it as an opportunity to gain ground, trying to turn pakistan into a nation like afghanistan. this concern has been echoed, as you know, by u.s. officials, and today senator kerry joined president zardari for a helicopter flight over the flood zone this morning. they saw the scope, the water breaching the canals and the main north/

el ultimo batallon de combate estaba cruzando la frontera hacia kuwait. unos 50 mil soldados de apoyo, sin embargo, permaneceran para brindar seguridad y entrenamiento al ejercito irakí. tendremos un informe completo de este suceso, lo que vendria siendo el principio del fin del conflicto armado en irak. los esperamos esta noche en ultima hora. en última hora ahora regreso contigo maría ma elena. enseguida una mamá le da una bofetada a una bebé en un avión y una aeromoza se la quita veremos qué pasó después y autoridades de salud piden retiro de 200 millones de huevos por posible kocontaminación. . >>> momentos de tensión dentro de un vuelo que se dirigía a alburquerque una asistente de vuelo arrebató a la bebé de los brazos de su madre porque presuntamente la estaba golpeándola policía tefsh bo a las mujeres y a pasajeros y detalerminó que no hubo maltraty no se presentaron cargos americano aire lan cobrará 19 o 39 dólares extra por los ientos en primera fila sólo se pueden comprar en los mostrados del aeropuerto para viajar dentro de

>> the fourth striker brigade crossed over into kuwait last night. as the u.s. mission officially turns from war to diplomacy. >> our commit in iraq is changing from a military effort left by our troops to a civilian effort led by our diplomats. >> comes after the august 31st deadline to end combat operations, not a day too soon for many troops. >> no one else can get hurt. and, two, i'm going home. >> for troops of that done two, three, four or more tours here, it's time to exhale. >> immense relief. all over for us. >> and time to celebrate. for iraq security forces still battling weekly, sometimes daily insurgent explosions, the struggle continues. there are still 59,000 american troops in iraq with a goal of reducing that number to 50,000 by the end of the month. >> john, thanks very much. >> it's 6:32. back here at home, the 39th military police brigade stationed in folsom returned home from iraq last week after severing 11 months. bringing dean general says it seem unbelieve blg the mission in iraq is over but he believes it's about time. he says the missi

cost of the oil price and about an offer of partnership between russia's the bank and the kingdom of kuwait that's on thursday on business. you know the news week prices remain near their twenty two month highs as russia's drought continues to devastate the crops prices soared by a fifth last week alone affecting global exports but the head of the russian grain needy and says prices are unjustified. only four fundamental factors do not support current grain prices last week we reached two hundred forty dollars per ton but this price is quite groundless according to the latest forecast of the global grain council green reserves will reach one hundred ninety two million tons this year compared to last year's record volume of one hundred ninety seven million tons is that really such a big difference if the decrease is just five million tons but the average price has jumped from one hundred eighty dollars to two hundred forty so it's. time now see how the markets are formed and it was a day of losses in moscow both the bourses finished the session in the red order neurochemical among the main l

. 4000 soldiers are making their way to kuwait arriving hours ago this is good news for the soldiers who say they're ready to leave. >> it's good to get to this point everybody's excited and means were finished with this mission. >> were ready we one it's over america. >> event is august 31st of a few hundred members are finishing administrator of missions. 50,000 non-combat troops will stay until the end of next year. and you pulled about president barack obama as religion he is a christian but the poll finds the number of americans are convinced he is the muslims. 18% + 18% believe he is a moslem 40 sorry 34 say he's a christian 43 percent say they don't know of his religion. the survey was done before the mosque controversy. mr. perot, headed to martha's vineyard. president barack obama is the third sitting president to spend time at martha's vineyard. his the third sitting president to spend time on martyrs author the bushes vacation in maine. >> welcome back 6:10 a.m. fog at the golden gate bridge visibility reduced in spots and a lot more drizzled this morning. business news ba

the last combat troops have now left iraq and crossed into kuwait. ktvu is live in the washington d.c. bureau with more on this. good morning, allison. >> reporter: good morning to you. that's right. operation new dawn begins. the next phase of war in iraq focused on rebuilding and securing the country without u.s. combat troops. the last combat brigade is on its way home now. you can see cheers and high fives as the fourth striker brigade second infantry division left iraq and rolled into kuwait. >> it's great to finally be able to start to hand the country back over to the civilians and stuff. >> relief to finally know our tour is over. >> reporter: they are leaving a country that faces enormous challenges that does not have a fully functioning government. 50,000 u.s. troops will stay in iraq for another year in a noncombat role. the state department is beefing up the number of security contractors to take over some of the jobs that had been done by u.s. troops. reporting live from washington d.c., allison burns, ktvu, channel 2 news. >>> it is 6:1

>> the second infantry fourth striker brigade crossed over into kuwait last night. as the u.s. mission officially turns from war to diplomacy. >> our commitment in iraq is changing from a military effort by our troops to a civilian effort led by our diplomats. it's weeks before the deadline to end combat operations, not a day too soon for many troops. >> no one else can get hurt. and, two, i'm going home. >> for troops who have done two, three, four or more tours here, it's time to exhale. >> immense, immense relief. it's over. it's all over for us. >> and a time to celebrate. for iraq security forces, weekly, sometimes daily insurgent explosions, the struggle continues. >> there are still 59,000 troops in iraq with a goal of reducing that number to 50,000 by august 31st when the u.s. military mission is officially over. john hendron, abc news, washington. >> back here sat home the 49th military police bringing gate at the california national guard stationed in folsom returned from iraq last week after serving 11 months. brigadier general donned courier says it seems unbelievab

they have crossed into kuwait. that's two weeks ahead of the president's deadline. 56,000 troops remain there to help train iraqi security forces. >>> if you want to catch up on the latest celebrity news, there is a warning this morning. cameron diaz and jessica beal top the list of the riskiest celebrities to look up online. criminals use the sites to link users to malicious websites that could infect their computers with viruses. once a virus starts spreading they can steal e-mail and critical pass words leading to identity theft. >>> time now 5:47. the chp says the celebrity plastic surgeon killed in a car crash in malibu was texting while driving. this report says dr. frank ryan texting on his phone when his car careened off a cliff right near his home. his ex-girlfriend says the 50- year-old doctor was tweeting about his dog which was also in that car. earlier this year ryan was criticized for performing ten surgical procedures in one day on actress heidi monotag. his death is a reminder of how dangerous it is

they crossed in the early morning hours today from iraq here into kuwait. it was an emotional experience for many of them. they celebrated as they crossed that border. >> we're going home! >> reporter: wrapping up seven and a half years of combat operations in iraq. we've spoken to them today. >> i mean i was in middle school when this happened. i was 12 when the first invasion happened and seven years later i'm here finishing it out. it feels good. >> we've seen just in our short year tour the progress, positive change happen in iraq. we feel good closing out on such a good note. >> reporter: there is no stable iraqi government so even though the troops here feel they have accomplished a great deal during their time in iraq, the future of that country remains to a large degree uncertain. richard engel, nbc news, kuwait. >>> and then finally what the families of those soldiers have been waiting for, their return home for good safely. this w this was what it was like at ft. lewis today. troops that were just days ago in iraq said they were happy to be alive

combat soldier toss it to kuwait gets the gates are closing right now they strike the passing right now. represent the last american combat troops in iraq. but is this anything more than a symbolic exit it was caught on film let's put it this way obama put the deadline for combat troops to leave as august thirty first and even though this was the last brigade there's still a scattering of about six thousand combat troops in the country to have to pack up in the next two weeks and once they're gone well fifty thousand more americans will still be left behind they'll have guns there still troops but hopefully they won't have to use those guns so how do we look at this last combat brigades exit and once they are gone how do we look at the iraq that they're leaving behind earlier i caught up with jon soltz co-founder and chair of vote vets dot org and i first asked him if the media had jumped the gun on this story and acted like the last combat brigade leaving was really the end of the war. the sick the six thousand troops that are left over that's that standard in every operation you're al

la cuarta brigada de la segunda división de infantería partió de irak y anoche cruzó hacia wu kuwait marcando el fin de la misión de combate de una guerra que comenzó hace 7 años en que han muerto más de 4 mil soldados. 56 mil soldados aún permanecen en irak y serán 50 mil a fin de mes kum mraendz kum mraend la promo a de obama lo mejor que nadie más resultará lastimado, han servido hasta 4 giras en irak. me voy dejándolo mejor y me hace sentir bien, ya no patrulla ran las calles su labor será de entrenamiento y 4 mil 500 soldados para operaciones especiales. >>> ahora estados unidos va cambiar su misión y sacar su equipo, su gente poco a poco dejando en lugar las fuerzas necesarias para que irak pueda asumir control de su país. >>> por otra par e te se verá un aumento en la presencia civil hasta 7 mil guardias de seguridad privados, el departamento de estado asumirá responsabilidad como entrenar a la policía. >>> van a sustituir la protección y seguridad interna ciertos elementos serán asesores para que los soldados que queden ahí estén fuera de la ciudad en su mi

soldiers have crossed the border from iraq to kuwait this morning. it is the last american combat brigade to leave iraq. >> the war is winding down ahead of president obama's deadline. t.j. winick has the latest now. good morning, t.j. >> reporter: good morning, rob and vinita. to be clear, the u.s. combat operation is not over until the end of this month, when brigades that are left will be remissioned to advise and assist brigades. it's the last combat brigade to leave iraq. the 4,000 men and women of the 4th stryker brigade 2nd infantry division. after almost seven and a half years of war, these are pictures america has desperately been waiting for. troops rolling across the barbed wire border crossing wednesday out of iraq and into kuwait. there is much to be thankful for. >> immense, immense relief. it's over, it's all over for us. >> reporter: the stryker brigade, named for the vehicle that delivers soldiers into and out of battle, has lost 34 of its troops. it was at the forefront of some of the worst, fiercest fighting, including eastern bagh

the 4,000 soldiers now on their way to kuwait. good news for the soldiers who say they are ready to leave. >> good to finally get to this point. everybody is excited. we are finished with this current mission. >> [inaudible]. one step closer to going home. >> we won. america? >> the role in the country official ends august 31st. about 50,000 noncom bat troops will stay till the end of next year. dan take as look back now that war in iraq. >> coalition forces began striking selected forces. >> reporter: march 20th 2003 the u.s. unleashes [ñindiscernibleñ] -- >> everybody in the house come outside. >> reporter: american troops enter the capital. on may first, president bush declare mission accomplished. iraqi resistance escalades. not till december is saddam captured. the battle for fuluga. the pictures. by september 1,000 americans have died. in 2005 iraqis vote in their first free elections. in october, the american death toll reaches 2000. the u.n. estimates 100 civilians are dying each day. al-qaeda leader is killed, but the g

the same painting was taken from the same museumin' 1978, and was recovered a decade later in kuwait. >>> new rules went into effect today to give credit card users a chance to pay off cards without incurring mass fifth fees for going over theirs limit. it's the third phase of the credit card act. the law bans card issuers from imposing inactivity fees or increase interesting rates without explanation, and caps late fees at $25 if payments aren't late more than once. and advance fees for the larger than the debt held. it allows card issuers to lower consumers who have been in good standing for six months. leigh is back now with the forecast. >> leigh: a beautiful day today. really going to start to heat up monday and tuesday, with temperatures inland close to 100 degrees. we're finally going to see those temperatures rise. nice shot here from the high definition east bay cam, and do you notice anything? no fog, no clouds. okay, maybe few high clouds but really no low cloudiness out there. we will keep it clear throughout the course of the evening. temperatures right now, 85. antioch,

abc news, kuwait. >> terry: in pakistan, the united nations says it needs at least 40 more helicopters to reach tens of thousands of people trapped by flood waters. the -- an estimated six million people have lost their homes. the economic cost is expected to reach the billions of dollars. >>> volunteersvolunteers in mils is working to fill two trucks. they are asking for donations of clothing, canned goods and blankets. within two days of there dropoff locations. >> over 50 collection drives are being done throughout the united states. 15 plus that we know about in the bay area. and we're collecting all kinds of blankets, winter clothing, and -- >> terry: if you want to help the people of pakistan, we have information on how you can. good to abc-7 news.com and click on "see it on of." still to come, that nationwide egg re-call is getting bigger. the california company that is now involved. and a big warmup business -- warmup is coming. leigh glaser well tell us about it after the break. >> terry: the six-month ban on oil drilling in the gulf of mexico will cost more than 20,000 jobs,

from the people at iraq, with the convey and saying that the last troops crossing the boarder into kuwait. and the pentagon saying that 50,000 troops will remain in iraq indefinitely, but focusing on a civilian role than a military role. >> all of this talk is stirring a good deal of light on the future of iraq, isn't it jane, including that suicide bombing that killed 60 people on tuesday. and al-qaeda more active, because they know of these u.s. troops are withdrawing. what is washington feeling about that? >> the state department is on air, saying that work in iraq is not over. and the u.s. is very keen to protect the billion investment over the course of 7.5 years. and to see a significant return on the 4,500 lives lost. and what they are saying, that the american presence there will be far more supported one but responsibility of iraq rests firmly with the iraqi government. but the spokesman said that clearly there is a lot of violence in iraq. but not as at the peak of the war. and there are rivalries that still need to be handled. but will american presence will be focused far more

they crossed into kuwait. that leaves only the security forces behind. ktvu's alison burns is in washington, d.c. with all of the details. >> reporter: now "operation new dawn" begins, the next phase of the war in iraq, focused on rebuilding and securing the country without u. combat troops. the last combat brigade is on its way home. you can see there were cheers and high-fives as the 4th stryker brigade 2nd infantry brigade left iraq and rolled into kuwait. >> we've been working toward this for the last seven and a half years and turning the country back over to the civilians there. >> reporter: the troops are leaving a country that's still facing enormous challenges that does not have a fully functioning government. 50,000 u.s. troops will stay in iraq for another year in a non- combat role and the state department is beefing up the number of security contractors to take over some of the jobs that had been done by u.s. troops. reporting live from washington, d.c., alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. >> okay, alison. thank you. >>> well, the iraq war ac

i don't think huts hus would have invaded kuwait. >> rose: that was the first gulf war. >> incidentally, i have a feeling the soviet union might even have restrained milosevic. one of the consequences of the end of the cold war is a lot of small vicious local totalitarians become more powerful than we thought they would be. >> rose: the soviet union was exercising some kind of positive influence over the client states. >> i still say negative, but it was restraining. >> rose: restraining, okay. >> it was their armor, their pay mast ethe trainer of the secret police. none of these things was positive, but in return tdidn't expect to launch mad adventures to upset international. >> i think he wanted to complete what he thought was the national outline of-- he thought kuwait was a missing province. also gave him control of an enormous amount of oil resources, and he was by then within measurable distance of the weapons. apart from the kurds in iraq, those are the people who saddam did use his weapons of mass destruction on. the persian enemy is the historic one. >> rose: is the guiding pri

combat crosseded border into kuwait nearly two weeks before the president's ending combat operation. the fourth striker second infantry division leas 56,000 troops in iraq. by the end of the month that will drop to 50,000 serving training and support rules. >> our commit in iraq is changing from a military effort led by our troops to a civilian effort led by our diplomats. >> president obama promised a complete withdrawal by the end of 2011 but there are concerns about iraq's built to protect and govern itself. the country doesn't hav a federal govement more than five months after its national election. just this week a suicide bomber killed more than 60 military recrui. but u.s. troops heading home. >> we're gng home! we won! it's over! >> they've done their job and done it well. >> i didn't get to have anything to do with the initially force intoraq but we got to close it out. a petty good feeling for my troops. >> but the war has come at great cost. 4400 u.s. troops have beenÑç killed since the invasion of iraq. 34 of th from striker brigade. some of the troops leaving iraq are

the last combat convoy is now pushing its way out of iraq, into kuwait. but this is the 4th stryker brigade. there's still a couple hundred members of this brigade, combat members of this brigade, who stayed behind in iraq, to finish up some logistical duties. they're not going to fly out of iraq until later thursday. there's also another 56,000 u.s. troops still in iraq. now, 50,000 of them will stay beyond next month. they'll stay to the end of 2011. but you've still got the matter of those 6,000 troops still there. now, they're not designated necessarily combat troops. a pentagon spokesman said, look they can still perform a combat function. and our combat mission doesn't end in the end of the month. he said, in fact, a couple of them were originally combat brigades but they got transitioned to this new role of advise and assist, which is going to become the main u.s. mission once the handover takes place at the end of august. >> larry: thanks for clearing that up. chris lawrence. he's been on the scene all day. chris lawrence, cnn pentagon corresponde

combat troops are out of iraq tonight to be the last brigade left iraq today and darnell and kuwait. the departure of the fourth strike brigade and combat there. 50,000 servicemen and women will stay in another year in non-combat roles and the troops left iraq ahead of the august 31st deadline. >>> concerns about the salmonella hawk outbreak prompted the centers for disease control to expand a egg recall that includes 32 32 million but egg current. as health and science editor at john fowler reports it may be the largest ever recall of fresh eggs. >> the eggs were sold by safeway and other stores and could contain dangerous salmonella bacteria. >> more than 100 bay area people did and became sick. this is salmonella, an unusual package and studied in this uc- berkeley in lab. illnesses are relatively common. >> of >> about 10,000 cases a year. >> reporter: it occurs inside the egg as well as on the salmonella. >> high fevers, diarrhea, vomiting and usually they recover. >> reporter: how do you know kretek the packaging and. the first recall plant numbers are 1026 with pack dates betw

they, all year long, from iran, kuwait. >> in fact, i do not know because i have no knowledge. but the people of iraq and the government of the back -- of iraq, the law is the law changed. >> but he and the city are determined their spirit will not be defeated. bbc news. >> now, the recent heat wave had a huge impact on russia, of course, and now the world may be paying the price. global wheat prices have skyrocketed. emma sansom reports. >> this is a country bread there is no shortage of land, but always the perfect climate. -- this is a country where there is no shortage of land, but not always the perfect climate. this is what they call the black earth. this is incredibly fertile. most farming -- most farmers would die to get their hands on it. a look at it now. it is bone dry. you need to get wheels to get around this mega-farm with its nearly 1000 hectares of land. it is managed by the biggest agricultural firm in russia. and they are counting the cost of the drought. their job is to get the best out of these fields. it has been a terrible harvest. he showed me how the cro

under the cover of night, the last remaining fighting forces crossed over iraq's southern border into kuwait for a flight home. >> it was a lot different this time. this time there's finality to it. we're driving out of iraq. we're leaving. peace. we packed the trucks. we're done. we done the handshake, the salute. we're leaving. >> there willstill be a u.s. presence in iraq, however, roughly 56,000 military personnel will stay behind to support and train iraqi forces. the rest of the void is being filled by private security firms. the green zone in downtown baghdad will now be the international zone. >>> here's a look at how the we got to this point. the iraq war began on march 20, 200 #, with the bombing of baghdad. since then 4,415 american service members have died in hostile action. nearly 32,000 american troops have been wounded. there is no confirmed number of iraqi casualties. estimates range from 50,000 to 600,000. >>> students, faculty and staff at college of san mateo, classes have been cancelled because of a power outage. the school thinks water flooded one of the electrical unit

charges laid out in the very loyal wells are detonated thus in certain places a pipe is destroyed and kuwait's are formed simultaneously now and density to take oil will not be hearing the blowing up of the very surface of the pipe. the breaks formed are immediately filled up with rock from the bottom that's how the well is sealed. oil pressure in the pipe me move one of the created plugs but since there are several of them they'll be able to hold the flow of crude oil. this is just one of the possible ways of containing a rapid oil spill but they need to be adapted depending on specific extraction conditions. likewise postville clean amendments must also become more various and more flexible as the world learned in the gulf of mexico tomorrow may be too late. mum. mum. mum. mum. mum. come on. this history still keeps its secrets but now it's time to move feel up to something and farms and auntie some. more news today violence is once again flared up. these are the images the world has been seeing from the streets of canada. china operations are relieved a. mum. the legion as says division. ne

police are up to the task of keeping the country secure, as our middle east correspondent reports from kuwait. >> the end of operation iraqi freedom. the u.s. combat mission in iraq lasted longer than world war ii. now, seven years and five months after the invasion, america's involvement in iraq is over for that phase. >> we won! it is over! i love you! >> for all the hopes of 2003, they are not leaving behind a peaceful country. the departure of the last u.s. combat forces took place in secrecy, at night. roadside bombs are a constant threat. these troops may be going home, but 50,000 remain in a training and advisory role. some of these men were still in school when the war began. others have had three or four tours of iraq. >> it feels good about to head home. at that none of us got hurt and we are going home. >> it has been a costly war. almost 4500 americans lost their lives, countless more iraqis. the official monetary cost to the u.s. taxpayer, one trillion dollars. >> it has been a searing experience, the engagement of iraq combined with afghanistan will make us think twice about und