The new name is intended to reflect the reduced role of U.S. troops. The name will be activated in September of this year when it is expected that the number of troops will be reduced to approximately 50,000. Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States, this operation has been known as “Operation Iraqi Freedom.” Casualties since the beginning of the operation have included over one million Iraqis (1/5 of Iraqi households have lost a member), 4,376 U.S. soldiers, and over four million displaced Iraqis. U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says that this will be “a strong signal that Operation Iraqi Freedom has ended and that our forces are operating under a new mission.”
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