Meh. Maybe it'll help with morale, but I see no reason for this.
BAGHDAD, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- The war in Iraq has a new name, "Operation New Dawn," to reflect the reduced role U.S. combat troops are playing, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said.
The new name will go into effect in September, when U.S. combat troop levels are supposed to drop to about 50,000, The Washington Post reported Friday.
Since 2003, the war has been known as "Operation Iraqi Freedom."
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Changing the name at the same time the mission shifts sends "a strong signal that Operation Iraqi Freedom has ended and our forces are operating under a new mission," Gates said.
The decision has drawn some criticism, ABC News reported.
"You cannot end a war simply by changing its name," Brian Wise, executive director of Military Families United, said in a statement. "Despite the administration's efforts to spin realities on the ground, their efforts do not change the situation at hand in Iraq."
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