Keith Oberman interupted normal MSNBC programming with breaking news that the last combat troops were in the process of leaving Iraq. MSNBC’s exclusive coverage included Richard Engel who was embedded with troops in the final caravan.
50,000 personnel remain in Iraq in what is defined as the “Training” phase of the mission. They are not intended for combat.
“NBC News: The last U.S. combat forces are about to cross the border into Kuwait, bringing to a close nearly 7½ years of a war that overthrew Saddam Hussein, forever defined the presidency of George W. Bush and left more than 4,400 American service members dead. ”
At roughly 7:19pm EST Keith Oberman noted the time when the embedded correspondent Richard Engel crossed the border and its symbolic importance.
CNN and FOX News lag in coverage of this event and did not report on it until 30 minutes after MSNBC. Rachel Maddow commented on how exclusive this assignment was for MSNBC.
