Last night I posted that all combat forces had been removed from Iraq. I based my posting on widespread media reports that “Operation Iraqi Freedom” had ended and that combat forces were no longer based in the country.

Well, apparently those reports were — and are — wrong. CBS News’ Mark Knoller reports that many media outlets have jumped the gun.

First of all, our combat mission in Iraq doesn’t end until August 31st. While the final combat brigade was removed from the country last evening, more than 6,000 combat troops remain behind, ready for action.

But even after August 31st, how many troops will remain in the country? About fifty thousand. The only difference? We’ve renamed those troops “advisers” or “trainers”. So we’ve removed combat troops from the country by giving those troops a different name.

So, in review, Operation Iraq Freedom isn’t over and thousands of combat troops remain in the country. Also, about fifty thousand American troops will remain in the country even after the combat troop withdrawal is complete. Tut they’ll be renamed.

So…yeah.