" 
And since those posts are lost in the talk page, here's a ""Battle"" that was fought after the Aug 19 date you keep insisting on, Battle of the Palm Grove. If you check the sources, US forces were engaged with insurgents on the ground after Iraqi forces requested assistance. In particular, US Spec Forces were engaged in ""combat"" with insurgents and Us air forces flew ""combat"" missions. And as the NYTimes article stated, US Spec Forces have continued to have ""combat"" missions in conjunction with Iraqi forces. So I really don't understand A) why Aug 19 seems to be so important B) what exactly are these forces doing if they're not fighting a war.  "