(CNN) -- The last U.S. combat brigade has pulled out of Iraq, but does that mean the more than 50,000 American troops who will remain there will never fire a shot or come under attack? A total end to violence seems unlikely, retired Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt warns. But Kimmitt, a former assistant secretary of state for political and military affairs, says Iraq's military forces are ready to handle their country's security challenges and protect the American advisers. Kimmitt weighed in on the situation Thursday on CNN's "American Morning." CNN: How vulnerable are we leaving Iraq -- and our remaining troops -- as new spasms of violence occur?
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All fighting unlikely to stop, retired Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt says
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Iraqi forces have been taking the lead for two years, he says
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Sacrifices of blood and resources were worthwhile, Kimmitt says
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Change of mission in Iraq should improve capabilities in Afghanistan, he says
But even with 170,000 @placeholder forces, there were low levels of violence there as well.