Kirkuk, Iraq (CNN) -- The American military footprint in the volatile northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk has all but disappeared ahead of a year-end deadline to withdraw, raising questions about the security of a small contingent of State Department employees and contractors staying behind. The questions come as Iraqi and U.S. officials welcomed what they have called in recent weeks a new phase in the American-Iraqi partnership. "We are absolutely committed to be your partner to the extent you want us to be," Vice President Joe Biden told Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki during a visit last week to Iraq.
@highlight
The U.S. State Department is taking over where the American military leaves off as it withdraws from Iraq
@highlight
"We do not have a combat mission. Period," the military liaison in Kirkuk tells CNN
@highlight
The base, formerly known as Camp Warrior, is now called Contingency Operating Site Kirkuk
@highlight
Questions about the security and safety of contractors are being raised as the U.S. military leaves
One attack resulted in the death of an @placeholder soldier and the wounding of at least four others, military officials have said.
While violence has fallen off across much of Iraq, bombings and shootings remain a near-daily occurrence in @placeholder, which is home to nearly a third of the country's oil reserves.