Iraq: ‘Worth the price in blood’
Defence Secretary Leon Panetta says lives were not lost in vain as the US formally end operations in Iraq, ahead of a complete withdrawal of troops after nearly nine years of war.
The ceremony marking the closure of the the US military headquarters in Iraq comes after US President Barack Obama hailed the “extraordinary achievement” of the war in a speech welcoming troops home.
Attending the ceremony in Baghdad US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said: “Today some five years later, after a great deal of blood has been spilled by both Iraqis and Americans, the mission of an Iraq that could govern itself has become real.”
He claimed lives had not been lost in vain. “They gave birth to an independent, free and sovereign Iraq,” Panetta said.
Panetta predicted that Iraq would be “tested” by terrorism, economic challenges and the demands of democracy. But said the US would be on hand to help Iraq with a “significant diplomatic presence”.
Several thousand remaining US soldiers will depart in the coming days, leaving no more American troops in a country where there were once nearly 170,000 personnel on more than 500 bases.
The remaining American presence and influence in Iraq will now be focused on the large US embassy in Baghdad, containing as many as 15-16,000 personnel.
The withdrawal will end a war that left at least 100 000 Iraqis and nearly 4,500 American soldiers dead, and 1.75 million Iraqis displaced.
Obama pays tribute
The US president paid tribute to about 3,000 soldiers gathered at Fort Bragg in North Carolina on Wednesday, saying he was proud to welcome them home after what he called an “extraordinary achievement”.
“I want to speak to you about the end of the war in Iraq,” he said, as hundreds of soldiers cheered in appreciation.
“Over the last few months, the final work of leaving Iraq has been done. Dozens of bases … that house American troops have been closed down or turned over to the Iraqis.
Referring to the campaign he once called “dumb” he said: “One of the most extraordinary chapters in the history of the American military will come to an end. Iraq’s future will be in the hands of its people. America’s war in Iraq will be over.”
He said the war was a source of great controversy at home – with patriots on both sides of the debate. But he said there was one constant – “the patriotism of the troops and their commitment to fulfil the mission”.
Obama’s comments came as Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, continued his visit to the US to finalise arrangements for the withdrawal.
Meanwhile, in Fallujah, thousands of people reportedly took to the streets to celebrate on Wednesday shouting slogans in support of the “resistance”, a reference to two intense battles with US forces.
