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| US troops home from Iraq by Christmas: Obama | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 22 2011, 11:20 AM (350 Views) | |
| shure | Oct 22 2011, 11:20 AM Post #1 |
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US troops home from Iraq by Christmas: Obama Alex Spillius, Washington October 23, 2011 http://www.smh.com.au/world/us-troops-home-from-iraq-by-christmas-obama-20111022-1mdm6.html ![]() US PRESIDENT Barack Obama has announced that all American troops will leave Iraq by the end of the year, bringing a formal close to a long and bloody war that divided his country and harmed its reputation around the world. In a brief appearance at the White House yesterday, Mr Obama said: ''Today I can report that, as promised, the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year. After nearly nine years, America's war in Iraq will be over.'' The remaining 40,000 US troops in Iraq, would, he said, ''definitely be home for the holidays''. He conspicuously declined to repeat the mistake of his predecessor, George W. Bush, who started the war in March 2003 and displayed a ''Mission Accomplished'' banner six weeks later, only for Iraq to descend into years of insurgency and sectarian violence that has claimed at least 100,000 civilian lives. However, Mr Obama said the ''United States is moving forward from a position of strength''. ''The last American soldier will cross the border out of Iraq with their head held high, proud of their service,'' he said. The president stressed that he was meeting a withdrawal deadline reached earlier with the Iraqis, as well as keeping a pledge made as a candidate in 2008 to wind down the controversial war as quickly as possible. Mr Obama has been criticised for failing to use sufficient diplomatic muscle with the Iraqis, and his announcement will raise fears that, after spending hundreds of billions of dollars and losing 4483 American lives, the US before long will yield influence in Iraq to Tehran's terrorism-sponsoring regime. He said discussions with Iraq would continue on ''how the US might assist and train'' the Iraqis, but offered no details. US deputy national security adviser Dennis McDonough suggested that a small US troop presence to the south in Kuwait would be able to respond to any appeals for aid from Baghdad. He denied that the departure would leave the door open to Iranian meddling. ''We don't have concerns about Iraqis being able to exercise the kind of sovereignty they want,'' he said. ''Iran is weaker and more isolated. We don't need to try to exercise our influence through Iraq, we can do that through the United Nations and our friends around the region.'' The President and his aides insisted that the US and Iraq would enjoy a positive relationship as sovereign nations and expressed confidence that Iraq's security forces could keep control despite continued acts of violence. From a peak presence of more than 160,000 at the height of the ''surge'' under Mr Bush, US forces will continue their exodus by road to Kuwait, leaving behind only a contingent of about 150 marines to guard what is the largest US embassy in the world. Mr Obama placed the withdrawal in the context of efforts to transfer responsibility for security to Afghan forces and the stepped-up battle against al-Qaeda in Yemen and Pakistani tribal areas. ''I would note that the end of war in Iraq reflects a larger transition. The tide of war is receding,'' he said. |
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9:42 AM Jul 11