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AFTER NEARLY NINE years, 4,500 American dead, 32,000 wounded and more than $800 billion, US officials formally shut down the war in Iraq — a conflict that US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said was worth the price in blood and money, as it set Iraq on a path to democracy.
Panetta stepped off his military plane in Baghdad as the leader of America’s war in Iraq, but will leave as one of many top US and global officials who hope to work with the struggling nation as it tries to find its new place in the Middle East and the broader world.
More than 100,000 Iraqis have been killed since the US invasion in 2003, according to the Iraq Body Count website. Bombings and gun battles are still common. And experts are concerned about the Iraqi security force’s ability to defend the nation against foreign threats.
Still, Panetta said earlier this week, the war “has not been in vain.”
Panetta and several other US diplomatic, military and defense leaders participated in a symbolic ceremony during which the flag of US Forces-Iraq was officially retired, or “cased,” according to Army tradition.
The US Forces-Iraq flag was furled — or wrapped — around a flagpole and covered in camouflage. It will be brought back to the United States.
“You will leave with great pride — lasting pride,” Panetta told the troops. “Secure in knowing that your sacrifice has helped the Iraqi people to begin a new chapter in history.”
During a stop in Afghanistan this week, Panetta described the mission as “making that country sovereign and independent and able to govern and secure itself.”
That, he said, is “a tribute to everybody — everybody who fought in that war, everybody who spilled blood in that war, everybody who was dedicated to making sure we could achieve that mission.”
Iraqi citizens offered a more pessimistic assessment. “The Americans are leaving behind them a destroyed country,” said Mariam Khazim of Sadr City. “The Americans did not leave modern schools or big factories behind them. Instead, they left thousands of widows and orphans.”
A member of the political coalition loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr saw another message in the US withdrawal. “The American ceremony represents the failure of the US occupation of Iraq due to the great resistance of the Iraqi people,” said Sadrist lawmaker Amir al-Kinani.
Panetta echoed President Barack Obama’s promise that the US plans to keep a robust diplomatic presence in Iraq, foster a deep and lasting relationship with the nation and maintain a strong military force in the region.
As of today, there were two US bases and about 4,000 US troops in Iraq — a dramatic drop from the roughly 500 military installations and as many as 170,000 troops during the surge ordered by President George W. Bush in 2007, when violence and raging sectarianism gripped the country.
All US troops are slated to be out of Iraq by the end of the year, but officials are likely to meet that goal a bit before then.
The total US departure is a bit earlier than initially planned, and military leaders worry that it is a bit premature for the still maturing Iraqi security forces, who face continuing struggles to develop the logistics, air operations, surveillance and intelligence sharing capabilities they will need in what has long been a difficult neighborhood.
US officials were unable to reach an agreement with the Iraqis on legal issues and troop immunity that would have allowed a small training and counterterrorism force to remain. US defence officials said they expect there will be no movement on that issue until sometime next year.
Still, despite Obama’s earlier contention that all American troops would be home for Christmas, at least 4,000 forces will remain in Kuwait for some months. The troops will be able to help finalize the move out of Iraq, but could also be used as a quick reaction force if needed.
Obama met in Washington with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki earlier this week, vowing to remain committed to Iraq as the two countries struggle to define their new relationship.
Ending the war was an early goal of the Obama administration, and today’s ceremony will allow the president to fulfill a crucial campaign promise during a politically opportune time. The 2012 presidential race is roiling and Republicans are in a ferocious battle to determine who will face off against Obama in the election.
Panetta acknowledged the difficulties for Iraq in the coming years, as the country tries to find its footing.
“They’re going face challenges in the future,” Panetta said yesterday during a visit with troops in Afghanistan. “They’ll face challenges from terrorism, they’ll face challenges from those that would want to divide their country.
They’ll face challenges from just the test of democracy, a new democracy and trying to make it work. But the fact is, we have given them the opportunity to be able to succeed.”
The ceremony at Baghdad International Airport also featured remarks from Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Lloyd Austin, the top US commander in Iraq.
Austin is leading the massive of shuttering hundreds of bases and combat outposts, and methodically moving more than 50,000 US troops and their equipment out of Iraq over the last year — while still conducting training, security assistance and counterterrorism battles.
The war “tested our military’s strength and our ability to adapt and evolve,” he said, noting the development of the new counterinsurgency doctrine.
Over the coming days, the final few thousand US troops will leave Iraq in orderly caravans and tightly scheduled flights — a marked contrast to the shock and awe that rocked the country on March 20, 2003, as the US invasion began.
Saddam Hussein has been ousted, the reports of weapons of mass destruction largely laid to rest. And the future of a nascent democracy awaits.
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And what did they achieve? What a waste of time, money & unnecessary loss of alot of lives.
oil
The arms industry had a few big pay days,so not a complete waste.
Removed a dictator and installed a semi functioning democratic system?
John. I was just going to say that. The republicans are saying the withdrawal is premature. The arms industry in America must be fuming. They will be working overtime now to find another villain.
2003 – US needs oil
2012 – US has oil
It does reflect on how incredibly self-focussed the US still is, suggesting that the withdrawal of the last American troops marks the end of the war. Not the ceasing of insurgents vs. the state fighting or anything like that, just the fact that America is gone, that’s it. Disgusting how they give themselves this importance and neglect the remnants of families and infrastructure left behind.
“War is young men dying and old men talking” how true, achieved nothing but devastation and needless loss of life, so tragic
To quote Churchill, ‘this is not the beginning of the end but the end of the beginning’, as least as far as poor Iraq is concerned. What a barefaced cheek to declare the war is over.
This is the actual quote: Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.
You’ve got very serious lately. God be with the days when your posts used to crack me up laughing.
I guess there are many ways to be cynical about this. But, it’s nearly christmas, and a war is over. That’s good, right?
tell that to the victims, the armless the legless the blind and the insane!
This war should never have happened. The US government said they were out to get Saddam Hussein but really they were after his oil. Yes Saddam was a danger but 8 years of war was not necessary. RIP to all those who died on both side.
Wars are won and lost, not just declared to be over by one side.
What has it achieved – r u serious???? Saddam Hussein is gone and his baathist / pan-arabist dictatorships are falling like dominos (as predicted by W’s administration) but, more importantly and not often spoken, the balance of power in the Islamic world between Shia and Sunni has shifted and should keep their focus on that issue and off tall towers and trains in the West for a while
Saddam Hussein would probably have died of old age before he caused the deaths of that many people.
Who put Saddam and the Baathists in power in the first place Patrick? Who supported Iraq in the Iran-Iraq war? The good ole US of A that’s who. As for the Sunnis and the Shia, well you have the Saudis stirring up the Sunnis and the Iran winding up the Shities so pretty soon Iraq will turn into another bloodbath but you can bet your bottom petro-dollar that America won’t intervene then.
The Iraq war has moved Iraq into the Shia camp but as a weakened player because of the sizable Sunni minorities. Don’t underestimate the cold and sometimes hot ware between Shia and Sunni for dominance of Islam – it’s been going on a lot longer than the struggle between capitalism and communism. IMHO its a clear strategic victory to avert focus off aggressive, indiscriminate and totally evil attacks in the West to tit-for-tat attacks (still totally evil and indiscriminate attacks) in the mid-east between these camps. Saudi Arabia, Eygpt and Turkey are now worried as Shia Islam continues to grow in influence though it remains a minority in the greater scheme of things
Patrick, while the Sunnis and Shiities might kick off in Iraq I don’t think that this is going to shift focus off attacks on the West. If the US thinks that this will happen the are sorely mistaken. Instead what will happen is a proxy war in the ME in Iraq which will totally destabilise the whole region while the various AQ affiliated groups will continue on attacks on Western targets.
Its bullshit. They are never leaving Iraq or germany or france or cuba or guam or south korea or granada or libya or kuwait or afghanistan or poland or bosnia or ecudor or the philipines or somalia or yemen or france or nigera or japan or vietnam etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc. They have built 3 super bases in Iraq. Google it!
Iraq is not only significant for its oil but for its strategic military location. It has access to the sea and borders many other middle eastern countries. What we are seeing here is modern day colonialism at its most subtle but thankfully the Irish are largely aware of it.
There is a US base in Cuba, ninety miles off Florida. This is the only piece of foreign land that the US have kept. I don’t know where there are huge bases in France of Germany or Japan or Libya. The US may have been mistaken in the occupation of Iraq, but it is over. By the 1st of January, you will not find an American soldier in the country. They are at home with their families. Iraq is now a historical event, so there is no need to jump in with capital lettering lacking anti- US remarks.
Ah yes Graham, that’s the Obama doctrine of only looking forward and not looking back.
Thus allowing for any atrocity.
It must be nice to have the memory and sensibilities of a goldfish.
A useless war they started themselves. Ridiculous war mongering Americans!!!
Getting rid of Saddam, sponsor of suicide bombers, was useful.
I guess they’re leaving coz they have got what they set out to get…..OIL.
Even more importantly, the guarantee that oil will be again be sold in $dollars. Just like Libya. War seems to come to any countries door that decides to trade in anything else, it’s been that way since the early 50′s starting in S. America
Where to next!…..watch the brits lead the charge into the next one…….nothing like a good long war (that you know you can’t loose) to help ease the burden of recession
First it was saddam was best buddies with al Qaeda and was training and arming them , then came weapons of mass destruction and a nuclear bomb delivered to the uk in 45 minutes, all of which turned out to be complete fabrication, then it was to save Iraq from saddam ( operation ” Iraqi freedom”) if you want to know the truth about the Iraq war hop on to documentary wire and educate yourself , I would recommend ” no end in sight” to start off with. And make sure to read up on ” the project for a new American century” which bush basically adopted as u.s. Foreign policy after 9/11, which is the real reason behind the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the coming war in Iran , it is not just about oil , it is about america’s domination of our world, financially, geopolitically, strategically and ultimately ideologically and wo betide anyone who disagrees with them…..
Panneta in July of this year..”“The reason you guys are here is because on 9/11 the United States got attacked,” he told troops at Camp Victory, the largest U.S. military outpost in Baghdad. “And 3,000 Americans — 3,000 not just Americans, 3,000 human beings, innocent human beings — got killed because of al-Qaeda. And we’ve been fighting as a result of that.” This guy is the Secretary of Defence and he still hasn’t a clue of what is going on.
The thumbs down brigade should really get their collective heads out of their asses and see what’s happening in the world and for the correct reasons before trolling sites and people who took the time to open a book and learn what has been ongoing in the world for the last 100 years, There’s an abundance of literature on social and historical events that shine a light on the subtle true history and future plans that are happening around us but is masked by lies, filtering of truth and deception. As Pongthegrino mentioned above The Project for a New American Century would be a good start or America’s “War on Terrorism” by Michel Chossudovsky
to give an eye opener to what really is at play behind closed doors.
Soldiers work for corporations interests, not protecting democracy, and the only thing i read from this is, Where are they being sent to now?
you are right
what is really surprising in this day and age is that anybody would even bother to pretend otherwise
it isn’t as if we live in an ethically based world in any other domain so why insist on it in this one
the american is corrupt and self seeking. but this shouldnt suprise anybody. it always has been. it is very hard to recall a time when the americans ever did anything in the interests of democracy. i suppose thier argument would be ‘why should we’. they act out of self interest and probably believe that this overrides any ethical considerations. if the two ever coincide it is just that: coincidence (and rare good luck for civilians and non combatants
A lot of the US troops are redeploying to train ‘ resistance fighters’ for the coming ‘ democracy makeover’ in Syria. The war machine knows no end.
War what war? they ousted saddam after a couple of months all they have been doing since is fighting some insurgents wouldnt exactly call it war.when they went Vietnam and got there ass kicked now that was a war.
Obama is an atrocious fraud.
He tried to change the SOFA terms to enable the US to stay in Iraq and then when it failed, proclaimed that he succeeded in getting the troops home.
He pushed for the NDAA changes this week that essentially allows for military arrests with no civilian oversight, indefinite detentions ….
The list goes on.
I put it that the erasure of regular Americans rights was the real reason for this ‘war on terrorism’.
If this was attempted in any European country, well it just wouldn’t.
Imagine if the Garda / Army could come into your house when you weren’t there to look around without any warrant needed, termed ‘sneak & peak’ you’d be in America.
The list goes on and it’s really disgusting when you wonder why a lot of American citizens are so proud of their freedom. Frog, pot and hot water comes to mind.
There may be problems in little Ireland and across the rest of Europe, but believe me this is a great place to live with real freedoms and not just a jingoistic song about having freedom.
Peace.
D
How can they invade Iran if all their troops are in Iraq? Their troops are only going home to see their families for a while.
Watch this space WWIII is coming, it’ll make the recession look like a day in the park. War mongering b@@@@@@s
Not content with illegally kidnapping, imprisoning, torturing and killing other nationalities without having to provide any evidence whatsoever they are now passing a bill in the US to do it legally. http://www.naturalnews.com/034414_NDAA_military_detention_Bill_of_Rights.html RIP freedom.
Anyone still remember when a year working in a top of the range Iraqi hospital gave many a young Irish nurse or doctor the deposit on a house? Easy to destroy a whole infrastructure. Not so easy to rebuild it.
Iranian Chappies: “oh right – I suppose we better go home as well then”. Not.
Have you recently changed your profile picture?
Got an Elvis suit for my birthday Réada!
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