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US/Iraq
Obama announces end of US combat operations in Iraq by August 2010
Article published on the 2009-02-27 Latest update 2009-02-27 19:18 TU
US President Barack Obama at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
(Photo: Reuters)
At a military base in North Carolina, US President Barack Obama announced the end of combat operations in Iraq by August 2010. Withdrawal from Iraq was one of Obama's main election campaign promises. Although some troops could remain in the country as part of operations in the country past this date.
The war in Iraq has killed more than 4,250 soldiers, while ten of thousands of Iraqis have died in the conflict.
Obama emphasised the withdrawal of US troops during his election campaign and on Friday laid out a timeline, slightly longer than his original plan for withdrawal in 16 months.
In his own words...
“The next month will mark the sixth anniversary of the war in Iraq, by any measure this has already been a long war.”
“You have fought against tyranny and disorder, you have bled for your best friends and for unknown Iraqis, you have borne an enormous burden for your fellow citizens, while extending a precious opportunity to the people of Iraq.”
“The situation in Iraq has improved, violence has been reduced substantially, from the horrific sectarian killing of 2006 and 2007."
"Al-Qaeda in Iraq has been dealt a serious blow by our troops and Iraq’s security forces, and through our partnership with Sunni Arabs, the capacity of Iraq’s security forces has improved."
US President Barack Obama at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
(Photo: Reuters)
"Iraq’s leaders have taken steps to political accommodation. The relative peace and strong participation in January’s provincial elections sent a powerful message to the world about how far Iraqis have come in pursuing their aspirations through a peaceful political process."
"But let there be no doubt, Iraq is not yet secure, and there will be difficult days ahead."
"The most important decisions that have to be made about Iraq’s future, must now be made by Iraqis."
"We’ve also taken into account the simple reality that America can no longer afford to see Iraq in isolation from other priorities. We face the challenge of refocusing on Afghanistan and Pakistan, of relieving the burden of our military and military families, of rebuilding our struggling economy. These are challenges that we must meet and will meet."
"The first part of this strategy is therefore the responsible removal of our combat brigades from Iraq […] I’ve chosen a timeline that will remove our combat brigades over the next 18 months, so let me say this as plainly as I can, by August 31 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end."
"As I have long said, we will retain a transitional force […] and under the status of forces agreement with the Iraqi government, I intend to remove all US troops from Iraq, by the end of 2011."
Comment...
"We see it as good in some aspects and not enough," says Medea Benjamin, an anti-war activist.
"On the positive side, it is good that there is a plan to withdraw the troops, we feel that it is a response to the movement in this country that put Barack Obama in office, and said we were tired of this war," Benjamin told RFI.
"On the other hand, we don’t agree with the timeline that is even longer than the 16 months he promised, and more importantly we are concerned about the ‘residual forces’, of up to 15,000 troops that would remain in Iraq for an indefinite time," says Benjamin, from Code Pink, a peace movement.
