Obama Marks End of Iraq Combat Mission
VOA News
31 August 2010
U.S. President Barack Obama says many challenges remain in Iraq, and that his speech to the nation Tuesday night marking the end of the U.S. combat mission there is not a "victory lap."
Mr. Obama told troops Tuesday at the Fort Bliss Army Base in Texas that there is still a lot of work to do to make sure Iraq is an effective partner with the United States.
Many of the soldiers on the base served in Iraq over the seven years of war.
About 50,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq. In his speech Tuesday evening, President Obama is expected to outline the advisory and training role for the U.S. military, and also talk about the challenges in Afghanistan.
President Obama said the mission of providing advice and training is "absolutely critical."
He said Afghanistan will be a tough fight, and that there has been a rise in casualties as the United States takes the fight to al-Qaida, the Taliban and allies of the groups.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Obama telephoned former President George W. Bush, who ordered the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 that toppled Saddam Hussein. Aides say the call lasted a few minutes, but no details were given.
Meanwhile, a U.S. deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, said the White House has called on Iraqi leaders to show a "sense of urgency" in forming a new government. Iraq has been in a political deadlock, after general elections in March produced no clear winner.
In Iraq, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said his country's security forces are ready to assume full responsibility for keeping the country and its citizens safe. On national television, Mr. Maliki said Iraq is a "sovereign and independent" state.
Iraq is on high alert for insurgent attacks after a series of bombings killed dozens of people and underscored the fragility of Iraq's recent security gains.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is in Iraq for talks with Iraqi leaders. He is to preside over a formal change-of-command ceremony Wednesday marking the start of "Operation New Dawn."
The war in Iraq has claimed the lives of more than 4,400 U.S. troops. A group that tracks deaths in Iraq, Iraq Body Count, estimates that 100,000 civilians have died in the conflict.
At the peak, nearly 170,000 troops were in Iraq during the 2007 military surge. American forces will no longer be allowed on combat missions unless requested and accompanied by Iraqi forces.
President Obama has pledged to remove all U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of 2011.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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