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UK remembers 'great suffering' in Iraq war as US withdraws

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, Dec 15, IRNA -- British Foreign Secretary William Hague said that the withdrawal of the US military forces from Iraq on Thursday closes an 'important chapter in Iraq's recent history.'

'We remember those British, American and other coalition military personnel who were killed or injured in Iraq, and the great suffering among ordinary Iraqis as the country has struggled to overcome terrorism and insurgency,' Hague said.

Iraq Body Count documented the killing of up to 113,728 civilians in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion to overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein based on false evidence.

Some 4,486 American troops were also killed during the war as well as 316 non-US forces, including 179 from the UK, which withdrew in 2009.

'Looking to the future, I hope to see continued improvements in security and the strengthening of Iraq's young democracy. We will continue to work with the Government and people of Iraq to that end, supporting all Iraqis in the political, social and economic development of their country,' Hague said.

But Stop the War Coalition, which opposed the invasion, said it was joining Iraqi Democrats against Occupation in a picket outside the US Embassy in London on Saturday to mark the scheduled withdrawal.

“Demonstrators will be demanding the expulsion of all American mercenaries, military advisers and trainers and reduction in the size of the American embassy in Baghdad,” Britain's biggest peace group network said.

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Islamic Republic News Agency/IRNA NewsCode: 30714319