US in Final Phase of Iraq War
Al Pessin 01 September 2010
The United States has marked the official end of combat operations in Iraq and the beginning of a transitional operation called "New Dawn."
U.S. military personnel, dignitaries and Iraqi leaders looked on as U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Robert Gates Wednesday presided over a formal change-of-command ceremony in Baghdad.
In a palace once occupied by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, Lieutenant General Lloyd Austin formally replaced General Raymond Odierno as the top commander in Iraq.
Austin will oversee nearly 50,000 U.S. troops staying in Iraq to advise and assist Iraqi security forces as they assume full responsibility for protecting their country.
With large U.S. and Iraqi flags draped side by side, Biden told the audience that the two countries are "bound together by years of shared struggle and significant sacrifice."
Biden assured Iraqis that America remains committed to their country's security, and noted that the United States is ramping up civilian and diplomatic efforts to strengthen Iraq's sovereignty and stability.
Vice President Biden also urged Iraq's political leaders to "match the courage" of its citizens and move quickly to form a unity government, after a March election yielded no clear winner.
Biden restated that America will withdraw all remaining U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of next year.
U.S. President Barack Obama announced the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq in a televised address Tuesday night. He said it is time to move forward now that the Iraqi people have the lead responsibility for their security.
Former U.S. President George W. Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq in 2003 citing reports that the country had weapons of mass destruction. No such weapons were ever found.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
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