19/08/2010 The last US occupation combat brigade pulled out of Iraq on Thursday morning, bringing an end to the combat operations that lasted for more than seven years and claimed the lives of more than 4,000 US occupation troops.
"They have a few more days to clean the equipment, prepare the equipment, get it ready for shipment, and then they'll fly out (back to the United States)."
The pullout comes two weeks before a deadline scheduled for the occupation troops to get out of the Arab country in August 31.
A further 6,000 support troops will be in Iraq until the end of the month, when US combat operations will end.
Some 50,000 US occupation troops will remain until the end of 2011 to advise Iraqi forces and protect US interests.
US officials are saying that the occupation military staying in Iraq is being rebranded from “Operation Iraqi Freedom”-set by US President Barack Obama- to “Operation New Dawn” with a far greater focus on training and advising the Iraqi security forces.
The Officials are also saying that US civilians will also take a more prominent role as the military draws down.
BBC reported that the US military restricted journalists embedded with the brigade from reporting on its movements until they were almost at the border.
It added that after crossing the border, the occupation troops told journalists of their relief at leaving Iraq.
State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said the US had a trillion dollar investment to protect in the country and wanted to honor the memory of the 4,415 US troops who lost their lives in the conflict.
In a letter dated August 18 and posted on the White House website, President Barack Obama hailed the end of combat operations but made no mention of the final combat troops leaving.
"Today, I'm pleased to report that -- thanks to the extraordinary service of our troops and civilians in Iraq -- our combat mission will end this month, and we will complete a substantial drawdown of our troops,"the letter said.
SECURITY FOLLOWING THE WITHDRAW
Concerns have raised among some Iraqi officials that the US occupation forces are leaving Iraq "too soon", with Iraq's top military officer said last week on the sidelines of a defense ministry conference in Baghdad that US forces may be needed in the conflict-wracked nation for a further decade.
"At this point, the withdrawal is going well, because they are still here," Lieutenant General Babaker Zerbari said.
"But the problem will start after 2011 -- the politicians must find other ways to fill the void after 2011. If I were asked about the withdrawal, I would say to politicians: the US army must stay until the Iraqi army is fully ready in 2020."
But the Obama administration has defended its plans to withdraw from Iraq, insisting that it is "satisfied with progress" in the country, "despite recent setbacks".
Also the Iraqi government has acknowledged that with the troop withdrawal, the time has come to take responsibility for their own security.
"I think we have to do the job by ourselves, at the end we should be fully responsible for our security," Ali al-Dabbagh, the Iraqi government spokesman, told Al Jazeera.
On other hand the pullout coincided with the arrival of James Jeffrey, the new US ambassador to Iraq, who presented his diplomatic credentials Wednesday to the conflict-torn nation's head of state, President Jalal Talabani.
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