US marks formal end of Iraq war with small ceremony
Nearly nine years after American troops stormed across the Iraq border in a
blaze of shock and awe, U.S. officials quietly ended the bloody and bitterly
divisive conflict here Thursday, but the debate over whether it was worth the
cost in money and lives is yet unanswered.While many of the speeches painted a
picture of victory — for both the troops and the Iraqi people now set on a path
for democracy — the gnawing questions remain: Will Iraqis be able to forge their
new government amid the still stubborn sectarian clashes. And will Iraq be able
to defend itself and remain independent in a region fraught with turmoil and
still steeped in insurgent threats.The US Forces Iraq colors are lowered before
being encased in a ceremony in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Dec., 15, 2011. The
ceremonies mark the official end of the US military mission in Iraq.Stark
reminders of the fragile and often violent nature of the situation in Iraq
engulfed the 45-minute ceremony. It was tucked into fortified corner of the
airport, ringed with concrete blast walls. And on the chairs
were tags that listed not only the name of the VIP assigned to the
seat, but the bunker they should move to in case of an attack.The speeches
touched on the success of the mission as well as its losses: Nearly 4,500
Americans and 100,000 Iraqis killed. Another 32,000 American and tens of
thousands Iraqis wounded. And $800 billion from the U.S. Treasury.On the other
side of the ledger, an Iraq free from the tyranny of Saddam Hussein, inching
forward toward democracy and vowing to be a good neighbor in the region.”To be
sure the cost was high — in blood and treasure of the United States and also
the Iraqi people,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told the roughly 200 troops
and others in attendance. “Those lives have not been lost in vain -- they gave
birth to an independent, free and sovereign Iraq.”Gen. Lloyd Austin, the top
U.S. commander in Iraq, said the Iraqi people now have an unprecedented
opportunity to live in a relatively peaceful environment, but he also
acknowledged it will be a challenging time. And he urged Iraqi leaders to make
good choices based on what is best for their people.“Violence and prosperity
cannot co-exist,” said Austin, who eight years, eight months and 26 days ago
gave the order for U.S. troops to storm across the border into Iraq. And on
Thursday he gave the order to retire the flag of U.S. Forces-Iraq.The flag was
then rolled up, covered by a camouflage colored sheath and will be brought back
to the U.S.Speaking to the troops in the audience, Panetta lauded their service
and their bravery, adding, “You will leave with great pride — lasting pride --
secure in knowing that your sacrifice has helped the Iraqi people to begin a new
chapter in history.”Many Iraqis, however, are uncertain of how that chapter will
unfold. Their relief at the end of Saddam, who was hanged on the last day of
2006, was tempered by a long and vicious war that was launched to find
non-existent weapons of mass destruction and nearly plunged the nation into
full-scale sectarian civil war.“With this withdrawal, the Americans are leaving
behind a destroyed country,” said Mariam Khazim, a Shiite whose father was
killed when a mortar shell struck his home in Sadr City. “The Americans did not
leave modern schools or big factories behind them. Instead, they left thousands
of widows and orphans. The Americans did not leave a free people and country
behind them, in fact they left a ruined country and a divided
nation.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/no-mission-accomplished-banners-us-marks-formal-end-of-divisive-iraq-war-with-small-ceremony/2011/12/15/gIQA3W8rwO_story.html
blaze of shock and awe, U.S. officials quietly ended the bloody and bitterly
divisive conflict here Thursday, but the debate over whether it was worth the
cost in money and lives is yet unanswered.While many of the speeches painted a
picture of victory — for both the troops and the Iraqi people now set on a path
for democracy — the gnawing questions remain: Will Iraqis be able to forge their
new government amid the still stubborn sectarian clashes. And will Iraq be able
to defend itself and remain independent in a region fraught with turmoil and
still steeped in insurgent threats.The US Forces Iraq colors are lowered before
being encased in a ceremony in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Dec., 15, 2011. The
ceremonies mark the official end of the US military mission in Iraq.Stark
reminders of the fragile and often violent nature of the situation in Iraq
engulfed the 45-minute ceremony. It was tucked into fortified corner of the
airport, ringed with concrete blast walls. And on the chairs
were tags that listed not only the name of the VIP assigned to the
seat, but the bunker they should move to in case of an attack.The speeches
touched on the success of the mission as well as its losses: Nearly 4,500
Americans and 100,000 Iraqis killed. Another 32,000 American and tens of
thousands Iraqis wounded. And $800 billion from the U.S. Treasury.On the other
side of the ledger, an Iraq free from the tyranny of Saddam Hussein, inching
forward toward democracy and vowing to be a good neighbor in the region.”To be
sure the cost was high — in blood and treasure of the United States and also
the Iraqi people,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told the roughly 200 troops
and others in attendance. “Those lives have not been lost in vain -- they gave
birth to an independent, free and sovereign Iraq.”Gen. Lloyd Austin, the top
U.S. commander in Iraq, said the Iraqi people now have an unprecedented
opportunity to live in a relatively peaceful environment, but he also
acknowledged it will be a challenging time. And he urged Iraqi leaders to make
good choices based on what is best for their people.“Violence and prosperity
cannot co-exist,” said Austin, who eight years, eight months and 26 days ago
gave the order for U.S. troops to storm across the border into Iraq. And on
Thursday he gave the order to retire the flag of U.S. Forces-Iraq.The flag was
then rolled up, covered by a camouflage colored sheath and will be brought back
to the U.S.Speaking to the troops in the audience, Panetta lauded their service
and their bravery, adding, “You will leave with great pride — lasting pride --
secure in knowing that your sacrifice has helped the Iraqi people to begin a new
chapter in history.”Many Iraqis, however, are uncertain of how that chapter will
unfold. Their relief at the end of Saddam, who was hanged on the last day of
2006, was tempered by a long and vicious war that was launched to find
non-existent weapons of mass destruction and nearly plunged the nation into
full-scale sectarian civil war.“With this withdrawal, the Americans are leaving
behind a destroyed country,” said Mariam Khazim, a Shiite whose father was
killed when a mortar shell struck his home in Sadr City. “The Americans did not
leave modern schools or big factories behind them. Instead, they left thousands
of widows and orphans. The Americans did not leave a free people and country
behind them, in fact they left a ruined country and a divided
nation.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle-east/no-mission-accomplished-banners-us-marks-formal-end-of-divisive-iraq-war-with-small-ceremony/2011/12/15/gIQA3W8rwO_story.html