Iraqis celebrate US troop withdrawal as country marks National Sovereignty Day
Iraqis have taken to the streets of Baghdad to celebrate the withdrawal of US troops from the country, as Iraqi forces also marked the occasion with military parades.
On Wednesday, thousands of people gathered along Palestine Street in the capital to celebrate the end of the US military presence in Iraq.
Iraqi security forces also held parades in Najaf and Baghdad to mark Iraq’s National Sovereignty Day and the withdrawal of US troops.
Earlier in the day, the US military completed its withdrawal from Iraq, with the last troops leaving a base in Erbil under an agreement between Baghdad and Washington to end the US-led military occupation.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who presided over the handover ceremony, described the withdrawal as the beginning of “a new phase” defined by Iraq’s sovereignty, stronger state institutions and “balanced partnerships with its friends.”
A Pentagon official said that although the United States is ending its official military operations in Iraq, it will retain regional capabilities, including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, that can be used in the country.
The United States invaded Iraq in March 2003 to overthrow Saddam Hussein’s regime, falsely claiming that Baghdad possessed weapons of mass destruction.
US-led coalition forces withdrew from Iraq in December 2011, but returned in 2014, using the seizure of large swathes of territory by the Daesh takfiri terrorist group as a pretext for their renewed military presence.
Jomaa al-Atwani, head of Iraq’s Ufuq Research Center, said the United States was not a friend of Iraq but rather a burden on the country. He also described the emergence of Daesh as essentially an international conspiracy aimed at paving the way for the US return to the region.
Iraqi resistance group urges stronger air defenses amid US withdrawal
Iraq’s long, dark night ends: 23 years of American lies, occupation, abuse end in humiliating ouster
US completes military withdrawal from Iraq after 23 years of occupation
US, allies ‘playing mind games amid aggression on Iran: Basij chief
VIDEO | UK feels economic impact of war on Iran as diesel prices hit record high
Iraqi resistance group urges stronger air defenses amid US withdrawal
VIDEO | Iraqis celebrate US troop withdrawal as country marks National Sovereignty Day
Iran’s Mirzazadeh defends Asian Games Greco-Roman 130kg gold in Nagoya
US losing response capability as Iran maintains control of Strait of Hormuz: IRGC
VIDEO | Iran-US conflict
VIDEO | Restricting Chinese firms is own goal against Europe's economy: Analyst
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
