US Out of Baghdad: Mission Accomplished?
Posted on 29. Jun, 2009 by spencer in Crime, Lifestyle, Politics, War
It's been a long time coming, but I'm glad to hear that we finally won the Iraqi war... That's what just happened, right?
From Reuters:
Addressing military leaders in Baghdad, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said: "Our sovereignty has started and ... we should move forward to build a modern state and enjoy security which has been achieved."
Many Iraqis were elated even though they feared militants might use the withdrawal as an opportunity to step up attacks.
"The American forces' withdrawal is something awaited by every Iraqi: male, female, young and old. I consider June 30 to be like a wedding," said Ahmed Hameed, 38, near an ice cream bar in Baghdad's upmarket Karrada district.
"This is proof Iraqis are capable of controlling security inside Iraq," added the recent returnee from exile in Egypt.
The government has declared June 30 a national holiday, "National Sovereignty Day".
One more time, with feeling:
In some cases, troops were not withdrawn from the cities. Instead, city lines were redrawn to give that impression.
Remember too that more than 100,000 American private contractors remain in the country. And, on the same day as this withdrawal, Iraqi oil was being auctioned off to foreign investors.
More here:
http://www.whyweworry.com/blog/2009/07/06/the-iraq-show/