Today, the US military has completed its withdrawal from major cities across the country of Iraq. We’ll now be in support mode in the smaller towns, on the outskirts or in the desert. However, we won’t be completely out of Iraq until December 31, 2011.
Since the SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) was signed in November, we gave the enemies of Iraq and America a date to hold off until — June 30, 2009. Well, dozens of people have been killed and hundreds have been wounded across the country today as a result. The Iraqi Security Forces are being and will continue to be tested for a while. We’ll be there to help only if asked until 2011. I hope those requests continue to drop and that we eventually leave Iraq quietly after the ISF is able to handle security issues by themselves.
Regardless, today was being celebrated as “Sovereignty Day” and may end up an annual holiday. I don’t take that as an insult, rather a compliment because as Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said:
“While we celebrate this day, we express our thanks and gratitude to our friends in the coalition forces who faced risks and responsibilities and sustained casualties and damage while helping Iraq to get rid from the ugliest dictatorship and during the joint effort to impose security and stability.”
I guess that’s Talabani’s way of saying “Thank You.”
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Job well done.