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President Barack Obama addressed the nation this evening, on the occasion of the final troops pulling out of Iraq, discussing the accomplishments, state of affairs and hopes for the future in the region.
Obama emphasized that the final withdrawal of troops met the timeline he had laid out as a part of his campaign for president.
“So tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended…This was my pledge to the American people as a candidate for this office,” he said. “Last February, I announced a plan that would bring our combat brigades out of Iraq, while redoubling our efforts to strengthen Iraq’s Security Forces and support its government and people. That’s what we’ve done.”
The president noted that a transitional force of U.S. troops would remain in Iraq in order to advise and assist Iraq’s Security Forces. They would help to fill the new goal the administration has set, that of supporting Iraq as its endeavors to self-govern.
Obama also announced that after 10 years of combat, troops would begin leaving Afghanistan by August of 2011, although White House officials have explained that the president slipped on this point and the official transition remained scheduled for July 2011, the date previously set.
A large part of Obama’s plan to end the war “responsibly” includes honoring the 4,400 soldiers who lost their lives and committing to provide well for those who return by helping them assimilate back into society and get the health care they need.
With the ending of the war, Obama said he hopes to repurpose war funding that he believes had previously “shortchanged the nation” back into rebuilding core areas of the economy at home: manufacturing, energy policy, education reform and the middle class.
