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TechnoratiFireworks over Baghdad as US Troops Leave
BAGHDAD - Iraqi forces assume formal control of Baghdad and other cities on Tuesday after American troops hand over security in urban areas in a defining step toward ending the U.S. combat role in the country.
![[Maj. Gen. Daniel Bolfer, commander of U.S forces in Baghdad, gives symbolic key of the Iraqi Defense Ministry to Iraqi Army Lt. Gen. Aboud Gambar in charge of the capital's security in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, June 29, 2009. U.S. combat troops will be out of Iraqi cities by Tuesday June 30 in the first step toward winding down the American war effort by the end of 2011. (AP Photo/Loay Hameed)]](http://www.commondreams.org/files/article_images/iraq-2_5.jpg "iraq-2.jpg")
Fireworks, not bombings, colored the Baghdad skyline late Monday, and thousands attended a party in a park where singers performed patriotic songs. Loudspeakers at police stations and military checkpoints played recordings of similar tunes throughout the day, as Iraqi military vehicles decorated with flowers and national flags patrolled the capital.
"All of us are happy - Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds on this day," Waleed al-Bahadili said as he celebrated at the park. "The Americans harmed and insulted us too much."
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki declared a public holiday and proclaimed June 30 as "National Sovereignty Day."
By Tuesday, all but a small number of American soldiers will have left Baghdad and other urban areas for bases outside cities, such as the giant Camp Victory complex on the western edge of Baghdad or Forward Operating Base Marez on the outskirts of Mosul.
Iraqi officials formally take control of the cities at midnight, a handover that filled many citizens with pride but also trepidation that government forces are not ready and that violence will rise. Shiites fear more bombings by Sunni militants; Sunnis fear that the Shiite-dominated Iraqi security forces will give them little protection.
Security tight at celebration
If the Iraqis can hold down violence in the coming months, it will show the country is finally on the road to stability. If they fail, it will pose a challenge to President Barack Obama's pledge to end an unpopular war that has claimed the lives of more than 4,300 U.S. troops and tens of thousands of Iraqis.
The gathering at the Baghdad park was unprecedented in size for such a postwar event in a city where people tend to avoid large gatherings for fear of suicide bombers. They ignored an appeal by Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi to stay away from crowded places during the U.S. pullback, which has seen more than 250 people killed in bombings over the past 10 days.
Security at the party was stifling, as it was throughout much of Baghdad where increased checkpoints dotted the streets and identity checks were methodical. Police using bomb sniffers searched every man, woman and child who attended the party.
In a ceremony rich with symbolism, the top U.S. military commander in Baghdad, Maj. Gen. Daniel Bolger, gave his Iraqi counterpart the keys to the former defense ministry building, which had served as a joint base.
"On the eve of the 30th of June 2009 in accord with a security agreement between Iraq and America, Iraqis take the lead in Baghdad," Bolger said.
The withdrawal, required under a U.S.-Iraqi security pact, marks the first major step toward withdrawing all American forces from the country by Dec. 31, 2011. Obama has said all combat troops will be gone by the end of August 2010.
Troops available to train and advise
Despite Tuesday's formal pullback, some U.S. troops will remain in the cities to train and advise Iraqi forces. U.S. troops will return to the cities only if asked. The U.S. military will continue combat operations in rural areas and near the border, but only with the Iraqi government's permission.
The U.S. has not said how many troops will be in the cities in advisory roles, but the vast majority of the more than 130,000 U.S. forces remaining in the country will be in large bases scattered outside cities.
There have been some worries that the 650,000-member Iraqi military is not ready to maintain stability and deal with a stubborn insurgency.
Privately, many U.S. officers worry the Iraqis will be overwhelmed if violence surges, having relied for years on the Americans for nearly everything.
"We think they are ready," U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill told The Associated Press in an interview Monday. He said his main concern was that a lack of progress in efforts to reconcile Shiite, Sunnis and Kurds was feeding the violence that still marks the daily lives of many Iraqis.
"Frankly they need to pick up the pace," Hill said of the national reconciliation effort.
The commander of U.S. troops in the Middle East, Gen. David Petraeus, expressed concern about the spate of high-profile bombings but said the average daily number of attacks remained low at 10 to 15 compared with 160 in June 2007.
"While certainly there will be challenges - there are many difficult political issues, social issues, governmental development issues - we feel confident in the Iraqi security forces continuing the process of taking over the security tasks in their own country," said Petraeus after meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo.
Al-Maliki appears eager to see troops go
Despite some concerns, al-Maliki appears eager to see the Americans leave and has urged Iraqis to hold steady against any rise in violence. Ahead of national elections next year, al-Maliki is portraying himself as the leader who defeated terrorism and ended the U.S. occupation.
Iraqi officials said they are expecting some violence but would not allow it to trigger the sectarianism that nearly sparked a civil war in 2006-2007.
At that time, death squads roamed the streets, slaughtering members of the rival Muslim sect. Bombs rocked Baghdad daily - until thousands of U.S. troops poured in, establishing neighborhood bases and taking control of the Iraqi capital and other cities.
While the U.S. troop surge strategy was successful in stemming the bloodshed, many Iraqis also saw it as an affront to their national pride.
On a visit to Ramadi, a Sunni city 70 miles west of the capital, Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani, a Shiite, told the AP that when the sun rises on Tuesday "Iraqi citizens will see no U.S. soldiers in their cities. They will see only Iraqi troops protecting them."
27 Comments so far
Show AllMaliki is one skillful politician! To simultaneously celebrate our joint victory(!) and crow that he's ejected America, evidenced by our withdrawal, that's some fancy footwork! Of course, this is the guy that, when the reporter threw shoes at Bush and Bush ducked behind the podium, Maliki reached out to try to catch or deflect the missiles. Diametric Opposite reaction from our fearless leader.
I don't know if I would have used fireworks to celebrate, though. Haven't the Iraqis had enough explosions and flashes of light in the nighttime sky?
TO:Somewoman
Maybe you do not know, but the twin towers, ie 9/11 was an inside job. Bush and his cronies had planned it. There are so many unasnwered questions, but the cronies did not want to open the inquiry again.
All I would like to say is that this is not "our troops" fault in anyway what so ever. They did not ask to be there,to be away from their families. So, I do not understand why people blame this all on us? Did they not hit our twin towers? Does no one remember what 911 was all about? Should we just have let it go and walked away? Sure we have taken so many Iraqi lives, but has anyone forgot how many we lost in 911 or while in Iraq? Have you asked yourself how many children were made orphans from their acts of terrorism?
No, it's not our troops' fault. And I don't see anyone writing that it is. The people in the uniforms did not pick this fight, it was the guys in suits, the guys in the suites.
It clearly was a war of choice, a war of aggression, a war of conquest by the Bushies and their political orbit.
It had nothing to do with 9?11. If we were out to punish the perps in that crime, we would be at war in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Had we treated 9?11 as the crime it was and cooperated with the police forces around the world, as offered, we could have brought the plotters to justice in 2002.
That was not the goal of the Bush/Cheney misAdministration.
And I would suggest, if you are a Vet or a family member of a Vet, that you get with some of the other Vets of this and previous imperial expeditions that now make up half the AntiWar movement, for the details of how our troops were lied to and used, some fatally, many more, grieviously harmed, by Bush/Cheney and their gang.
As far as how many children were made orphans? How many children did our indescriminate bombings and over-the-top rules of engagement kill? How many Orphans did we make in that huge act of state sponsored trrrrrrrrrrrrrrsm?
Our troops are victims of the same gang that victimzed South West Asia, the same gang that cut their Heathcare benefits and charged them for meals while recovering from their injuries in hospital, the same gang that stop-lossed them into back-to-back third and fourth tours, that call PTSD a sign of weakness and TBI a pre-existing condition.
One of the gratifying things about the Anti-War movement this time around has been that we've embraced the Vets. We have, since the very first major demos, before Shock&Awe, made a point to reach out to the Vets, voicing concern for their wellbeing and swift return (Bring the troops home. NOW!) and they have responded by joining US in droves, some while still in the service, some even on active duty.
There will not be a repeat of the VietNam aftermath in which the RiechWing caused a major division between Anti-War types and the returning Vets. We learned that lesson and made sure that it wouldn't be repeated.
Excellent post.
"that call PTSD a sign of weakness and TBI a pre-existing condition."
I would remind you that the bunch you are talking about never served a day in combat and the few that served at all made sure they never faced more danger than bad chow.
Of course it's not the fault of the young men and women that fought there. Only low hanging fruit would suggest that it was.
Unfortunately Iraq had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11. Nor were they any threat to us in any way. Both countries were the victims of lies by a small group of fanatics that managed to gain control of the President.
Obviously our current administrastion has no intention of bring this little problem up and looking into it. Too busy protecting someone's interests. Not ours unfortunately.
The Iraqi are on their own bless them, we won't be coming back.
Even Cheney now admits Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 and he was after the oil before the towers were hit.
Do the NeoCons want Iraq to become stable?
Does Israel want to see Iraq become stable?
Deepa
Control of Iraqi oil was a motive of the US “preventive war” against Iraq. This was confirmed by the documents released under the Freedom of Information Act from a National Energy Task Force chaired by Dick Cheney in early 2001.
Cheney’s Energy Task Force authored a variety of documents relating to the oil industries of Iraq, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The document "Foreign Suitors for Iraqi Oilfield Contracts", dated March 5, 2001, includes a table listing 30 countries which have interests in Iraq’s oil industry. The document also includes the names of companies that have interests, the oil fields with which those interests are associated, as well as the status of those interests. The documents include a map of Iraq’s oil fields with markings for “super giant” oil fields of 5 billion barrels or more, other oilfields, fields “earmarked for production sharing,” oil pipelines, operational refineries, and tanker terminals.
“Context of ‘March 2001: Cheney’s Energy Task Force Eyes Iraq’s Oil Reserves.”
http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=complete_timeline_of_the_2003_invasion_of_iraq_460.
Why does the US commander feel he can lecture the Iraqis about how to run their own country. Surely a sovereign country will find a way to solve its own problems, as it did for thousands of years before the Brits and the US arrived.
Bring all the military home now. No occupations. Stop the killing and murder of civilians by Americans anywhere. No one wins a war just look at the damaged souls that return. The blood on the hands of Americans will take centuries to be washed away. That is if mother earth herself survives the abuse we humans have reigned down upon her. Shame on us all! If I were an Iraqi I would be very happy that the invaders were leaving, but wary in case they changed their mind. I would never trust America again.
Symbolic key? It symbolizes imperialism.
An unpopular war? There is no such thing as a popular war.
Claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Iraqis? Try one million.
The U.S. troop surge strategy wasn't successful. It was in fact the US bribery of Sunnis that was successful.
What kind of "donation" does Common Dreams get for posting MSM propaganda?
It is most fitting to see a photo of an American soldier handing an Iraqi a key to his own city.
Holocaust Denial, American Style.
The USA brought a holocaust to Iraq over 25 years --- Few words can actually describe the barbarity which America has brought to the children of Iraq .
A a long lasting Holocaust starting with the murder of 1.5 million children under Sanctions, in a "price worth paying" (Albright) campaign, the US army of freedom and democracy has now further destroyed the lives of over 4.5 million Iraqi children making them orphans and over 2,400 Iraqi children were in US prisons with some being as young as 10, according to Human Rights Watch.
The Bush Iraq "campaign" caused the murder of over 1,331,578 Iraquis according to ICH .
The once beautiful Iraq landscape is loaded with Depleted Uranium and Cluster Bombs death and destruction over 4,000,000 orphans..
Yes the USA and the UK brought a holocaust to Iraq and the US and the UK are in denial.
Holocaust Denial, American Style.
The USA brought a holocaust to Iraq over 25 years --- Few words can actually describe the barbarity which America has brought to the children of Iraq .
A a long lasting Holocaust starting with the murder of 1.5 million children under Sanctions, in a "price worth paying" (Albright) campaign, the US army of freedom and democracy has now further destroyed the lives of over 4.5 million Iraqi children making them orphans and over 2,400 Iraqi children were in US prisons with some being as young as 10, according to Human Rights Watch.
The Bush Iraq "campaign" caused the murder of over 1,331,578 Iraquis according to ICH .
The once beautiful Iraq landscape is loaded with Depleted Uranium and Cluster Bombs death and destruction over 4,000,000 orphans..
Yes the USA and the UK brought a holocaust to Iraq and the US and the UK are in denial.
The owning class needs Iraqi oil not Iraqi cities. The owning class is focusing on what it wants.
edpell June 29th, 2009 8:37 pm.............."Focusing on what it GOT!"
They haven't got "it" (the oil) yet, but they are well on their way to getting it. Over 4300 Americans dead so lazy people back home can drive V8's and pretend that it's 1970.
What a load of propagandized crap.
A lot of these posts certainly are.
I love it, from the mythical "greeted with flowers" to cheered with fireworks as we leave (not even completely)...what does that tell us?
When do e get to "save" the Kurds??
Deepa
"Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki declared a public holiday and proclaimed June 30 as "National Sovereignty Day.""
As long as foreign troops are present in Iraq, it never becomes a SOVEREIGN COUNTRY.
So, al-Maliki is only playing to the sentiments of people. What al-Maliki and Iraqis forgot to recognise is the continued presence of AMERICAN MURDERERS, INVADERS AND PLUNDERERS.
Is Germany not sovereign? Or Japan? Was Cuba not sovereign during the cold war?
Deepa
US has military bases in Germany and Japan. However, unlike Iraq, they are not invaded by Americans by killing thousands of thousands of their citizens in order to plunder their resources.
We did invade those countries. We killed many of their people. And as for 'plundering their resources' I assume you are referring to Iraq's oil. So, you're saying we have Iraq's oil. Right?
Good question. Absolutely. The entire war/occupation was about oil. The WMD bullshit was designed for sap consumption. We knew exactly what Saddam had because we sold it to him for use against Iran. He had destroyed it. The weapons inspectors found nothing.
Next we helped install a corrupt puppet government and secured very lucrative oil contracts for us and our allies. The New York Times reported: "A group of American advisers led by a small State Department team played an integral part in drawing up contracts between the Iraqi government and five Western oil companies to develop some of the largest fields in Iraq,”.
A team of US government lawyers and private sector consultants provided “detailed suggestions on drafting the contracts,” the Times reported, citing a senior State Department official.