For 1st time since 2003, Baghdad streets free of U.S. troops
June 30, 2009 - 07:17:56
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: For the first time since the U.S.-led war in April 2003, Iraqi urban area are celebrating the withdrawal of U.S. forces from 18 provinces, launching a new phase that many observers refer to as the “post-occupation” Iraq.
On Tuesday (June 30, 2009), which has been declared an official holiday and hailed as “National Sovereignty Day,” more than 750,000 Iraqi forces have been deployed to Iraqi cities, replacing U.S. troops which have withdrawn to their bases outside the cities.
On November 27, 2008, the Iraqi Parliament passed a security pact with the United States, known as the Status-of-Forces Agreement (SOFA), 10 days after the Iraqi cabinet approved it with an overwhelming majority.
In accordance with the agreement, U.S. combat forces today left Iraqi cities and districts within preparations for withdrawal from Iraq by August 2010, to be completed by the end of 2011 commensurate with U.S. President Barack Obama’s plan.
June 30, 2009 - 07:17:56
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: For the first time since the U.S.-led war in April 2003, Iraqi urban area are celebrating the withdrawal of U.S. forces from 18 provinces, launching a new phase that many observers refer to as the “post-occupation” Iraq.
On Tuesday (June 30, 2009), which has been declared an official holiday and hailed as “National Sovereignty Day,” more than 750,000 Iraqi forces have been deployed to Iraqi cities, replacing U.S. troops which have withdrawn to their bases outside the cities.
On November 27, 2008, the Iraqi Parliament passed a security pact with the United States, known as the Status-of-Forces Agreement (SOFA), 10 days after the Iraqi cabinet approved it with an overwhelming majority.
In accordance with the agreement, U.S. combat forces today left Iraqi cities and districts within preparations for withdrawal from Iraq by August 2010, to be completed by the end of 2011 commensurate with U.S. President Barack Obama’s plan.