Obama: Time to turn the page in Iraq

President Barack Obama declared an end to the seven-year US combat mission in Iraq yesterday and told war-weary Americans “our central mission as a people” is to restore the US economy.

Obama said he had fulfilled a 2008 campaign pledge to end US combat operations in Iraq in a move that many Iraqis both welcome and fear, given political deadlock in Baghdad and fears of a fresh outbreak of violence.

Obama hugs the wife of a US soldier serving overseas during his visit to Fort Bliss, Texas, August 31, 2010





After seven years of war that has brought sacrifice from Americans and Iraqis, he said, “Now, it is time to turn the page.”

“Tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended. Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country,” Obama said in excerpts of a speech he was to deliver at 8pm EDT in the White House Oval Office.

Obama hailed the removal of all but 50,000 US troops and the end of the combat phase, saying: “This was my pledge to the American people as a candidate for this office.”

But Americans are also looking to Obama for leadership on boosting the sagging US economy and some analysts were questioning his foreign policy focus this week — Iraq and the Middle East — at a time of fears of a double-dip recession.

Obama sought to tie the Iraq development with his efforts to bring down a 9.5 per cent jobless rate that is endangering Democratic rule in Washington in the November 2 congressional elections.

“Today, our most urgent task is to restore our economy, and put the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs back to work,” Obama said. “This will be difficult. But in the days to come, it must be our central mission as a people, and my central responsibility as president.”

Obama earlier visited the US Army base at Fort Bliss, Texas, yesterday to celebrate the milestone but stressed his Oval Office speech should not be seen as a “victory lap.”

“It’s not going to be self-congratulatory. There’s still a lot of work that we’ve got to do to make sure that Iraq is an effective partner with us,” Obama said.