Iraq celebrates as US ends combat operations

Published on Tuesday 31 August 2010 17:50

Iraq celebrated its sovereignty as the American military formally ended combat operations yesterday, despite political deadlock and persistent violence, and warned other countries not to interfere as US troops depart.

US troop levels were cut to 50,000 before the partly symbolic deadline of 31 August set by US president Barack Obama as he seeks to fulfil his pledge to end the war launched by his predecessor, George Bush.

The six remaining US brigades will turn their focus to training Iraqi police and troops as Iraq takes charge of its own destiny.

"Iraq today is sovereign and independent," prime minister Nuri al-Maliki said in a televised address to mark the US shift to assisting rather than leading the fight against a Sunni Islamist insurgency and Shiite militia. "Our relations with the US have entered a new stage between two equal, sovereign countries."

Foreign minister Hoshiyar Zebari warned Iraq's neighbours against interfering as US troops withdraw by an end-2011 deadline set out in a bilateral security pact. "We have warned all of them there wouldn't be any vacuum and if there would be a vacuum, the only people who will fill that vacuum are the Iraqis themselves," he said.