Photo: Ap
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates (R) arrives at Camp Ramadi in Iraq to visit troops from the 4th Infantry Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, 01 Sep 2010
Gates Visits Birthplace of Iraqi Turnaround
US defense secretary stops in al-Anbar Province on way to Baghdad to mark formal end of US combat operations in Iraq
Full story » | Comment More Top News
- Gaza Lessons Harden Israeli Views on Security, Ahead of Peace Talks
- Ground Zero Mosque Controversy Puts Many US Muslims on Defensive
- Asylum Seekers Back in Custody in Australia
- Obama: Time To Turn The Page On Iraq
- Yellow Sea Venue for Rival War Games
- Text of President Obama's Address on Iraq
- Iraqi Commanders Say They Are Ready to Handle Security
- US Launches New Mideast Peace Talks
- Four Israelis Dead in West Bank Shooting
- Gates: No Victory Celebration for Iraq as Mission Changes
................
Tonight marks the end of the American combat mission in Iraq.
As a candidate for this office, I pledged to end this war responsibly. And, as President, that is what I am doing.
Since I became Commander-in-Chief, we've brought home nearly 100,000 U.S. troops. We've closed or turned over to Iraq hundreds of our bases.
As Operation Iraqi Freedom ends, our commitment to a sovereign, stable, and self-reliant Iraq continues. Under Operation New Dawn, a transitional force of U.S. troops will remain to advise and assist Iraqi forces, protect our civilians on the ground, and pursue targeted counterterrorism efforts.
By the end of next year, consistent with our agreement with the Iraqi government, these men and women, too, will come home.
Ending this war is not only in Iraq's interest -- it is in our own. Our nation has paid a huge price to put Iraq's future in the hands of its people. We have sent our men and women in uniform to make enormous sacrifices. We have spent vast resources abroad in the face of several years of recession at home.
We have met our responsibility through the courage and resolve of our women and men in uniform.
In seven years, they confronted a mission as challenging and as complex as any our military has ever been asked to face.
Nearly 1.5 million Americans put their lives on the line. Many returned for multiple tours of duty, far from their loved ones who bore a heroic burden of their own. And most painfully, more than 4,400 Americans have given their lives, fighting for people they never knew, for values that have defined our people for more than two centuries.
What their country asked of them was not small. And what they sacrificed was not easy.
For that, each and every American owes them our heartfelt thanks.
Our promise to them -- to each woman or man who has donned our colors -- is that our country will serve them as faithfully as they have served us. We have already made the largest increase in funding for veterans in decades. So long as I am President, I will do whatever it takes to fulfill that sacred trust.
Tonight, we mark a milestone in our nation's history. Even at a time of great uncertainty for so many Americans, this day and our brave troops remind us that our future is in our own hands and that our best days lie ahead.
Thank you,
President Barack Obama
Brown was maddening, says Blair
Former PM Tony Blair reveals the tensions at the heart of his government as he releases his memoirs. - Blair's memoirs: Key quotes
- Diana's death was unique - Blair
- What the pundits say
- Nick Robinson: An apology
- Your views: Blair's memoirs
BBC loses court battle over Stig
The BBC loses a legal fight in the High Court to stop publication of a book which claims to reveal the identity of Top Gear's driver The Stig.Report on Burma's Corrupt Taxation Launched In Bangkok
1 September 2010: Thailand-based ND-Burma (Network for Human Rights Documentation - Burma) has today revealed an insightful account of the military regime's corrupt and brutal system of taxation and its devastating impacts on the people of Burma at a press conference held at FCCT (Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand) in Bangkok.read more:
Canadian Parties Back UN Inquiry in Burma
1 Sept 2010: Canada’s ruling Conservative government is under pressure from the opposition parties to formally endorse the establishment of a UN Commission of Inquiry into alleged international crimes in Burma.read more:
KIO Calls for Free and Fair Election |
| By LAWI WENG |
| Concluding its party congress, the Kachin Independence Organization calls on the Burmese junta to conduct the Nov. 7 election in a free and fair manner. |
Floods in Pegu Force Residents to Flee |
| By THE IRRAWADDY |
| Thousands of people in Pegu have sought refuge in schools and temples after heavy rain and floods forced them from their homes. |
Ethnic Political Parties Fielding Candidates |
| By SAI ZOM HSENG |
| Several ethnic political parties believe that they will win numerous seats in the new national and regional parliaments and are competing for every parliamentary seat in many ethnic constituencies. |
Taxes Crippling Burmese People, Says Report |
| By SAW YAN NAING |
| There are subsistence farmers in Burma paying more than half their income in taxes while the ruling generals divert state funds into their own pockets, says a report. |
British FM Says Bumese Junta Must be Held Accountable |
| By THE IRRAWADDY |
| British Foreign Secretary William Hague says Burma's military leaders must be held accountable for their human rights violations. |
Vietnam Ship Boss Axed Weeks after Chairman Arrest |
| By TRAN VAN MINH |
| The new boss of one of Vietnam's largest state-owned companies has been suspended less than a month after the chairman of the debt-laden ship building conglomerate was arrested on charges of mismanagement. |
Junta's Strategic Election Moves |
| By HTET AUNG |
| The candidate nomination period for Burma's 2010 election closed on Monday, and the deadline for candidates who want to withdraw their application is Sept. 3. |
(Interview) It would be difficult to conceive of a greater juxtaposition in one man: a military dictator ... Junta threat may spur refugee exodus, Karen council warns
An exodus of refugees in numbers never before seen along the Thai-Burmese border could begin ... Farmers take tiger reserve land-grab case to state court
Seventeen farmers from Kachin State in northern Burma are taking their fight over land seized in ... Critics decry Norinco outlay on Ivanhoe’s Burmese mine
Critics of Canada’s Ivanhoe Mines say that a recent report in Burma’s state-controlled media that ... 
Kachin army cements ‘unwavering stance’
Deadline day arrives for Border Guard Force transformation, but the Kachin Independence Army stand firm in their calls for a federal Burma
Full extent of army reshuffle revealed
Memo reveals that upwards of 50 posts are to be filled at the top of the Burmese army as rumours of Than Shwe's retirement are questioned
No comments:
Post a Comment