With 4,300 U.S. soldiers and approximately 200,000 Iraqi civilians dead, a price tag that is expected to exceed $1 trillion in cost by 2011 (the year the Bush Administration put as the time that all troops would be home), and the opinion of the U.S. by other countries down because of it, the War in Iraq has been no easy feat. When the U.S. first started the war back in 2003, the estimated cost for the war was $10 billion total, and it was expected to be a quick and easy win for the U.S. Obviously, it proved to be anything but. Recent polls show that most Americans (82% of those polled) feel that the war overall has been an expensive failure and don't believe that benefits, if any, have outweighed the cost.
On the bright side, Saddam Hussein and his evil sons were killed by the war, so that is definitely a plus. There's no doubt in my mind that Hussein would have become a huge security threat and reeked havoc in the future, if not for the U.S., then surely for other countries. Hussein was a modern day Adolf Hitler and there is no telling what horrors he would have committed in the future. We saw how he orchestrated the Kurdish Genocide.
Yesterday was a new beginning for the Iraqi people. It marked the beginning of Iraq becoming a sovereign nation again. Tuesday was the first day of U.S. Pullback of soldiers in Iraq. Most of the troops that were pulled out of Iraq went to Afghanistan as the U.S. now plans to focus more energy towards efforts there. While more than 130,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq, patrols by heavily armed soldiers in hulking vehicles have largely disappeared from Iraq's urban centers, as the United States turns over security to Iraqi police and soldiers. In addition to the transfer of most bases, US forces have pledged to provide their Iraqi counterparts with 8,500 rebuilt and reissued Humvees, 5,000 of which have already been handed over, Odierno said, without specifying when the transfers would be complete.
They will also release or transfer to Iraqi custody about 11,000 detainees held in US prison camps, with the last American facility closing in August 2010.Unfortunately though, at least 34 people were killed in a car bombing Tuesday in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, marring a national holiday declared to celebrate the departure of U.S. combat troops from the country's cities. Also Tuesday, the U.S. military announced the deaths of four soldiers Monday in an attack south of Baghdad, a grim reminder of the vulnerability of U.S. troops as more of them are deployed to rural outposts. Against the backdrop of continuing violence, Baghdad residents marked the U.S. pullback with a military parade, and a few took to the streets to honk their car horns and wave flags.
Iraqis celebrated what the government named "National Sovereignty Day," more than six years after the U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein and fight terrorism. Iraqi and U.S. leaders billed Tuesday as a milestone and expressed confidence in the abilities of Iraqi security forces as they formally assumed control of cities. In Washington, President Obama called the long-planned move an "important step" toward a complete U.S. pullout from the war that began six years ago, but he also predicted more violence.
Most Iraqis are ecstatic about the U.S. Pullback and are happy to begin to gain complete control over their own country. However, some Some Iraqis fear it leaves them open to attack by insurgent groups. I am happy that Iraq is being given control of their country back. It shows that this administration does have intentions of leaving Iraq soon, and it shows the world that America does want Iraq to gain it's independence and power as a sovereign nation again.
This is a great opportunity for Iraqi leaders to prove to their citizens and to the world that they can successfully handle being in charge after such a long time with the U.S. in charge, and to show the world that they can lead Iraq to a better and more prosperous tomorrow. Unfortunately, I have to agree with President Obama about a lot more violence being on the way as insurgent groups try to take advantage of the newly empowered Government and military. I really hope they can make Democracy work for them. It will be interesting to see how Iraq handles this new found freedom in the coming weeks and months.
No comments:
Post a Comment