U.S. Combat Troops Leave Iraq

The withdrawal of troops from a height of 170,000 to 50,000 was a goal set by President Obama and part of his campaign promise to end the war in Iraq. More than seven years of fighting cost close to $800 billion and thousands of lives -- more than 4,400 American dead and 30,000 wounded.

“The bottom line is: The war is ending. Like any sovereign independent nation, Iraq is free to chart its own course. And by the end of next year all of our troops will be home,” said President Obama in his weekly radio address.

Did the U.S. win the war in Iraq?

	Iraqi Prime Minister Noori al-Maliki has said the troop drawdown is an important step toward Iraq's sovereignty.

A recent slew of suicide attacks and uncertainty on the streets of Iraq's capital, Baghdad, suggest the war is not over, but the drawdown of forces is a pivotal moment.

Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki said Iraqi troops are "qualified to shoulder the responsibility," and that this was a basic step in restoring Iraq's sovereignty.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky noted that though “much hard work remains" in Iraq, “U.S. combat forces in Iraq have done everything their country asked of them over the past seven years.”

In Baghdad, BBC world affairs editor John Simpson wrote, "Opinion is evenly divided between those who are glad to see the Americans go, and those who criticize them for leaving too soon and potentially laying Iraq open to fresh sectarian violence... America, it seems, cannot do anything right -- not even getting out."

Seven years of trying to rebuild Iraq

	Iraqis pull down the statue of their former dictator, Saddam Hussein. The U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 ousted Hussein and installed a democratic government.

Within weeks, U.S. forces seized control of Baghdad and went in search of the weapons and Hussein, who had fled into hiding.

On May 1, less than two months after the invasion, President George W. Bush gave a “Mission Accomplished” speech aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln off the coast of California. President Bush stated, "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed."

This proved to be wrong, as Iraqi militants continued to fight against foreign troops and each other in religious and tribal rivalries. In addition, no weapons of mass destruction were ever found.

To stem what many predicted would become a civil war between the Sunni and Shiite factions, the United States sent in a surge of combat troops to Iraq in 2007. 

It is been widely agreed that the surge did help Iraq move further toward becoming a sovereign nation.

'Operation New Dawn' outlines new roles for U.S. soldiers

	Although American troops are now taking on an "advise and assist" role in Iraq, they are still outfitted to fight if needed.

The 50,000 remaining troops are part of a new mission, “Operation New Dawn,” in which they will “advise-and-assist” the Iraqi forces. 

Though the U.S. troops in Iraq are “non-combat,” they’re still equipped with the fighting capabilities of combat forces if needed.

“It’s important that forces stay through 2011,” said Gen. Ray Odierno, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, who will leave his post in the coming weeks to take a new position within the Army. “We will provide the psychological support, as well as some of the physical support to the Iraqis, so they can continue to develop.”