US President Barack Obama has officially announced the end of the military operation in Iraq, noting that the US “has paid a huge price to put the future of Iraq in the hands of its people.” The president said, in an Oval Office televised address (Obama only makes his most important speeches there), that he is proud of the US troops’ services, and “awed” by the sacrifices they made. He emphasized that the “most urgent task” now is to restore the US economy. The president also noted that the US would continue aiding the Iraqi government and people. “Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country,” Obama stressed, adding that both Iraq and the US were interested in the completion of the military operation. US troops are being withdrawn from Iraq against the backdrop of rampant violence and domestic instability. Various political forces are so far fruitlessly trying to reach some agreement following the ambiguous results of the March 7 elections. At the same time, Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has announced that his country no longer depends on the Americans, and is able to respond to any domestic or foreign threats. Addressing the nation on television, Maliki assured his compatriots that Iraq’s security services are “skilled enough to assume responsibility” for the country’s wellbeing.
