Operation Iraqi Freedom is complete

[-:Undertaker:-]

Operation Iraqi Freedom comes to an end as last US combat tropps leave the country

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worl...l-country.html

Cheering, whooping and declaring victory, U.S. fighting forces finally left Iraq yesterday. Shouting ‘We won!’ and flashing victory signs, soldiers from the last combat brigade in the country trundled in armoured vehicles across the border into Kuwait under the cover of night. Seven years and five months earlier, U.S. and British troops spearheaded the controversial ‘shock and awe’ invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.

However, critics made clear that far from being an overwhelming triumph, the mission– Operation Iraq Freedom – had come at an enormous price. Some 4,419 U.S. soldiers and 179 from the UK died in battle. As many as 106,000 civilians lost their lives. And taxpayers in America and Britain have so far been forced to foot a staggering £460billion bill for the conflict, which lasted longer than the Second World War.

There are also grave concerns that the newly-trained Iraqi security forces will not be able to cope with a growing insurgency led by Al-Qaeda and Iran. Troops from the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, laid down their weapons and travelled in a convoy across desert roads potentially littered with homemade bombs to reach the Iraq-Kuwait border. The exodus from the warzone came two weeks ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama’s August 31 deadline for ending combat operations.

One soldier peered out from his armoured vehicle into the lens of a film camera, hollering: ‘We won. It’s over. America. We brought democracy to Iraq.’ Specialist Luke Dill, 25, who has completed tours of Iraq, said: ‘I know that to my brothers in arms who fought and died, this day would probably mean a lot, to finally see us getting out of here.’ Around 50,000 U.S. troops will remain in Iraq until the end of 2011 to advise Iraqi forces and protect American interests.

Many left dead, homeless and without proper food and water supplies. The country torn apart and has fallen from the top player in the region to a mere American satelitte state. The women of Iraq are now under harder islamic law then they were under Saddam Hussein who was a moderate. Terrorism now has a healthy base in which to operate and spawn itself from. The rise of militant islamic Iran in the region as the top power threatens the region again - but can you blame Iran? with US troops in surrounding countries and daily threats (not to mention illegal nuclear weapons in Israel pointing at Iran) you'd be mad not to acquire nuclear weapons if you were Iran.

Was it worth it?
Will this 'democracy' last in Iraq?

[dbgtz]

why was the US deaths so much more?
bloody hell at how much the usa spent though, thats ridiculous, sux2bthem. It was money invested into nothing and lives were wasted.

[Hecktix]

why was the US deaths so much more?
bloody hell at how much the usa spent though, thats ridiculous, sux2bthem. It was money invested into nothing and lives were wasted.

'cause the US sent more.

[Fez]

I'll give it weeks.

[scottish]

only thing that matters is we won

[Pyroka]

and that saddams dead

that was the real issue, gettin saddam, then it went all o dear fallout from that o nooo

but yeah yay