The last convoy of US troops to leave Iraq has entered Kuwait, nearly nine years after the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.<\/p>\n
The final column of about 100 armoured vehicles carrying 500 soldiers crossed the southern Iraqi desert overnight.<\/p>\n
At the peak of the operation there were 170,000 US troops and more than 500 bases in Iraq.<\/p>\n
Nearly 4,500 US soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis have died since the US-led campaign began in 2003.<\/p>\n
The operation has cost Washington nearly $1 trillion (\u00a3643bn).<\/p>\n
US forces ended combat missions in Iraq in 2010 and had already handed over much of their security role.<\/p>\n
“(It’s) a good feeling… knowing this is going to be the last mission out of here,” said Private First Class Martin Lamb, part of the final “tactical road march” out of Iraq.<\/p>\n
“Part of history, you know – we’re the last ones out.”<\/p>\n
As the last of the armoured vehicles crossed the border, a gate was closed behind them and US and Kuwaiti soldiers gathered there to shake hands and pose for pictures.<\/p>\n
The only US military presence left in Iraq now is 157 soldiers responsible for training at the US embassy, as well as a small contingent of marines protecting the diplomatic mission.<\/p>\n
The low-key US exit was in stark contact to the blaze of aerial bombardment Washington unleashed against Saddam Hussein in 2003.
Tribute<\/p>\n
US President Barack Obama marked the end of the war earlier in the week, meeting Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.<\/p>\n
He announced in October that all US troops would leave Iraq by the end of 2011, a date previously agreed by former President George W Bush in 2008.<\/p>\n
The US troops left Iraq for the last time, crossing into Kuwait<\/p>\n
In a recent speech at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, President Obama paid tribute to the soldiers who had served in Iraq.<\/p>\n
He acknowledged that the war had been controversial, but told returning troops they were leaving behind “a sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq”.<\/p>\n
However, correspondents say there are concerns in Washington that Iraq lacks robust political structures or an ability to defend its borders.<\/p>\n
There are also fears that Iraq could be plunged back into sectarian bloodletting, or be unduly influenced by Iran.<\/p>\n
Washington had wanted to keep a small training and counter-terrorism presence in Iraq, but US officials were unable to strike a deal with Baghdad on legal issues including immunity for troops. <\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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