National Post from Toronto, Ontario, Canada • 13

NATIONAL POST, WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 1. 2010 WOP A13 national post.com 1 want to thank President Obama for setting aside his past political JohnBoehner, Republican minority leader in the House ENDING THE MISSION IN IRAQ S) 1 II II A Vrd 7k XI jrnp FUTURE IN OS THE HANDS OF OBAMA IS I Barack Obama shakes hands with TOLLS AND TRIALS OF WAR victory celebrations, but yesterday marked the end of seven years of U.S. combat operations in Iraq. I 1) U.S.

President ANALYSIS "The U.S. has no business becoming part of a domestic conflict, which would happen if it stayed on." Marina Ottaway, director of the Middle East program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "Iraq has become a theatre for settling foreign intelligence accounts." -WathlqAI-Hasheml, independent Baghdad political analyst "A major challenge for Iraq is the development of its human resources in both the private and public sectors. Decades of war and sanctions have quarantined Iraq from new technologies and industrial development Another challenge is infrastructure." Kyle McEneaney, head of the Middle East practice of independent consulting firm Ergo. THE No Iraq war veterans at Fort Bliss, INTERFERENCE Iraqis fear that Shiite Iran will seek to fill any vacuum left by the U.S.

military, in competition with Sunni-led neighbours such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia. TIM SLOAN APF GETTY I MACKS Texas yesterday THE WAR Launched in 2003 by former U.S. president George W. Bush to destroy Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. No such weapons were found.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII THE COST Almost a trillion US. dollars, more than 4,400 US. soldiers killed and 34,000 wounded, and 100,000 Iraqi civilians killed. iiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiMiiiiiii TROOP LEVELS troops left in the country for another 16 months to train Iraqi forces as they fight an Islamist insurgency and Shiite militia, some of which the US. military says are armed and funded by Iran.

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiHiiHiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii VIOLENCE Violence has declined sharply since the peak in 200607, but a recent series of attacks has rung alarm bells. IIIIIIIIIIIIUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIMIIIIIIIIIII ELECTION Many Iraqis had hoped a March 7 election would chart a path toward stability, but with no dear winner a stalemate has continued and no government has been formed. ahead of the schedule set by the White House. While about 50,000 U.S. troops will remain in Iraq, acting as mentors and advisers, the bulk of American troops have left a country that is politically paralyzed and enduring a burst of renewed violence aimed at destabilizing the still-fragile state.

Mr. Obama said the end of combat operations marked the fulfillment of a "pledge he made as a candidate in 2008. But he cautioned it is not yet time to do a "victory lap" because hard-won secur ity gains in Iraq remain at risk. Among the challenges Iraqi politicians have been unable to strike a deal to form a coalition government since parliamentary elections were held in the country last spring. Even as he heralded the end of combat operations in Iraq, Mr.

Obama re-affirmed his plan to begin the drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan in July 2011 despite opposition from Republicans who warn a premature departure could bring a return to Taliban rule. "The pace of our troop reductions will be determined by conditions on the ground, and our support for Afghanistan will endure," said Mr. Obama. "But make no mistake: this transition will begin because open-ended war serves neither our interests nor the Afghan people's." Mr.

Obama's speech from the Oval Office marked a stark contrast from the ex-ultory setting aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln that former President George W. Bush used when he prematurely declared an end to major combat operations in Iraq in May 2003. Mr. Bush stood before the Mission Accomplished sign less than two months after U.S. and coalition forces toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein, only to have American troops become bogged down fighting an insurgency that raged until after the United States launched a troop surge in early 2007.

Mr. Obama opposed both the war and the Bush-ordered surge, but he made a conciliatory gesture toward the former president last night. He telephoned Mr. Bush from Air Force One en route to his visit in Fort Bliss, Texas. "I want to thank President Obama for setting aside his past political rhetoric and recognizing the importance of the surge," John Boehner, the Republican minority leader in the House of Representatives, said at a speech to the American Legion in Milwnnkpp "Some lead- criticized, and fought tooth and nail to stop the surge strategy now proudly claim credit for the results." Postmedia Newt IRAQIS: 'HUGE PRICE' Seven years after 'Mission Accomplished' By Sheldon Albebts WASHINGTON Seven years after his predecessor stood on the deck of an aircraft carrier festooned with a banner declaring "Mission Accomplished," President Barack Obama last night told Americans the war in Iraq was finally nearing an end.

The United States had paid a huge price, but it was now time to "turn the page" from a costly and divisive conflict, he said in a speech from the Oval Office. "Tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended. Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country," he said. "The United States has paid a huge price to put the future of Iraq in the hands of its people. We have sent our young men and women to make enormous sacrifices in Iraq, and spent vast resources abroad at a time of tight budgets at home.

"We have persevered because of a belief we share with the Iraqi people a belief that out of the ashes of war, a new beginning could be born in this cradle of We have met our There's still a lot of work that we've got to do responsibility. Now, it is time to turn the page." Mr. Obama also cast the end of combat operations in Iraq as a chance to refocus the nation's resources on tackling its economic woes. "Today, our most urgent task is to restore our economy, and put the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs back to work. "To strengthen our middle class, we must give all our children the education they deserve, and all our workers the skills that they need to compete in a global economy" he said.

"We must jump-start industries that create jobs, and end our dependence on foreign oil. We must unleash the innovation that allows new products to roll off our assembly lines, and nurture the ideas that spring from our entrepreneurs. "This will be difficult. But in the days to come, it must be our central mission as a people, and my central responsibility as President." Mr. Obama's speech to the nation came at the Aug.

31 deadline he had set for the withdrawal of all U.S. combat troops from Iraq. The final American stry-ker brigade rolled across the border from Iraq into Kuwait on Aug. 18, almost two weeks ECONOMY International OH firms are starting work on large-scale projects that could transform Iraq into a wealthy country. But the economy outside the oil sector remains moribund.

r-. mm mm mm lllMIIIII1MIIHIIIIMIIIHIIirPIMMIII1llltlMMIIItllHHIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIHIIIHIIIIIIIIllllllllllllllltllllMllllllllllllllllllllll 1 1 1 II 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 II Illlltlttlt FLASHPOINTS I Reconciliation between majority Shiites and once dominant Sunnis is far from complete. Grievances may erupt again, and revenge killings and a struggle for power may rekindle broader violence. I The fate of the disputed city of Kirkuk, which may spawn a war between the Arabs and Kurds who claim it, is unresolved. I Al-Qaeda groups have lost many leaders this year and much public support But they can carry out devastating assaults that stir unease, although they lack the strength to overturn the political system.

Mosul, al-Qaeda's last urban stronghold, will test Iraqi police and ISRAEL TOURTHE HOLY LAND I The violent northern city of troops. IIIIIIMIIIIIMIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII MALIKI SAID "Iraq today is sovereign and independent With the exe cution of the troop pullout, our relations with the United States have entered a new stage between two equal, sovereign countries." Iraqi Prime Minister Nourial- Mallkl, pictured, yesterday. Reuttrt 8 DAYS 7 NIGHTS 1193 USD JULY 01, 2010 FEBRUARY 2Z 201 1 ARRIVALS MOST TUESDAYS InTBBnATionni. Discover Megiddo, Capernaum and Discover the PACKAGE INCLUDES Welcome by our local representative; Transfers airport hotel airport; 7-nlght stay at 1-star hotels; Israeli breakfast dally; Dinner while at Klbbuti Lavl; 6 touring days wEnglish speaking guide; Entrance fees to sites on Itinerary. NOT INCLUDED: International air fare to Israel; Gratuities; Items not listed above.

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