BAGHDAD (Press TV) – The Iraqi Prime Minister describes the end of US military presence in the country a great success, designating December 31 as the 'National Day of Iraq,' Press TV reports.
In a speech on Saturday Nouri al-Maliki said Iraq had managed to reach many goals despite the countless difficulties it faced both throughout the nearly nine-year long US occupation of the country and during former dictator Saddam Hussein's rule.
“I announce the day of December 31, which is the fulfillment of the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Iraq, as the national Day of Iraq. It is the day of Iraq,” Maliki said at a ceremony held in the al-Shaab stadium complex in Baghdad.
The Iraqi Prime Minister stressed that the country's forces are fully prepared to maintain security and peace in Iraq. Maliki emphasized that Iraqis would stand against any form of foreign intervention in the country.
Maliki also said that his country had successfully managed to remove the one-party system it had during Saddam's rule.
“Today, you are raising the Iraqi flag across the nation, and unifying under that flag. Today, Iraq becomes free and you are the masters,” he added.
The US announced it had fully withdrawn its military forces from Iraq on December 18.
The nearly nine-year US military invasion and occupation has left around a million Iraqis killed, according to the California-based investigative organization, Project Censored. Additionally, the occupation has left some 4,500 American troops dead and thousands of others injured, reportedly costing Washington nearly a whopping trillion dollars in military expenditure.
Despite the withdrawal, however, some 8,000 US troops have remained in the country's northern Kurdistan region.
Along with the troops, some 14 warplanes, 125 helicopters and 28 drones also still remain in the country's northern region.
In addition, US President Barack Obama has vowed to maintain what he has described as a robust diplomatic presence in Iraq which includes a large number of armed guards.
Iraqis celebrate the withdrawal of US military forces after a near nine-year long war
