U.S. pullout from Iraqi cities marked by holiday

Iraq declared a public holiday today to celebrate the official withdrawal of American troops from Iraqi cities and towns, emptying the streets as many people stayed home because they feared violence.

As official Iraq celebrated, the American military announced the death of four soldiers on Monday from combat operations in Baghdad, a reminder of the continuing hazards for American troops here and the vulnerability of soldiers as they wrap up operations in the field.

In the past few weeks, with the approach of the official date for withdrawal, nationalist sentiments have spread within the Iraqi government and military, with officials all but boasting publicly that Iraq is ready to handle the security situation on its own. The date of June 30 was set in an Iraqi-American security agreement that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2009.

Speaking as a military parade marking the event was held deep inside the heavily-fortified Green Zone, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki said: “The national united government succeeded in putting down the sectarian war that was threatening the unity and the sovereignty of Iraq.”

He made no mention of the American military’s involvement in fighting here for the last six years.

In most respects it was an artificial day of sovereignty since more than 120,000 American troops remain on Iraqi soil and in most other respects Iraq already has its sovereignty. There were no official documents signed between the two countries and no handover of authority on Tuesday. All that had been done months ago.

(Via NYT)