AlQa'dah 23, 1432, Oct 21, 2011, SPA -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday announced that "the long war in Iraq will come to an end" by the end of 2011. In a previously unscheduled announcement, Obama spoke to reporters at the White House to say that by the end of the year, the United States will have withdrawn all of its troops from Iraq. "After nine years, America's war in Iraq will be over," Obama said, calling the moment "an important milestone." The announcement comes just hours after Obama spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki over video conference from the White House. During the call, Obama said he "reaffirmed that the United States keeps its commitments" and will withdraw from the country, but also said that he promised the Iraqi leader that the U.S. would continue to support the country. "This will be a strong and enduring relationship," Obama said, saying that starting on January 1, the U.S.-Iraqi relationship "will be a normal relationship between sovereign nations." The United States will still support the Iraqis through training their forces and working to "partner with an Iraq that contributes to" stability in the region. We "will help Iraqis strengthen institutions that are just," the U.S. president said, adding that though "there will be some difficult days ahead" for the country, "I'm confident that they can build" a strong future.
