2 August 2010 Last updated at 18:44

Obama confirms plan for US troop withdrawal from Iraq

President Obama: "Our commitment in Iraq is changing from a military effort"

US President Barack Obama has confirmed the end of all combat operations in Iraq by 31 August.

Some 50,000 of 65,000 US troops currently in Iraq are set to remain until the end of 2011 to advise Iraqi forces and protect US interests.

Mr Obama proclaimed that the end of operations would arrive "as promised and on schedule".

It comes amid a dispute between the US and Baghdad over the latest casualty numbers in Iraq.

The thrust of Mr Obama's speech was the fulfilment of his campaign promise to end the Iraq war, which was a defining characteristic of his 2008 candidacy.

Mr Obama made his announcement in a speech to the national convention of the Disabled American Veterans in Atlanta, Georgia.

The remaining 50,000 troops will stay in the country in order to train Iraqi security forces, conduct counterterrorism operations and provide civilians with ongoing security, said Mr Obama.

An agreement negotiated with the Iraqis in 2008 states that these troops must be gone from the country by the end of next year.

But the president warned the US had "not seen the end of American sacrifice in Iraq".

He added: "But make no mistake, our commitment in Iraq is changing - from a military effort led by our troops to a civilian effort led by our diplomats."

Meanwhile, according to the US military, 222 people died in attacks last month. Baghdad says 535 lost their lives - which would make July the deadliest month in the country for more than two years.

Analysis

Kevin Connolly BBC News, Washington

Barack Obama made his promise to end combat operations in Iraq last year - the purpose of today's speech was to remind America's voters that he is keeping that promise.

By the end of the month 90,000 American troops will have been withdrawn and the 50,000 who remain will leave before the end of next year.

By the end of the process, more than 350 bases and 3.5 million pieces of equipment will be closed down, transferred to the Iraqi security forces or redeployed to other American units.

That's a logistical feat on a staggering scale but the president was careful not to repeat the mistake of his predecessor George W Bush who famously declared that America's mission in Iraq had been accomplished seven years ago - long before the violence and instability were ended.

The US released its own figure after Baghdad's estimate prompted concern that insurgents were exploiting a post-election power vacuum - and would wreak more havoc as the US withdrew more troops.

"The claim that July 2010 was the deadliest month in Iraq since May 2008 is incorrect," a US military statement said.

The US offered no full explanation as to why its figures differed so markedly from those issued by the Iraqi authorities.

As the November congressional elections loom, Mr Obama wants to continue to hail the progress his administration has made in Iraq as a success, analysts say.

Ongoing uncertainty

The BBC's Hugh Sykes reports from Baghdad that some Iraqis worry that attacks by al-Qaeda in Iraq are increasing again as the Americans leave.

Two bombings and a shooting killed eight people in Iraq on Monday.

Many Iraqis are also concerned about the failure to form a government, our correspondent says.

Since an inconclusive legislative election in March, Sunni, Shia and Kurdish factions that won most seats have disagreed about who should be the next Iraqi prime minister.

Fears have been rising that the ongoing political uncertainty could hinder the plans for a full US military departure by the end of 2011.

While the US has been scaling down its troop presence in Iraq it has been stepping up its military commitment to Afghanistan, with the president ordering a surge of 30,000 additional soldiers there.

Iraq War Quick Facts

31 August will mark the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom
Baghdad reports 535 dead in July
50,000 US troops to remain until end of 2011
US troops scheduled to occupy 94 bases in Iraq by the end of August

"We face huge challenges in Afghanistan," said Mr Obama. "But it's important that the American people know that we are making progress and we're focused on goals that are clear and achievable."

But some are saying Obama's plan to begin withdrawing troops in Afghanistan as early as next July could encourage the Taliban and other extremist groups.

Although there has been an increase in US troops in Afghanistan, there are fewer troops in Iraq and Afghanistan today than when Mr Obama first entered the White House.

The Obama administration says once the Iraq withdrawal is finished, there will be a total of 146,000 troops on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan - which is a drop from 177,000 in January of 2009.

27 August 2010 Last updated at 13:20

Paul Bremer: 'US must not walk away from Iraq'

Paul Bremer says "democratic rule in Iraq will not be easy, certainly no easier than it was in America"

Paul Bremer was the top civil administrator in Iraq until transferring sovereignty back to the Iraqi interim government in 2004. He argues that, despite the good work done in Iraq, a continued role for US government officials in the country is vital to ensure an open, democratic nation.

As American troops end their combat role in Iraq, Americans, and citizens of countries that fought alongside us liberating Iraq, can take a certain measure of satisfaction with the progress there.

To be sure, anti-democratic extremists continue their attacks. Iraqis still struggle to establish a new government and to provide essential services, like electric power.

But amidst the fevered commentary, a bit of perspective seems appropriate. Having lost many American and Iraqi friends in this war, I'm fully aware that every casualty is painful.

But it's worth remembering that Iraqi and American casualties are 95% lower than three years ago. And while still below demand, electricity production is 40% above pre-war levels.

We Americans, in particular, might moderate our criticism of the lengthy efforts to establish representative government. Remember: it took us seven years to win our independence, 12 years to write our constitution and 20 years before we even had political parties.

Establishing democratic rule in Iraq will not be easy, certainly no easier than it was in America. But to say that something is difficult is not to say that it's undesirable or impossible.

The bigger picture confirms that the vast majority of Iraqis want their country to be ruled by a government chosen by its citizens, not by a tyrant which, until liberation in 2003, had been Iraq's sad history.

Over the past five years, millions of Iraqis have braved terrorist threats to vote in four elections and in one referendum, in which they approved the most progressive constitution in any Arab country in history.

That revolutionary document acknowledges fundamental human rights, the equality of the sexes and freedom of religion.

It establishes the rule of law, the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary.

Of course, the constitution is only a document and must be respected in practice. Still, the bottom line: today for the first time in the country's history, Iraqis are citizens, not subjects, of their government.

The delay in forming a government is frustrating, even disappointing.

But the lively Iraqi debate about establishing a government is itself refreshing and, ironically, a measure of how far Iraq has come. Under Saddam, such talk would have resulted in torture or death.

Today, nowhere else in the Arab Muslim world is this kind of open discussion encouraged or even tolerated.

This underscores the stakes in Iraq.

For if the ancient land of Mesopotamia can establish a representative government, guided by modern constitutional principles, the example shows that other Arab Muslim countries, too, can be ruled by their people.

Democracy in a major Arab nation also refutes the claim by Islamic extremists that Islam is in fundamental discord with the modern world and must wage war on it.

America must not walk away from the still-limited success in Iraq. Iraq lives in a dangerous neighbourhood. The ancient pre-Islamic frontier between Arab and Persian civilisations runs along its eastern border.

With a population of only 30 million, Iraq will never be able to generate conventional forces alone able to balance Iran with twice the population base. And a nuclear-armed Iran, which the American government rightly declares "unacceptable", would threaten Iraq, the entire region and broader American interests.

So America has ongoing interests in Iraq's success and stability.

Our security agreement calls for the withdrawal of all American forces by the end of next year. But that agreement also provides that the two countries can undertake "strategic deliberations" about defending Iraq against internal and external threats.

The American government should soon begin quiet discussions with the Iraqis about how, after next year, we can continue to support Iraq as it moves along the difficult road to an open, democratic society.

This essay was broadcast on The World at One on BBC Radio 4 and is now available to listen again on iPlayer.

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