Almost all US troops in Iraq will withdraw by the end of this year.  However, it will be a major challenge to ensure security after their pullout.

Under a security agreement signed with Iraq 3 years ago, the US will withdraw all troops by the end of this year, leaving just a few to protect the US embassy and train the Iraqi army. Earlier this month, the US handed over its biggest military base in Iraq, Camp Victory, which has housed the US Command Center since 2003. Deputy Commanding General of US forces in Iraq, Thomas Spoehr says around 34,000 American troops are stationed in Iraq and the withdrawal will require the logistic support of more than 1,600 trucks over many days. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki has announced that security in his country will not be affected by the pullout, as Iraq has basically controlled the situation. This statement is seen by some as overly-optimistic when the Iraqi army still lacks necessary air defense equipment, intelligence and air forces, and more than 770,000 Iraqi soldiers have not yet been adequately trained. Attacks on Iraqi forces still take place every day though they have declined since 2007. Last October alone, more than 250 people were killed in violent attack, which also targeted Iraqi officials. Late last month a bomb explosion near the Iraqi Parliament was identified as a failed assassination attempt against Prime Minister Al Maliki. The Iraqi government now has to face security challenges from terrorist groups and the opposition party, and conflicts between factions, religions and tribes. 7 out of 42 cabinet members are Sunnis, who follow former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi- Almaliki’s number one rival while President Jalal Talabani is the leader of the Kurd ethnic minority group. The power struggle between these groups will be fierce and likely to divide the country into three parts. Nevertheless, the security agreement between the US and Iraq has the approval of the majority of American and Iraqi people. The troop withdrawal marks the winding down of a war, which has killed 4,500 US troops, injured more than 32,000, and cost nearly 817 billion USD, and the beginning of a new opportunity for the Iraqi people to create a happier future. Such prospects will depend on a joint effort to resolve conflicts, build trust, and achieve national reconciliation.