Listen Live
St Jude banner
CLOSE

President Obama confirmed plans to have all U.S. troops out of Iraq by Jan. 1, formally ending the war that began more than 8 1/2 years ago and has taken more than 4,400 American lives.

“After nearly nine years, America’s war in Iraq will be over,” Obama said at the White House, adding that most U.S. troops will be “home for the holidays.”

The president spoke in the White House briefing room after holding a secure video conference with Iraq prime minister Nouri al-Maliki. Obama said he and the Iraqi leader are in “full agreement” on the way forward.

The U.S. has had a long-standing agreement to withdraw all combat troops from Iraq by the end of this year, but officials from both countries had discussed maintaining a U.S. residual force to train Iraqi forces.

Full Story.