U.S. exit from Iraq without incident

(CBS News) 

After nearly nine years of war, the last U.S. combat troops have crossed the border into Kuwait.

CBS News correspondent Jim Axelrod reports that after a quiet end to a long, divisive and costly war, the last troops were able to leave Iraq without incident on Sunday. Iraq now continues on its own course towards democracy.

As of Sunday night, for the first time in 8 years, 8 months and 28 days, the U.S. has no troops fighting in Iraq.

The American convoy left Camp Adder south of Baghdad during the night, bound for Kuwait. The last convoy out of Iraq rolled across the Kuwaiti border at 7:37 local time Sunday morning, capping a drawdown that saw the U.S. go from 50,000 troops in Iraq as late as August to zero.

The top U.S. general in Iraq, Lloyd Austin, called the final drawdown the military's largest most complex logistical undertaking since World War II. He stopped by with good wishes for the soldiers making up the final convoy as the military met its deadline of having all troops gone by December 31st

"I'm very hopeful that things will continue to move in right direction. It's going to take the Iraqi government, the Iraqi people to make the right decisions, work together," Austin said.

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The officers planning the last troop movements of the Iraq war had feared attacks from Iranian-backed militias active in the south, but the five-hour, 160-mile drive from Camp Adder - the last U.S. base to operate in Iraq - to the border went smoothly.

Soldiers expressed relief when they crossed the Kuwaiti border without an incident. Many were hopeful for not just a better Iraq, but being home in time for Christmas.

One way that some are measuring the Iraq war is in terms of loss. Since U.S. troops first entered Iraq, 8,794 Americans lost a son or daughter; 3,141 lost a parent; and 2,468 lost a husband or wife.

[mecury69]

4484. The number or heroes who gave their lives in the second Iraq war. A proud day for our military and our country. Regardless of personal opinions for entering the conflict (just or unjust) our country adapted and overcame the challenges. We should be proud to leave a country under a democracy and on a path of self determination and rule. Kudos to our men and women in uniform.

[norcalruss]

Good deal! About damn time we got out of a place that Bush lied us into with his phony WMD and terrorist connection charges. Lets get out of Afghanistan too since OBL is dead and the CIA says that Al Queda has only a few low level operatives there.

[longtree-2009]

thousands dead on all sides, billions spent, for what? absolutely nothing. this was bush's war and obama's war. obama could have stopped it on day one but did nothing. obama as sitting potus is there as withdrawal happens just before his term is up. it would have been more meaningful, saving hundreds of lives on all sides, saving billions of dollars if obama had withdrawn forces by the end of his inaugural year. the blame is not all on bush's shoulders.

[nottblu]

Did you know Obama spent more on his stimulus than what Iraq cost over the entire eight years.

[norcalruss]

To notblu:

Do you know that the stimulus package provided thousands of jobs and kept the recession from being MUCH worse, and that Bush's LIE did nothing but get a lot of people killed and a lot of money wasted? Which was a better use of billions of dollars: Killing people or providing jobs?

[baileyccc]

This is one of baby Bush's worst decisions, the price we paid was too high for no chemical weapons. I applause our President for getting us out of this hell hole. The mess he inherited from baby Bush was unimaginable.

[nottblu]

The world is a better place without Sadam and his minions, time to look at truth instead of the same old hate for Bush, it is getting tiresome.

[antoniof123]

notblu this was never about getting Sadam out of power it was about oil.

Bush made his grave and will go down in infamy not history. Just like you a true minion of the far right that will destroy our country.

[countrycuz1]

Interesting coverage on MSNBC yesterday. The network reporters presented a very somber, almost funereal picture. I believe the reporter used the word "closure" three times in a four minute report. All three soldiers interviewed, on the other hand, talked about pride in accomplishing their mission and bringing real freedom to Iraq.

[KnowerseekerReturns]

Now we can kick back and watch Al Qaeda / Taliban walk back into Iraq.

[king_zhao]

it's terrible of hundreds of thousands to people, the statesmen and armycontractor were made much money.but the U.S. exit from Iraq that is better late than never,though the action is helpless actually the performance that cite.

[Bellhill05]

I know a contractor who was there, one of the last out from his company this past week, and he said it was a very bad situation. Two of his buddies(Americans) were kidnapped and killed and their base of operations was run over by civilian security forces (from some African nation-he did not say which one) and that they killed and raped many people. His employer actually pulled out the phone lines and disconnected the internet the last couple of weeks they were there...leaving them with no way to contact the outside world.

All that being said, I am very happy to see the pull-out...should have happened a long time ago.

[KnowerseekerReturns]

What's an African security company doing there?

[countrycuz1]

Your contractor buddy sounds like a liar.

[ghendric]

Get them out of Afghanistan too. Bin Laden is dead, lets move on now..

[TrickyWV]

Enough corrupt politicians and businessmen were made rich. And rich they were made. So, the "war" served its purpose.

(When will the American people get a clue? I would have thought they learned a lesson after Vietnam - but nooooo.)