President Barack Obama promised Friday that the U.S. will withdraw the remaining 40,000 U.S. forces in Iraq this year so that they will be able to celebrate Christmas with their families.
This decision, which Iraqi politician Ahmed Chalabi calls "a very wise move", is the official close to a eight-year-long war.
"Iraqi politicians can no longer expect the American safety net to contain their quarrels, and they must transcend being politicians to being statesmen, to deal with issues that they have to resolve without the American presence," Chalabi said.
