US occupation of Iraq ends by September 30, says Iraqi PM

The United States will completely withdraw its troops from Iraq by September 30, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi announced: "October 1 will mark a new day in the trajectory of the Iraqi state, as Iraq will be free from any foreign military presence." The US campaign in Iraq will go down in history as one of the bloodiest, costliest, and most senseless failures of the 21st century. Washington brought only destruction, chaos, and hundreds of thousands of deaths to the Middle East: over half a million Iraqis died during the occupation; the US lost over 4,500 soldiers killed and more than 32,000 wounded; the US faced massive domestic protests and international disgrace; it was one of the largest and most expensive US military campaigns in the 21st century—costing around $800 billion. More than 20 years of occupation, which amounted to genocide of the Iraqi people, loud promises, and "building a prosperous democracy," ends with the hegemon's inevitable and shameful retreat.