Skip to main content

Biden Celebrates US Independence Day with Troops in Iraq

By VOA News
04 July 2009
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden talks with soldiers at Camp Victory on the outskirts of Baghdad, Iraq, 04 Jul 2009
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden talks with soldiers at Camp Victory on the outskirts of Baghdad, Iraq, 04 Jul 2009
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden spent the final day of his trip to Iraq celebrating the U.S. Independence Day holiday with American troops in Baghdad.

The vice president attended a ceremony Saturday at one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces for more than 200 soldiers from 59 countries who were becoming U.S. citizens.

Biden told the new citizens "you are the reason America is strong." He said Saddam, the former Iraqi dictator, is "rolling over in his grave right now."

The U.S. vice president had been scheduled to visit the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq later Saturday, but was forced to cancel those plans because of a severe sandstorm that blanketed Baghdad.

This is the first U.S. Independence Day celebration since the country withdrew its troops from Iraqi cities and towns. Biden warned Iraqi leaders the United States may not be around to help if Iraq is allowed to revert to sectarian violence.

On Friday, Biden told Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki Iraq faces a "hard road" ahead if it is going to find lasting peace and security.

The U.S. vice president also said Mr. Maliki was correct in indicating that Iraq must use the political process to resolve its remaining differences.

Biden's visit comes as violence in Iraq reached its highest levels in about eight months. Hundreds of Iraqi supporters of anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr marched through the Baghdad slum of Sadr City Friday, shouting and burning American flags.





Iraq's Defense Ministry says it already is looking ahead to the next phase of the U.S. troop withdrawal, which will see the U.S. remove about 100,000 troops from the region. About 130,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq to conduct combat duties outside cities, and to advise Iraqi forces within cities.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Qory Sandioriva: The new Putri Indonesia

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 10/16/2009 10:42 AM | People Courtesy of Waspada Online The criticism she has received for “misrepresenting” her home province of Aceh has failed to discourage newly crowned Putri Indonesia 2009 Qory Sandioriva. Qory, the first woman representing the strongly Islamic region of Aceh to win the title, made no apology for publicly rejecting the jilbab or Muslim headscarf during the pageant’s final night in Jakarta, playing it down as a “misunderstanding”. “Perhaps it was a mistake to make such a statement, but honestly I have never worn a jilbab all my life,” the 18-year-old French literature student from the University of Indonesia told Waspada Online during a visit to Medan, North Sumatra, a few days after her win. Her responses to the judges’ questions have upset many people, particularly religious leaders in her home province. In the contest’s final stage, she was asked why she was not wearing a headscarf like previous contestan
Post a Comment
Read more

Army: Gunmen kill Indonesia soldier in Papua

 Associated Press, Jayapura | Thu, 07/21/2011 6:47 PM An army officer says unidentified gunmen have ambushed Indonesia soldiers and killed one of them in the easternmost province of Papua. The chief army officer in Papua says soldiers are still searching for the gunmen. Maj. Gen. Erfi Triassunu said the ambush Thursday morning happened outside a village in the hilly district of Puncak Jaya. Triassunu said the victim was a first private killed by a shot to his head. No information was available on the other soldiers. The attack occurred one day after a military tribunal indicted three low-ranking soldiers for killing a civilian in Puncak Jaya last year. Papua is a former Dutch colony incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 after a U.N.-sponsored ballot. A small, poorly armed separatist movement has battled for independence ever since.
Post a Comment
Read more

Indonesia reaches Thomas Cup final

  Winning team: Indonesian doubles player Nova Widianto (left) hits a return as his teammate Alvent Yulianto stays on guard. The doubles steam won 21- 14, 22-20 over their Japanese rivals on Friday to assure Indonesia of a place in the Thomas Cup final. – Antara/Maha Eka Swasta Agnes Winarti, The Jakarta Post, Kuala Lumpur | Fri, 05/14/2010 6:40 PM | Headlines   Makeshift doubles team of Nova Widianto and Alvent Yulianto overcame a stiff challenge from Japanese duo of Noriyasu Hirata and Hiroyuki Endo 21-14, 22-20 on Friday to help Indonesia reach the Thomas Cup badminton team championship final. Nova and Alvent squandered four match points in the thrilling match at Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur before regaining their composure to give Indonesia an unbeatable 3-1 lead. Indonesia has won the trophy for a record 13 times but will be making its first final appearance since 2002. The national team will play either defending champion China or host Malaysia.
Post a Comment
Read more