President Barack Obama announced on Friday that all U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of the year.
"As a candidate for president, I pledged to bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end," Obama said in an announcement from the White House. "So today I can report that, as promised, the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year."
"After nearly nine years, America's war in Iraq will be over," he said. "Our troops will definitely be home for the holidays."
HuffPost's Jen Bendery and Joshua Hersh report:
There are currently 41,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, virtually all of whom will be pulled by December 31, 2011. The White House announced that 4,000 to 5,000 security contractors would remain in the country in various posts. At the height of U.S. involvement in 2006, there were 170,000 soldiers on the ground.
Obama said the end of U.S. involvement in Iraq reflects a larger transition away from "the tide of war." He referenced the fact that troops are beginning to return home from Afghanistan and said that trend will only continue as the U.S. refocuses on its needs at home.
The president's decision to adhere to a withdrawal deadline set by the Bush administration in 2008 spurred a variety of responses from within the political community.
Take a look at the reactions below and vote on the best:
