The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
January 3, 2012

Iraq PM Declares National Holiday to Commemorate U.S. Troop Withdrawal 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------



Iraq Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki declared a national holiday on
Saturday to mark the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq nearly nine
years after the U.S. invasion.

Nuri al-Maliki, Iraq Prime Minister: "I announce that on this day,
December 31st, which coincides with the complete pull out of all foreign
troops from Iraq, is declared a national day — it's Iraq's day. It
is a celebratory day for all Iraqis. It is the dawn of a new day
witnessed by Mesopotamia, to which everyone has contributed: It is with
the effort of all Iraqis and to the benefit of all Iraqis."



.