Middle East News
Last US military convoy leaves Iraq
Dec 18, 2011, 7:59 GMT
Baghdad- The last convoy of the US troops left Iraq Sunday, marking an end to nearly nine years of military involvement in the country.
The convoy included about 110 armoured vehicles and 500 soldiers. They left early Sunday from the Contigency Operating Base Adder on the outskirts of the southern city of Nasariyah and drove into Kuwait across the border.
Their withdrawal came days after US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta attended a ceremony in Baghdad formally marking the end of the US military presence in Iraq.
The United States had about 170,000 troops and 505 military bases across Iraq at the height of the armed conflict that began with its 2003 invasion.
Efforts by both sides to extend the US mission beyond that deadline failed, as the Iraqi government was reluctant to grant immunity to any US troops who stay after December 31.
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