“Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has taken to calling the withdrawal of American combat troops from Iraq’s cities by next Tuesday a ‘great victory,’ a repulsion of foreign occupiers he compares to the rebellion against British troops in 1920.” — New York Times, June 25
“Iraq celebrated the withdrawal of American troops from its cities with parades, fireworks and a national holiday on Tuesday as the prime minister trumpeted the country”s sovereignty from American occupation to a wary public.” — New York Times, June 30
“‘The Army of the U.S. is out of my country,’ said Ibrahim Algurabi, 34, a dual U.S.-Iraqi citizen now living in Arizona who attended a concert of celebration in Baghdad’s Zawra Park. ‘People are ready for this change. There are a lot of opportunities to rebuild our country, to forget the past and think about the future.’ […] Then, spraying water from bottles at the crowd, they began chanting: ‘America has left! Baghdad is victorious!'” — Washington Post, June 30
“34 killed in Iraq double suicide bombing,” from the Telegraph, July 9 (thanks to Lazy Buddha):
Two suicide bombers killed 34 people in northern Iraq in the deadliest attack since US forces pulled out of towns and cities just over a week ago.
The bombers targeted two brothers working for Iraqi security forces in Tal Afar in an attack against a building used as a court annexe to interrogate suspects in “terrorist attacks,” according to the police colonel Khaled Omar.
They blew themselves up minutes apart, with the second explosion engulfing civilians who had gathered to help victims of the first blast, a security official said.
The violence was the worst to hit the conflict-hit country since US forces pulled out of towns and cities on June 30 under a landmark accord between Baghdad and Washington.
Dr Fathi Yassin, at Tal Afar hospital, said 34 people were killed and 60 wounded in the attack, which came a day after two car bombs exploded in the main northern city of Mosul, killing 12 people and wounding dozens more.
Neither of the two brothers targeted by the Tal Afar bombers were killed, the security official said, but police and hospital sources said the casualties included women and children….