Pelosi Statement on President Obama’s Iraq Announcement

Contact: Nadeam Elshami/Drew Hammill, 202-226-7616

San Francisco – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released this statement following President Obama’s remarks on Iraq:

“President Obama’s statement that many of our military families will spend the holidays together is welcome news to all Americans. I commend the President for a promise made and a promise kept, honoring the U.S.-Iraq Security Agreement and the wishes of the American people to bring all our troops home by the end this year.

“This announcement brings us toward the completion of a mission for which our men and women in uniform and their families have made enormous sacrifices. We thank them for their dedication, and we will never forget those we lost. Just as they commit to leave no one behind on the battlefield, we will leave no veteran behind when they come home – honoring their service with the economic opportunities and benefits they were promised.

“In Libya, the United States and our allies have helped move the nation out of a tyrannical regime and toward freedom and the rule of law. Again, the President did as he said he would, achieving our goal in Libya without putting a single American boot on the ground. The demise of Osama bin Laden and Moammar Qaddafi, two individuals responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans and other innocent civilians, is also a credit to strong US leadership. Additionally, the transition in Afghanistan is well under way in order to bring our troops there home.

“President Obama and our men and women in uniform have honored our international commitments and advanced our national security. We express our gratitude to those still serving abroad and to the many who brought us to this day.”

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