British News Agency

U.S. Ambassador to Ankara Tom Barrack announced that U.S. President Donald Trump had completed the process of bringing American forces home from Iraq.

Barrack said the first American troops set foot in Iraq 23 years ago, adding that Trump had completed the process of bringing U.S. forces home. Barrack said the process had been carried out “not by retreating,” but by bringing Baghdad, Erbil, regional partners and U.S. interests together within a single strategic framework.

Barrack said the service of Americans and Iraqis who served in Iraq, including those who lost their lives, had made this process possible, adding that Iraq was now standing on its own feet.

Barrack said the development had created an opportunity for Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaydi and the Iraqi people to bring all of the country’s armed forces under one state and one chain of command. He described the U.S. role in Iraq as “a friend instead of a garrison.”

Barrack praised Trump’s policies regarding the process, saying, “Well done, Mr. President.”