In an important policy speech that marked the end of the United States’ combat operations in Iraq, President Barack Obama said, “Tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended. Operation Iraqi Freedom is over and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country.”

Remarking on the cost of the war of more than seven years, he said that the U.S. had met its responsibilities throughout this “remarkable chapter in the history of the U.S. and Iraq.” However Mr. Obama sought to shift the emphasis to ending the war, saying, “Ending this war is not only in Iraq’s interest – it is in our own. The U.S. has paid a huge price to put the future of Iraq in the hands of its people.”

In his speech, broadcast from the Oval Office, Mr. Obama emphasised that the end of the combat phase also marked a promise fulfilled by his administration. He said, “This was my pledge to the American people as a candidate for this office. Last February, I announced a plan that would bring our combat brigades out of Iraq, while redoubling our efforts to strengthen Iraq’s Security Forces and support its government and people.”

He said that this was what his administration had done, adding that the U.S. had by now removed nearly 100,000 U.S. troops from Iraq.

On the occasion, Mr. Obama recognised the contributions of U.S. armed services in Iraq, noting that at every turn they had served with courage and resolve. “As Commander-in-Chief, I am proud of their service. Like all Americans, I am awed by their sacrifice, and by the sacrifices of their families,” he said.

In particular, he said, the U.S. had sent young men and women to make enormous sacrifices in Iraq, and spent vast resources abroad at a time of tight budgets at home. “Now, it is time to turn the page,” he argued.

In a speech that reflected President Obama’s deep concern with the U.S. economy and its struggle to emerge from recessionary conditions, Mr. Obama segued from the end of the war in Iraq to the urgent task of putting “the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs back to work.”

He said, that in order to strengthen the middle class, it was essential to give children the education they deserved, workers the skills that they needed to compete in a global economy and the support to industries to create jobs.

Pressing for America to end its “dependence on foreign oil,” Mr. Obama also urged that innovation for new products be unleashed and ideas of entrepreneurs be nurtured. He said that while these challenges would be hard to meet, it “must be our central mission as a people, and my central responsibility as President.”