U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta says the dream of an independent and sovereign Iraq is now a reality, as the United States marked the end of its military mission in Iraq.
Panetta spoke Thursday at a ceremony in Baghdad, calling it a "historic occasion" for both the Iraqi and American people.
It comes weeks ahead of a December 31 deadline for the remaining U.S. soldiers to withdraw from Iraq. There were about 4,000 U.S. troops remaining in Iraq Thursday, down from as many as 170,000 at the height of the war.
Panetta said those soldiers will leave Iraq knowing they helped the Iraqi people begin a new chapter in their history that is "free from tyranny" and full of hope for prosperity and peace.
Nearly 4,500 U.S. troops and tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed since the war began in March 2003.
Panetta said Iraq is now responsible for directing its own future, but that the U.S. will remain a partner with a "significant" diplomatic presence in Iraq.