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U.S. in final phase of Iraq mission; urges new govt

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – U.S. forces are in the final phase of the Iraq war after ending combat missions, U.S. officials said Wednesday as they urged Iraqi leaders to get on with forming a government six months after an election.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said while visiting troops in Ramadi, scene of some of the fiercest fighting of the 7-1/2 year conflict, that history would judge whether the 2003 invasion to topple dictator Saddam Hussein had been worth it.

Asked by a reporter if the United States was still at war in Iraq, Gates said: "No, I would say we're not.

"Combat operations have ceased. We're still going to work with the Iraqis on counter-terrorism. We're still doing a lot of training. And advising and assisting...So I would say that we have moved into the final phase of our engagement in Iraq."

Gates and Vice President Joe Biden were in Iraq for a ceremony at which the U.S. military's outgoing commander, General Raymond Odierno, handed over to Lieutenant General Lloyd Austin.

Tuesday marked the formal end of the combat mission launched by President Barack Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush. Obama, who had promised U.S. voters he would end the unpopular war, said in an address from the Oval Office that it was "time to turn the page" on Iraq.

Around 50,000 U.S. soldiers will stay in Iraq up to a full withdrawal by end-2011 agreed in a bilateral security pact. They are supposed to advise and assist Iraqi forces, not lead the fight against the Sunni Islamist insurgency and Shi'ite militia.

Security remains a big worry. Attacks against Iraqi security forces have been increasing, and there are concerns the end of U.S. combat operations will leave an even bigger gap for insurgents to exploit.

Tensions are also running high because of a stalemate in efforts to form a new government six months after an inconclusive election as Shi'ite-led, Sunni-backed and Kurdish factions squabble over positions and power.

"It is not our place to tell Iraqis who should lead but I strongly urge them to match the courage their citizens have shown by bringing this process to a close and forming a government," Biden said at the change of command ceremony, held in one of Saddam's former palaces near Baghdad airport.

CIVILIAN DEATHS SLIP BUT SECURITY FORCES TARGETED

The number of civilians killed by violence in August -- 295 according to the Health Ministry -- actually fell from the month before, and also compared to August last year.

But casualties were high among the Iraqi security forces as suspected Sunni Islamist insurgents targeted police and soldiers in an effort to undermine public faith in their abilities.

A total of 54 soldiers and 77 police were killed in attacks in August, the defense and interior ministries said.

Odierno, a towering hulk who is one of only a few U.S. army generals to have commanded a division, a corp and an entire theater of war in the same conflict, said he was confident the Iraqi security forces could protect the country.

"A peaceful transition of power following Iraq's credible, legitimate elections is the strongest possible response to al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations," he said, echoing Biden's call for Iraqi leaders to reach a deal.

On the visit to U.S. troops in Ramadi, in the western province of Anbar, Gates said he believed they still deserved combat pay even though their mission had changed.

Gates said judging the invasion required "a historian's perspective," but that for some Americans the war would always be clouded by the fact its original aim -- the hunt for Saddam's weapons of mass destruction -- did not turn out to be valid.

If Iraq remained a democracy and played a constructive role, it could have a significant impact on the Middle East, he said.

"How it all wehs in the balance over time I think remains to be seen," he said.

"This is going to be a work in progress for a long time. This is a new thing in the several-thousand-year history of Iraq and it's a pretty new thing in this region of the world. But I think they're off to a good start."

Gates said the United States was committed to going down to a zero presence in Iraq by the end of 2011, in accordance with the security pact, but did not rule out leaving some U.S. soldiers longer if the Iraqi government asked for them.

(Writing by Michael Christie and Serena Chaudhry; Editing by Angus MacSwan)