World | Iraq Iraqis Celebrate 'Sovereignty Day' as US Pulls Back Maliki declares June 30 'National Sovereignty Day' By Newser Editors and Wire Services Posted Jun 29, 2009 4:31 PM CDT Copied Iraqis celebrate in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, June 29, 2009. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed) Iraqi forces have assumed formal control of security in Baghdad and other cities after US combat troops withdrew from urban areas. A countdown clock broadcast on Iraqi TV ticked to zero as the midnight deadline passed for combat troops to pull back. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has declared a public holiday and proclaimed June 30 as "National Sovereignty Day." "The withdrawal of American troops is completed now from all cities after everything they sacrificed for the sake of security," Sadiq Al-Rikabi, a senior adviser to Maliki said. "We are now celebrating the restoration of sovereignty." The move is required under a US-Iraqi security pact. Read These Next Hulk Hogan has died. RIP, Chuck Mangione. The police files in the Idaho murders are extremely unsettling. Will we be calling 'artificial intelligence' something else? Report an error