By AGENCIES
BAGHDAD: Iraqis expressed joy at the news that US forces had completed their withdrawal on Sunday, but voiced doubts their politicians could come together to rebuild the violence-wracked country.
As news of the pullout reached Baghdad, the streets of the Iraqi capital and other major cities were little changed, with heavy commuter traffic snaking through police and military checkpoints.
"I am proud — all Iraqis should be proud, like all those whose country has been freed," 26-year-old baker Safa, who did not want to give his real name, said in Baghdad's Karrada commercial district. "The Americans toppled Saddam, but our lives since then have gone backward.
"The situation will only improve if politicians work on fighting corruption and adopt reforms," he added.
Sunday's completion of the withdrawal brings to a close nearly nine years of American military involvement in Iraq, beginning with a "shock and awe" campaign in 2003 to oust Saddam Hussein, which many in Washington believed would see US forces conclude their mission in Iraq within months.
But key decisions taken at the time have since been widely criticized as fueling what became a bloody insurgency, eventually sparking devastating communal violence.
"I don't think we can ever forgive the Americans for what they did to us, from killings to terrorism," said a 50-year-old mother-of-four who gave her name only as Umm Mohammed. "Those people (Americans) think only about themselves, and not about the consequences of their actions."
More than 100,000 Iraqis have been reported killed in violence since the invasion, according to British NGO Iraq Body Count, and countless others have been wounded.
In the mostly Sunni Arab north Baghdad neighborhood of Adhamiyah, where Saddam Hussein was last seen publicly before his capture, 60-year-old retiree Mohammed Abdelamir said he felt "freed from the occupation," referring to US troops as many Iraqis long have, as an occupying force.
"We must all cooperate and work to improve the economy, the society, and begin rebuilding, and not fight because we are seeing that some politicians have already begun putting a stick in the wheel."
Key political issues such as reform of the mostly state-run economy and a law to regulate and organize the lucrative energy sector also remain unresolved, to say nothing of an explosive territorial dispute between Arabs and Kurds centered around the northern oil hub of Kirkuk.
"Today is a historic day, and our happiness is great," said Abdul Hussein Hosh, a 59-year-old government employee in the sprawling Baghdad Shiite district of Sadr City.
The last US soldiers rolled out of Iraq across the border into neighboring Kuwait at daybreak Sunday, whooping, fist bumping and hugging each other in a burst of joy and relief. Their convoy's exit marked the end of a bitterly divisive war that raged for nearly nine years and left Iraq shattered, with troubling questions lingering over whether the Arab nation will remain a steadfast US ally.
The mission cost nearly 4,500 American and over 100,000 Iraqi lives and $800 billion from the US Treasury. The question of whether it was worth it all is yet unanswered.
After a ceremony Thursday in Baghdad formally marking the end of the war, the timing and all other details of the departure of the last convoy were kept under tight secrecy out of security concerns for about 500 troops and more than 110 vehicles that were part of it. The low-key end to the war was just another reminder of how dangerous Iraq remains, even though violence is lower now than at any other time since the 2003 invasion.
The last convoy of MRAPs, heavily armored personnel carriers, made a largely uneventful journey out except for a few equipment malfunctions along the way. It was dark and little was visible through the MRAP windows as they cruised through the southern Iraqi desert. The 336-km trip from a base in southern Iraq took about five hours.
The last convoy of US soldiers crosses the border from Iraq into Kuwait, ending the eight-year long Iraq War. 
The last convoy of US soldiers crossed the border from Iraq into Kuwait on Sunday, effectively bringing the controversial eight-year long Iraq War to an end. The final convoy, containing around a hundred US military vehicles with five hundred troops, exited Iraq at 0738  (0438 ) Sunday.

Private First Class Martin Lamb described the departure as "a good feeling ... knowing this is going to be the last mission out of here". The event was "part of history, you know — we're the last ones out," according to Lamb.

The Iraq War, which commenced in 2003 on the pretext of Iraq possessing , which later turned out to be false, was responsible for toppling the regime of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and introducing a democratic government within Iraq. In the aftermath of Hussein's downfall, a violent, religion-based conflict broke out between those of  faith and  communities, reaching its peak in 2006. The following year, a large number of US troops were sent into Iraq; the number of sectarian and insurgent attacks subsequently declined.

The Iraq War involved a maximum of over 170,000 US troops, stationed in Iraq at more than 500 bases. Tens of thousands to over 100,000 Iraqi citizens and close to 4,500 US troops were killed as a result of the war. The financial cost of the Iraq War was almost 1 trillion (767 billion or 638 billion) to the .

US presence in Iraq has been reduced to 157 soldiers in charge of military training at  and a minor base of US marines. The US federal government reportedly intended to retain a minor counter-terrorism presence in Iraq, as well as the continuation of military training in the country. However, negotiations between US government representatives and Iraqi officials were unsuccessful, as they failed to reach an agreement on legal matters, such as troop immunity.

In 2008, the  had committed to withdrawing all US troops from Iraq by the end of 2011, a movement which was announced by his successor and current US president Barack Obama in October 2011. Obama signified the conclusion of the war with Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister of Iraq, earlier this month. In a speech in North Carolina at , Obama stated that the country US troops were leaving is now "sovereign, stable and self-reliant".

US and Kuwaiti soldiers close the gate between Kuwait and Iraq, after the last military convoys passed through, signaling the end of the Iraq War. 
Reaction to the US government's decision has been mixed. According to '''' opinion polls in the United States indicate that a majority of Americans believe the war lasted longer than it should have done. Obama himself had opposed the war when he ran for president and vowed to end it. News agencies report Iraqis glad to see the US leave, but concerned for the future.

'''' reports that Iraqis also have mixed feelings, such as Safa, a 26-year old baker using a pseudonym, who said "I am proud — all Iraqis should be proud, like all those whose country has been freed. The Americans toppled Saddam, but our lives since then have gone backward." He also said, "The situation will only improve if politicians work on fighting corruption and adopt reforms."

A 50-year-old mother calling herself Umm Mohammed said, "I don't think we can ever forgive the Americans for what they did to us, from killings to terrorism. Those people Americans think only about themselves, and not about the consequences of their actions."

Mohammed Abdelamir, 60, said "We must all cooperate and work to improve the economy, the society, and begin rebuilding, and not fight because we are seeing that some politicians have already begun putting a stick in the wheel."

Other Iraqis who worked for Americans are fearful over their departure, fearing they may be killed. John, a pseudonym for one such Iraqi, said to ''Al-Jazeera'', "It’s a fact to these people, we betrayed our country, anyone who worked with the Americans. They think we don’t even deserve to be Iraqi."

Mark, another such Iraqi, said "All the people around me know that I was working with the Americans. We feel that we are in danger from anyone who was against the US troops." John and Mark both worked for  (PRT) in Iraq. Both men have applied for Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) which the US government created in 2008 for Iraqis who have worked for US forces.

However, there is an immense backlog for applicants, as over 30,000 await a decision. So far, only 7,000 SIV visas have been issued. John has been waiting for a visa for over a year, Mark has been waiting nine months since applying in March. Mark said, "They said we should wait at least six months, but this is crazy". And, "For nine months I am jobless, waiting for that visa. I have nothing to do."