Washington: US Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday declared that anti-US forces who wanted to consign Iraq to "chaos and destruction" had failed, as he welcomed home a much decorated military unit.
Biden also savoured the fact that in one month, US combat operations will end, more than seven years after the US invasion to topple Saddam Hussein, in line with a campaign promise of President Barack Obama.
"You and your colleagues persevered and succeeded," Biden said, welcoming home the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, from Iraq.
"With your help, Iraq`s leaders and security forces are persevering and succeeding -- and therefore those who sought to make chaos and destruction a hallmark of the new Iraq have failed because of you," Biden said at Fort Drum in upstate New York.
"I`ve been looking forward to this day for a long time... one month from now, as President Obama pledged, America`s combat mission in Iraq will end."
The 2nd Brigade Combat team is one of the most deployed units of the last near decade in which America has fought constant foreign wars, with three deployments to Afghanistan and four to Iraq.
PTI
