ATLANTA, Aug 2, (AP): President Barack Obama declared Mon-day that the Iraq war was nearing an end “as promised and on schedule,” touting what he called a success of his administration though it comes amid persistent instability and uncertainty in Iraq. Obama cited progress toward meeting his deadline of withdrawing all US combat troops from Iraq by the end of this month (August 31). A transitional force of 50,000 troops will remain to train Iraqi security forces, conduct counterterrorism operations and provide security for ongoing US civilian efforts. Under an agreement negotiated in 2008 with the Iraqis, all American troops are to be gone from Iraq by the end of next year.

“The hard truth is we have not seen the end of American sacrifice in Iraq,” Obama said in a speech to the national convention of the Disabled American Veterans. “But make no mistake, our commitment in Iraq is changing — from a military effort led by our troops to a civilian effort led by our diplomats.”
The main focus of Obama’s appearance was the move toward fulfillment of his campaign promise to end the Iraq war, a position that perhaps most defined his 2008 candidacy and was key to his base of support in the liberal wing of his Democratic Party.

With pivotal November congressional elections approaching, the White House wants to highlight the progress as a success story. Monday’s speech was only the first in a series of such events planned for this month, with others to be headlined by the president as well as Vice President Joe Biden and other administration officials. “The message is, when the president makes a commitment, he keeps it,” White House spokesman Bill Burton told reporters traveling with Obama to Georgia on Air Force One.
But the rhetoric comes amid deep concerns about Iraq’s stability.

US officials have stepped up the pressure on Iraqi leaders to overcome a political impasse that has prevented the formation of a new government for the nearly five months since parliamentary elections that did not produce a clear winner. In a reminder of Iraq’s fragility, two bombings and a drive-by shooting killed eight people there Monday. With such attacks remaining a daily occurrence, especially in Baghdad, questions persist about the readiness of Iraqi security forces to take over for the Americans and tamp down insurgents. Obama said, “Violence in Iraq continues to be near the lowest it’s been in years,” but figures released by Iraqi authorities over the weekend — dismissed by the US military as too high — showed July to be the deadliest month for Iraqis in more than two years.

At the same time Obama has drawn down forces in Iraq, he has increased the US commitment in Afghanistan, ordering a surge of 30,000 additional troops for the 9-year mission there. But with casualties on the rise, fresh concerns have arisen — with some saying the Afghanistan war should be ended and others questioning Obama’s plan to begin winding it down as soon as next July. Critics say such a timetable will embolden the Taliban and other extremist groups in the region.
With such debate and low public support, the White House has launched a fresh effort to paint the US goals in Afghanistan as modest: keeping the region from being a haven for terrorists.
“We face huge challenges in Afghanistan,” Obama said Monday. “But it’s important that the American people know that we are making progress and we’re focused on goals that are clear and achievable.”
Despite the increase in Afghanistan, there are fewer US troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan now than there were when Obama took office last year. Come September, when the Iraq drawdown is complete, the White House says there will 146,000 troops on the ground, down from 177,000 in January 2009.

Speaking before a mostly friendly crowd of more than 2,500 disabled veterans, some in wheelchairs, others with lost limbs, Obama promised an all-out effort to support troops. “Your government is going to take care of you when you come home,” he said.
After the speech, he was heading to a lunch benefiting the Democratic National Committee, his latest stop in a summer fundraising sprint that also includes events in Chicago later this week.
While concern is rising in the US about the war in Afghanistan, the Americans are anxious to show evidence of progress in their other conflict — Iraq.

New Iraqi government figures tell a different story, however, showing civilian casualties hitting their highest level in more than two years — figures the US rushed on Sunday to dispute.
The rejection of the figures, compiled by the Iraqi ministries of defense, interior and health, comes at a delicate time. The American military has pronounced Iraq’s security as stabilizing and is going ahead with plans to send home all but 50,000 troops by the end of the month, leaving Iraq’s nascent security forces in control. The last American soldier is due to leave by the end of 2011.
Things were not much better in July for the Americans in Afghanistan — where US losses were the highest for any month of the war. The monthly death toll — 66 — surpassed the previous record of 60 deaths in June. US commanders have warned of more bloodshed as fighting escalates in longtime Taliban strongholds.

Moreover, at least 270 Afghan civilians were killed in the July fighting and nearly 600 wounded — a 29 percent increase over the previous month, according to Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary.
In Iraq, the July death toll — 535 — was the highest since May 2008 when 563 died, heightening concerns over the country’s precarious security even as a political deadlock persists nearly five months after a parliamentary election produced no clear winner.
The new figures suggested that a resilient insurgency is successfully taking advantage of the political deadlock and shows the difficulties of achieving a political solution in a polarized society like Iraq’s, where ethnic and religious groups compete for power regardless of where national interests lie.
More than seven years after Saddam Hussein’s ouster, Iraqi politicians from these rival groups have failed to resolve key issues like sharing wealth, the extent of provincial autonomy and identity.

The US military countered that its own data showed only 222 Iraqis had been killed in July. “We do our very best to be vigilant to ensure the numbers we report are as accurate as can be,” spokesman Lt. Col. Bob Owen said in defense of the military’s own numbers.
An Associated Press tally indicated that at least 350 Iraqis were killed in July, but this figure is considered a minimum, based on AP reporting. The actual number is likely higher, as many killings go unreported or uncounted.
The three Iraqi ministries release casualty figures each month, but rarely if ever have they been so strongly disputed by the US military as it worries about creating an image of withdrawing too soon.