English Listening

Final US Troops Leave Iraq

On December 18th, after weeks of preparation, a final convoy of US soldiers rolled out of Iraq. The departure, which took place without ceremony, officially marked the end of a war that lasted nearly nine years. Rough estimates suggest that about 105,000 people lost their lives in the Iraq war, which began on March 20, 2003. This includes about 100,000 Iraqis and about 4,500 American troops. The financial cost to the US was estimated at about $ 1 trillion. While US President Obama says Iraqis were freed from a dictator and given the opportunity for a democratic future, critics argue that weapons of mass destruction were never found, and thousands of Iraqi widow and children are now living in crisis. Comprehension Questions : 1. What happened on December 18, 2011? 2. How long did the war last? 3. What was the human cost of the war in Iraq? Answers: 1. The last group of American Soldiers left Iraq on December 18, 2011 2. The war in Iraq lasted nearly nine years. 3. The human cost of the war in Iraq was about 105,000. At least 100,000 of those killed were Iraqis.