injured. quantus put the passengers in a hotel for the night. >> dozens of people arrested today as part of a statewide gang sweep. it targeted high ranking members of the nuestra familia gang which works out of prison. >> nuestra famila not only calls shots from prison but from neighbors. >> attorney general brown says inprisoned gang leaders use cell phones to communicate with gangs and efforts are on the way to legally jam those cell phones. firefighters are turning up the heat. they just released the tape

that says the state knew that laying off officers would impact safety. san jose later offered to overturn the lay offs if workers took a nearly 9% cut in pay and benefits. but firefighters rejected the deal. you will hear those audio tapes for yourself coming up a bit later in your newscast. now to president obama marking the ends of u.s. combat operations in iraq. he will speak from the white house in just moments. earlier today the president took his message to troops at fort bliss in texas and thanked the men and women for their service. the president says there's still a lot of work ahead to ensure that iraq is what he called an effective partner. mike mibach is watching the

debate. now to the white house and president obama. >> tonight i'd like to talk to you about the end of our commission in iraq. the ongoing security challenges we face and our need to rebuild the nation here at home. i know this historic moment comes at a time of great uncertainty for us americans. we've now been through a decade of war. we've endured a long and painful recession and sometimes in the midst of these storms the future that we're trying to build for our nation, a future of lasting peace and long term prosperity may seem beyond our reach. but this milestone should serve as a reminder of all americans that the future is for us to shape. it should also serve as a message that the united states intends to sustain and

strengthen our leadership. from this desk, 7.5 years ago president bush announced the beginning of military operations in iraq. much as changed since that night, a war to disarm a state became a fight against an insurgency. terrorism, and sectarian warfare threatened to tear iraq apart. thousands of americans gave their lives. tens of thousands have been wounded. our relations abroad were strained, our unity at home was tested. there has been one constant amidst these tides, at every turn americas men and women in uniform have served with courage and resolve. as commander in chief i'm incredibly proud of their

service. like all americans, i'm awed by their sacrifice and by the sacrifices of their families. the americans who have served in iraq completed every mission they were given. they defeated a regime that had terrorized their people. together with iraqis and coalitions forces that have put their lives in harms way, because of our troops and civilians and because of the resilience of the iraqi people, iraq has the opportunity to embrace a new destiny, everyone though many challenges remain. tonight i'm announcing that the mission in iraq has ended. operation iraqi freedom is over. and the iraqi people now have

lead responsible for the security of their country. this was my pledge to the american for my campaign to office. last year i announced a time line to be out of iraq. that's what we've done. we've removed nearly 100,000 u.s. troops from iraq. we've closed or transferred to the iraqis hundreds of bases. and we have moved millions of pieces of equipment out of iraq. this completes a transition to iraqi responsibility for their own security. u.s. troops pulled out of iraq cities last summer and iraqi forces have moved into the lead with considerable skill and commitment to their fellow citizens. even as iraq continues to suffer terrorists attacked,

security incidents have been near the lowest in record since. this year also saw iraq hold credible elections that drew a strong turn out. a caretaker administration is in place as iraqi's form of government. tonight i encourage iraq's leaders to move forward with a sense of urgency. -- and when that government is in place, there should be no doubt the iraqi people will have a strong partner in the united states. our combat mission is ending but our commitment to iraq's future is not. going forward, a transitional force of u.s. troops will remain in iraq with a different mission. advising and assisting iraq

security forces. supporting iraqi troops and counter terrorism. all u.s. troops will leave by the end of next year. as our military draws down, our dedicated civilians, diplomats, aid workers and advisers are moving into the lead to support iraq as it strengthens it's government, resolves political dispute, resettles displays by war and build ties with the region and the world. that's a message that vice president biden is delivering to the iraqi people through his visit there today. this new approach reflects our long term partnership with iraq. one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect. of course, violence will not end with our combat mission. extremists will continue to set off bombs, attack iraqi

civilians and try to spark sectarian war. iraqis have no interest in endless destruction. they understand that in the end only iraqis can resolve their differences and police their streets. only iraqis can build a democracy within their borders. what america will is provide support for the iraqi people as both a friend and a partner. ending this war is not only in iraq's interest it's in our own. the united states has paid a huge price to put the future of iraq in the hands of its people. we have sent our young men and women to make enormous sacrifices in iraq and spent vast resources abroad at a time of tight budgets at home. we persevered because of a belief we share with the iraqi people. a belief that out of the actions of war a new beginning

could be born in this cradle of civilization. through this remarkable chapter in the history of the united states and iraq. we have met our responsibilities. now, it's time to turn the page. as we do, i'm mindful that the iraq war has been a contentious issue at home. here too it's time to turn the page. this afternoon i spoke to former president george w. bush. it's well known that he and i disagreed about the war from its outset. yet no one can doubt president bush's support for our troops or his love of country and commitment to our security. as i've said there are patriots who supported the war and patriots who opposed it. and all of us are united to the love of our men and women and

our hope for the iraqi future. our country is grounded on the ability to thrive from our differences. no challenge is more essential to our security than our fight against al-qaida. americans across the political spectrum supported the use of force against those who attacked us on 911. now as we approach our tenth year of combat, there are those who are asking tough questions about our commission there but we must never lose sight of what's at stake. as we continue, al-qaida continues to plot against us. and their members continue in afghanistan and pakistan. we will dismantle al-qaida. because of our draw down in iraq we are now able to apply the resources necessary to go on offense. in fact, over the last 19

months, nearly one dozen al- qaida leaders and hundredens of al-qaida's extremist allies have been killed or captured throughout the world. within afghanistan, i've ordered the deployment of additional troops who under the command of general petraeus are fighting to break the taliban. they will provide space for the afghans to secure their own future. but as was the case in iraq. we can't do for afghans what they must ultimately do for themselves. that's why we're training afghan security forces and supporting a political resolution to afghanistan's problems. next august we will begin a transition to afghan responsibility. the pace of our troop reductions will be determined by conditions on the ground. and our support for afghanistan

will endure. but make no mistake, this transition will begin because open ended war serves neither our interest nor the afghan people. indeed one of the lessons of our effort in iraq is that american influence around the world is not a function of military force alone, we must use all elements of our power including our diplomacy. a vision that recognizes the real dangers that exist around the world, but also the limitless possibilities of our time. today, old adversaries are at peace and emerging democracies our responsible. now markets of goods stretch

from the asian to americas. billions of young people want to move beyond the shackles of poverty and conflict. as the leader of the free world, america will do more than just defeat on the battlefield those who offer hatred and destruction. we will also lead among those who are willing to work together to expand freedom and opportunity if for all people. that effort must begin within our own borders. throughout the history america has been willing to bare the burden of promoting dignity and liberty over seas. but we have also understood that our anchors abroad must be anchored at home. unfortunately over the last decade we've not done what's necessary to shore up the found

foundation of our own prosperity. we've spent 1 trillion on war. this has contributed to our deficits. for too long we have put off tough decisions on everything from our manufacturing base to policy to education reform. too many middle class families find themselves working harder for less while our security is put at risk. so on this moment, we must tackle those challenges at home with as much energy and grit and sense of common purpose as our men and women in uniform who have served abroad. they have met every test that they faced, now it's our turn. now it's our responsibility to honor them by coming together, all of us and working to secure