By Eman Al-Awadhi (with photos)

KUWAIT, July 5 (KUNA) -- A decommissioning ceremony was held Wednesday for the US Camp Victory in Kuwait, one of six deployment camps established in preparation for the Iraq War that removed the former regime of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Speaking to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) after the lowering of the Kuwaiti and US flags, Camp Victory Commander Lt. Col. John Edwards said that the camp's mission had been "to provide life support service to units that were coming back from Iraq."

The dismantling of the camp, located in the northwest of Kuwait, began in January, 2006, he said, adding that this was in its final stages and "we are projecting that the official closing of the camp will take place in the frame of August."

He also pointed out that the decommissioning was taking place simultaneously with the processing of troops, and thus the dismantling had to be executed in phases.

Meanwhile, Edwards said in his speech that this ceremony was "symbolic", as there was much more to do before the camp is officially handed over to the Kuwaiti government.

He said that 88 percent of the dismantling operations were over and that the aim was to "turn back the camp to Kuwaitis in a state better than we received it."

He noted that, at its peak, the camp had a bed capacity of 17,000 and added that "between September 2005 and April 2006, we processed over 154,000 personnel."

Edwards also thanked Kuwait's 35th Armored Brigade and the 6th Infantry Brigade for their continued support, which he said has been a valuable asset for Camp Victory.

As for Deputy Commanding General of the 3rd US Army in Kuwait, Maj. Gen. James Kelley, he said in his speech that "this ceremony allows us to recognize the incredible bond our two nations (Kuwait and US) have developed and nurtured over the years."

He added that it demonstrated the "commitment and dedication to standing shoulder to shoulder as brothers in arms."

Kelley noted that the two countries had worked together as a united force in liberating Kuwait and in ousting Saddam Hussein, adding that "today we continue to fight side by side against terrorism."

"The support we have received from the Kuwaitis has been nothing short of phenomenal," he added.

For his part, Area Support Group Commander Col. Brick Miller said that it was "difficult to imagine that four months ago there were 20,000 people in this camp."

He thanked the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense, represented by the 35th Armored Brigade and the 6th Infantry Brigade, saying that "we could not have completed the mission without them."

Commander of the 35th Brigade Col. Nahar Al-Shimmiri and Commander of the 6th Brigade Maj. Bander Al-Shimmiri both thanked the forces at Camp Victory for their efforts and cooperation in training, adding that there were "proud to be working with friends."

Camp Victory was built in late 2002 and had been designed with the purpose of supporting deploying troops, and later, as major units began rotating out of Iraq, the camp received the mission of supporting both deploying and re-deploying units.

In early 2005, Camp Victory was assigned the mission to be the primary re-deployment camp for the entire Iraqi theater.