After more than seven years of American military operations in Iraq, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will help mark the transfer of U.S. military command in Iraq on Wednesday.

The historic ceremony is scheduled to take place at 3 p.m. (8 a.m. ET).

While the U.S. combat mission is ending, roughly 50,000 American troops will remain in the country until the end of 2011. Their mission will be to train, assist and advise the Iraqis.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is also in Iraq to help mark the transfer.

When asked Wednesday if the United States is still at war in Iraq, Gates responded, “No, we’re not.” Gates added it is up to historians to determine whether the war was worth it.

The U.S. combat mission in Iraq officially ended at 5 p.m. ET Tuesday. The drawdown and end to the U.S. combat phase is a new page in what has been a controversial seven-year conflict. Weapons of mass destruction, a major justification by the Bush administration for going to war, were never found. Saddam Hussein was toppled along with his massive Baghdad statue, but sectarian violence soon erupted.

(Source: CNN)