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| July 1, 2009 | (Use j/k keys to navigate) |
Iraq takes a step toward sovereignty
Six years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the government of Iraq set aside Tuesday as a national holiday, celebrating "Sovereignty Day" as U.S. troops, on schedule, pulled out of all major Iraqi cities - the first phase of a full withdrawal scheduled for the end of 2011. Many residents of these cities took their cues from Iraqi officials and security forces and celebrated the day in streets, parks and at home - despite the hot weather, remaining doubts about the capabilities of Iraqi forces, several deadly bombings, and the fact that no U.S. troops actually left the country. Nearly 130,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq, providing continued support until 2011. As of today, the Department of Defense has identified 4,308 American service members who have died since the start of the war. (33 photos total)

An Iraqi man sits at a sewing machine as he assembles an Iraqi flag at his shop in central Baghdad on June 27, 2009. The flag maker says he has been busy to the run up to the withdrawal of US forces from urban areas of Iraq on June 30 handing security over to the Iraqi forces. (SABAH ARAR/AFP/Getty Images) #

A member of the Sahwa or "Awakening" anti-Qaeda militia sits at a shelter near a checkpoint in the Iraqi village of Abu Basal, several kilometers south of the northeastern city of Baquba, on June 28, 2009. Sahwa fighters, former Sunni rebels who have turned against Al-Qaeda, are fearing the worst as US troops withdraw from cities, towns and villages, and the conflict-torn nation takes sole charge of its security. (AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) #

Iraqis gather around a crater caused by a truck bomb in the northern city of Kirkuk on June 20, 2009. The truck bomb killed at least 22 people and wounded dozens more in a town south of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, the bloodiest attack to hit Iraq in a month, officials said. (MARWAN IBRAHIM/AFP/Getty Images) #

A U.S. military Humvee is engulfed in flames after a roadside bomb attack in eastern Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, June 25, 2009. A military spokesman said approximately nine coalition forces were injured in the attack, which occurred less than a week before a deadline for U.S. combat troops to leave Iraq's urban areas. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim) #

People stand by a fire at the site of a bomb attack in Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, June 30, 2009. Hours after U.S. troops handed over full control of Iraq's cities to its domestic security forces, a car bomb in the northern city of Kirkuk killed at least 32 people and wounded over 100 on Tuesday, police said. (REUTERS/Ako Rasheed) #

Men suspected in a grenade attack are processed by U.S. Army soldiers from Demon Dog Co., 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment in Mosul, 360 kilometers (225 miles) northwest of Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, June 15, 2009. Both men were detained by Iraqi security forces after their hands tested positive for traces of explosives. (AP Photo/ Maya Alleruzzo) #

A picture taken on February 3, 2009 shows an engineer walking past the chimneys at the Barjisiya oil field in Zubair One, southwest of the southern Iraqi city of Basra. Iraq will unveil which foreign firms have won contracts to develop its oil and gas fields, nearly four decades after Saddam Hussein nationalised the country's energy infrastructure. (ESSAM -AL-SUDANI/AFP/Getty Images) #

An official representing a foreign firm casts their proposal in a transparent box at the start of the unveiling of the names of the foreign firms that have won contracts to develop key oil and gas fields in central Baghdad on June 30, 2009. Only one contract out of seven was awarded, as oil companies balked at Iraq's rigid demands for operators. (SABAH ARAR/AFP/Getty Images) #

Iraqi police guard Ahmed Abed Oweiyed after he was arrested in the Ghazaliyah neighbourhood of Baghdad on June 17, 2009. Iraqi police arrested Oweiyed, a top Al-Qaeda operative, over the killing of senior Sunni Muslim MP and human rights advocate Harith al-Obaidi who was shot dead in a Baghdad mosque last week. (MOHAMMED SAWAF/AFP/Getty Images) #

U.S. Army Spc. Anthony Decamp, 22, from Roseburg, Ore. from C Co., 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, left, and an unidentified soldier play video games in their barracks at Forward Operating Base Warhorse in Baqouba Iraq, Tuesday, June 30, 2009. US troops completed their last patrols on Monday after their deadline to withdraw from Iraqi cities. (AP Photo/ Maya Alleruzzo) #
More links and information
Iraq Marks Withdrawal of U.S. Troops From Cities - NYTimes.com 6/30
Dateline:Iraq - NYTimes.com Lens Blog, 6/30
Iraq - NYTimes.com Topics page
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.

























#33 is kinda sad an funny at the same time
Victory in Iraq. Thank you George Bush for liberating these people and keeping us safe. God Bless Iraq and the greatest nation on earth, USA.
Looks like a bit step for the Iraqi people.
If only Michael had lived to see this.
Just kidding.
Bonne chance au peuple d'Irak et la photo du papa qui montre a son fils à nager exprime bien ..que ce peuple qui veut sortir la tête de l'eau pour respirer enfin.
Good luck to the Iraqui poeple ....The Iraqi father who teaches his son to swim mean to me this contry whant to go out of water and breath ..
Let's hope this works...
Iraq was still a mistake for us, but if they can pull through this then more power to them.
Operation Carve Up Your Oil Industry and distribute amonst your Friends must have been successfully concluded I guess
Picture 20 looks like it's straight from a Wes Anderson movie.
I do like seeing displays of patriotism. I hope that Iraq quickly stabilizes in the coming months, and that the Iraqis can have a lasting peace within their borders. The images of car bombings call that into question, but on this day, their new national holiday, I think hope is better, at least for a little while.
Please don't forget : http://icasualties.org/Iraq/USDeaths.aspx
And that is just the US military casualties...
#31: Is Anthony DeCamp playing Ogre Battle '64?
What I don't understand is why there is praise for what the US is doing. Sure we invaded there country but we are respectfully handing over control of the country back to them.
The children in #25 look mature beyond their years. What has it been like growing up under occupation by the most powerful military the world has ever known?
25 is heart wrenching in a way... the children seem to be saying 'why did you have to do this to this country'
Great photos. Very sad, though. And very troubling that there are no women or girls in the couple of group scenes. It must feel so much more dangerous to the women now.
More than 4000 US and coalition soldiers died. More than 90 000 civilians dead. This war was unnecessary and based on a lie. We Americans should apologize for this crime.
http://www.iraqbodycount.org/
What did we win? No, seriously what did we accomplish over there?
Great pictures and indeed a step in the right direction.
@17 So true
Huge lulz @ number 2 (GR). If by "liberating the Iraqis" you mean destroying their country for no reason at all than,,,, you're still an idiot.
Jay Leno once said that we should be paying 19 cents a gallon for gasoline as a result of the war.......
Look at pictures #20 and #21.. The USA invaded in order to privatize the oil fields. AIG bailout was a bargain compared to Iraq. These wars were a form of bailout for the energy companies. Was it worth it? Watch oil prices rise as a result.
#2
Victory in Iraq. Thank you George Bush for liberating these people and keeping us safe. God Bless Iraq and the greatest nation on earth, USA.
Posted by GR July 1, 09 12:24 PM
you've gotta kidding me!!! I really hope this is a bad joke, but it sounds so typical American. Just sad.
does anyone else find it ironic that in #4, the iraqi police are dancing in the street to celebrate us leaving, yet the truck they are driving is a Ford?
Amazing series, very touching.
@dustin yes irony is defined by a global economy. You are correct.
Thank the US for ridding of that evil tyrant Saddam!
"What did we win? No, seriously what did we accomplish over there?"
There is an accomplishment to celebrate. Of course, this war was - and still is - terrible. Bush lied to begin it, and then didn't exactly lead it as best as it could have been done.
But at some point, there were enought good and courageous people in Iraq and in the US army to make this withdrawal possible, without leaving a wasteland behind - such as Somalia, if you want an example.
Another democracy is born into the world and all you can do is spew hatred towards the liberators. Why not focus on the good part which is 10 x that of the bad. Iraqi is free and is grateful to American Soldiers for staying and helping secure FREEDOM!
Hey, sure those Iraqis were glad to be liberated!
Do not be fooled by this "National Sovereignty Day". Iraq's sovereignty is now contingent upon the United States and its Big Businesses. Private contractors and even some soldiers will stick around for at least another twenty years. The country has been ravaged by this war, and this "democracy" has come at too great a cost. I only hope that following this propaganda spectacle, some day in the future, Iraqis can live normal lives. Saddam was no benevolent leader by any means, but how is it justifiable that a war claiming the lives of a million Iraqis is any better? This war could end up costing American tax payers 2.4 trillion dollars by 2017. And for what? So the businesses that lobbied our government can secure long-term oil contracts? Obama should end America's costly influence abroad, and NOT increase troop presence in Afghanistan, nor should he begin aggression against Pakistan. America was at one time a free and model country, but now it is seen as a bully. This foreign policy is ruining our reputation. That being said, it is good to see that (hopefully) the worst of this conflict is over. That perhaps America's efforts and money invested in the nation can bring it security and stability. But remember that we were the ones to take it away. We can only hope that our troops come home safe, that Islamic extremism dwindles, and that the moderate clear-headed individuals on both sides, in the West and in the Middle East, put their weapons down and live and let live.
Isn't good knowing that innocent people are not being thrown off roofs and tortured by Saddam, his sons and their regime? Absolute power, absolutely corrupts.
Change cannot happen overnight, but the future of Iraq is now in the hands of its people. Their standard of living may not be much better now, but at least there is hope. Women can have hope of equality. Children can have hope of a better Iraq.
Are these not good things to be thankful for? Oil flow is more stable, oil prices are more stable. This effects the global economy and the global standard of living. Every person on earth benefits from cheaper oil. When there is more of it. It gets cheaper.
It was hard. It was painful in many ways, but now we all have hope for a better Iraq and middle East. That was not the course when Saddam the dictator ruled. It is not a solution but it is a step in the right direction. Hopefully the Iraqi’s will take their fragile democracy and make it grow.
i ditto Jimbo about the ridiculous comment GR posted on how great George Bush is.
it's so hard for me to believe there're still people with that level of ignorance.
no business profit made off any war can justify the civilian deaths endured....
Didn't see too many women celebrating.
there seem to be only one woman in this country (#32)
all the war with its consequences only because of ##19,20,21
if not for Iraqis, i feel sorry at least for US troops who died there
Obviously this war was an ill-conceived misadventure from the very beginning, but that isn't the greatest misdeed of the Bush Administration. That would be the mismanagement of the war-- once the Iraqi armed forces had been defeated, effective US leadership could have prevented the insurgency from having arisen, assisted the Iraqi government in reforming their government, economy, and infrastructure, and handed back sovereignty several years ago. Instead, ineffectual leadership from Bush to Rumsfeld to Franks bungled the operation of the war and permitted a violent insurgency to grow and spread, Abu Ghraib atrocities to undermine US prestige and shame the Iraqi people, and sectarian violence to push Iraq to the brink of civil war. Thousands of Iraqis and American soldiers died unnecessarily—the war was a mistake, but it could have found a happy ending several years ago if leadership had done its job.
Oil is down, victory is achieved, the Iraqis are a happy people now. They will rebuild their country soon enough - soon electrical power may even be available at pre-invasion levels. Car bombs are relatively infrequent these days.
Liberals will no doubt naysay this victory - they'd rather whine about the trillions that could have been spent on health care, or U.S. infrastructure, or education, or the deficit, or SCHIP. I say not a penny to any of those boondoggles until they all say MISSION ACCOMPLISHED in unison.
My best wishes to the people of Iraq. Here's is your chance to shine!
#2 must be a joke - he can't be serious.
G.W. Bushs "adventure" costs thousands of lifes, mostly from the innocent (which incluce most of the US Troops sent there cluelessly).
There will never be peace or democracy in Iraq, or Iran, or other muslim coutries. It's just not their way to deal with political issues. And if it's fine by them, why should I bother ?
The billions would have been used better to establish fair trade conditions for both sides of the party, instead of destroying a country, a culture and many many lifes ...
Regards
Mattes
@37: I agree with you completely. This operation was a bad idea in the first place, but it was also badly prepared. The justification of this war in the U.N. was a laugh and based on pure lies. They didn't anticipate any of the problems after victory. They just went in and destroyed and killed untill they had won (also they had a handfull of actors pull down Saddam's statue) and just took it from there without any plan. Etnic differences and problems were completely ignored untill they could no longer ignore the violence caused by it. Yes, even if this war was justified, it could have found a better ending long ago.
I also couldn't understand why a president celibrated his re-election on such a large scale while the sons and daughters of his people where dying far from home...
near finish...
I wish the people of Iraq a lot of luck. In addition to overcoming any differences (Sunni, Shiite and Kurd), Iran cannot afford a functioning democracy so close by.
game over...
Some people are so f'ing clueless. "What did we win over there". You seriously have no idea how many lives we have saved. You have no idea what it was like living under the role of Sadam. These pictures show exactly what we accomplished. A hope for these people to be free as we are. I love our country but I don't think that everyone should have the freedom to think. Your ignorance and stupidity amazes me
One woman in all those pictures...........
may be it's the time to start from under 0000 after this (30/06/2009) to be .....
You're welcome America...and Iraq.
It's a pity we'll never see Bush and Cheney in The Hague. All this in the name of "freedom" (Oil). Fortunately America no longer poses a threat to the world, it's bankrupt. Greed, not bullets destroyed the most powerful nation on Earth. Goliath slain by a credit card. How fitting.
Anyone think that #8 looks like a giant waffle iron? Who wants syrup?
Interesting pictures. Hope it was worth it.
Great pictures, as always. I can't tell you how many times I've recommended this site to others. Thanks for the great work.
@45 jacob
"I love our country but I don't think that everyone should have the freedom to think."
The founding fathers are rolling in their graves over this comment. Such arrogance is astounding. *Your* ignorance amazes *me*.
And next time you call someone stupid, run spell check. Otherwise your comments may fall on deaf ears.
Here's to hoping for the Iraqi people.
some of you pro-war Americans make me sick. your country is like a playground bully, causing misery to the weak and taking what is not yours. you should all be ashamed of what the U.S. has done in Iraq and afghanistan.
In the past, selling weapons to help fuel war and generate debt in africa is also a sickening U.S. foreign policy. Supporting Israel in attempting to destroy the palestinian people is another morally wrong and greed driven policy.
They entered a war in Vietnam that wasn't theirs, and most of you will agree that was wrong, yet you let it happen again... every time your country pokes it's nose into others' business it causes trouble for selfish means, and cares nothing for the fortunes of the people of the affected countries. the propaganda machine rolls on... American people need to look past the propaganda and take control of what their leaders do overseas. The crimes of the U.S. in the last century far outweigh those of any other nation. please wake up and see what the rest of the world sees.
The Iraqi fellow in photo #3 (sewing the Iraqi flags) has an Ireland soccer jersey on!
Another bombed out, destroyed, wreck of a country, courtesy of the US/Israeli war machine. So much for "the rebuilding." Get out and stay out. Leave these poor people alone already
I don't know if they're thanking us for taking out Saddam - our "friendly fire" has killed approximately 18x as many people (mostly women and children) as he did in his entire reign.
@ #30
"Saddam was no benevolent leader by any means, but how is it justifiable that a war claiming the lives of a million Iraqis is any better?"
I'll just correct one part of that giant mistake you posted. The death toll for Iraqi civilians was 90,000. If you couple that with the 4,000 military deaths than you get 94,000. WWI had a death toll around 35 million. WWII had a death toll around 70 million. Suddenly 94,000 deaths-while still unfortunate and unwanted-is less close to "a million" than before.
Instead of constantly thinking about how to make this fight for freedom as devilish as you can, try thinking about the actual millions of lives that have been saved from the effects of tyranny.
>"We can only hope that our troops come home safe, that Islamic extremism >dwindles, and that the moderate clear-headed individuals on both sides, in the >West and in the Middle East, put their weapons down and live and let live."
>
>Posted by Timothy Ackland July 1, 09 06:14 PM
You ******* moron. Let's look at history for a second, shall we? I mean, if anything can give us a good indicator of the future, then it should be the past, right? What's the past say has happened when we 'hope' something happens?
The Corporate American way... Taking advantage of the weak and ignorant, just to make a buck.
I don't know that GW was smart enough to construct this plan all on his own... Who else gained by us going there?
#52, I'm proud of the USA and I'm glad we stomp on evil regimes and dictatorships around the world and bring freedom to those who have only known tyranny. Sorry about all your anger and frustration, it must suck to be you.
@ Wilson (#56)
Open your eyes: http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/1-over-one-million-iraqi-deaths-caused-by-us-occupation/
America trying desperately to appear as a liberator and not as a conqueror and trying even harder to forget that this war was a mistake
@ Jon (#57)
I am sorry but I am trying to understand this sentence:
"What's the past say has happened when we 'hope' something happens?"
Do you mind restating your question in a coherent and grammatically correct fashion so I can respond appropriately?
Sincerely,
••••••• moron.
Unfortunately for the Iraqis a million people have died since 2003 and hundreds of thousands have been made refugees. Saddam was our ally all through the 1980s, just as Saudi Arabia is today (a regime that makes Iran look like Sweden). How many people are aware of these things? About as many as are aware that the US killed millions of Vietnamese, Loations and Cambodians in the 60s and 70s. So it goes.
# 59, America is a dictator. It dictates to the whole world.
The pictures are sad and heartening to watch at the same time.
I just watched this movie called Paradise Now, a Palestinian movie that focuses on the prevalent problems in a conflict stricken zone -
http://culturazzi.org/review/cinema/paradise-now-hany-abu-assad
But it refuses to take sides. Something we need to adopt in our attitude towards our problems. I'm glad there are steps being taken to find a solution to them - this step towards sovereignty being a definitive one at that. The author of this particular review sums it up beauitifully - no matter where the next bomb explodes, everyone dies a little.
At pic #19, the Iraqis don't need freedom, they need a good lesson in ergonomics.
Seriously tho, forget arguments as to whether the US was right or wrong to be in Iraq, the point is that Iraq is now free to choose its own way. Good luck ppl, enjoy.
As usual, ppl forget to thank the person who brought us these photos, thank you mate, this is one of the few sites I visit everyday to see the world.
Invade & arrest leader. Iraqi court agrees, leader commited attrocities, convicted on a few hundred deaths. Ever since shia kill sunni, sunni kill back. 10,000's of death later and religious leaders still not arrested. 2 million sunni won't go back out of fear and hatred that comes from their religion (religions are not the same, oh how they show us that!). Government forced to have constitution. Murders goes on daily, moderated only by keeping Americans there. The only result thats NOT going to happen is a outbreak of peace. They probably need a dictator to bring them together, or warlords to keep them apart. Only one oil company reluctantly bid in the 'auction'!, getting alot of concessions. But the hate for George goes on!
Didn't any of you "why did we fight this war" brianiacs read today's article about Saddam fearing Iran? He admitted decieving the world into thinking he STILL HAD WMD's because he was afraid of Iran! That's right, and he said he miscalculated George Bush's resolve in fighting a major war.
OK, two things from that;
1-regardless of what legless John Kerry says now, at the time everyone believed that Saddam still had WMD's (not just developed WMD's, still had them). He had them and used them when he fought the Iranians, he had them and used on his own people, he had them and the UN documented them at the conclusion of the 1st Gulf War. Unfortunately for the world (and young women everywhere), Bill Clinton took office and decimated the intelligence community. We had no assets on the ground, none. Everything was hunky dory except for the occasional Embassy explosion or US war ship blowing up, why keep on the intelligence community when we can do it by satellite.
2 -He was afraid of Iran. The same country that Obama wants to sit down and get friendy so they will like us. Saddam was willing to let his country go to war with the US because he was afraid of these people.
LOL, how many did we save buddy? I don't know that number, but we definitely have an approximation of how many "combatants" and civilians we killed.
@ JoeR (#68)
Take some time to read past the news article and get some context on what you're arguing: http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB279/index.htm. That link contains some of the declassified notes from interviews with Saddam. Here is a quote for you:
"Even though Hussein claimed Iraq did not have WMD, the threat from Iran was the major factor as to why he did not allows the return of the UN inspectors. Hussein stated he was more concerned about Iran discovering Iraq’s weaknesses and vulnerabilities than the repercussions of the United States for his refusal to allow UN inspectors back into Iraq. In his opinion, the UN inspectors would have directly identified to the Iranians where to inflict maximum damage to Iraq. Hussein demonstrated this by pointing at his arm and stated striking someone on the forearm would not have the same effect as striking someone at the elbow or wrist, which would significantly disable the ability to use the arm."
Insular & sad....if even the Daily Show cannot accept input from exta-nationals..pppppff...., we all know u are good people....let everyone else make their mistakes.....and hope to get to where u are,... we all know u are the big dog...why so scared all the time..?
(P.S. John please return my call)
"# 59, America is a dictator. It dictates to the whole world"
American is not a dictator, the American foreign policy is, most people are different in the US, that's one, two, the world is weak, maybe they also should be blamed?
Note to GW Bush: Watch these pictures and see for yourself the absolute failure of your foreign policies.
- You invaded a country without UN authorization, nor justification. No WMD, That not only makes you a lier of historical proportion, it has destroyed the reputation of the USA.
- You went in and got rid of Saddam. Did any Iraqi citizen thank you for that ? No. One even threw shoes at you in front of the world. An utter humiliation to your stupidity. Who gave you the authority to replace foreign government anyway. God?
- You conducted your war by borrowing, and hide it from hyping up the domestic economy. The economy you mismanaged have now crashed.
- The combination of your policies have resulted in the US going into an irreversible decline. The exact opposite of your ideology of hubris.
- You wanted to grab Iraqi oil. All of your manipulations have failed. Iraqi oil is now opened to international investment. What a total failure.
- The many hundred thousands who died or hurt by your actions, including those in the US military who have now proven to died for nothing, will never forget or forgive you.
Think about that GW. Think real hard. You have zero accomplishments. ZERO!
#1 - Why don't the Iraqi women celebrate as well?
Iraqi women do not celebrate out in the open because the men are misogynistic pigs as most Muslim men are.
We did stop massive amounts of torture, unfortunately the idiots took it upon themselves to kill each other in massive numbers because "You are not Sunni/Shia!! I KILL YOU!! Morons.
All of you Bush and America bashers, go to hell. We spilled our blood for the Iraqi people and NO we did not steal oil from them, hell they are not even paying us back the billions upon billions we have spent on their infrastructure. This war also cost much less than the Obama nationalization of America.
back any of the billian
It is sad that despite all that has been lost during this deadly conflict, that so many of my fellow Americans are so willing to give up on the Iraqi people. Yes the reasoning behind the war are shoddy at best, yes there were significant blunders by military commanders and the likes but does that mean we should have bitterness in our hearts over a new beginning in Iraq?
I believe they can make it work, not because it will be easy, but because they like any other human being want a better life. As for those who say they're incapable of peace, hogwash. Baghdad was an tolerant place of learning in the world when Europe was in the dark ages.
Looking to the past will get us nowhere, I would rather it not be all in vain. That it all not be for nothing, that the lives lost brought forth a new beginning. That doesn't excuse it, the price is to high but the past is the past and the future is what we make it.
It all seems a little too ironic. Having said that, I am not Iraqi and I don't understand what life is like in that country. I just can't seem to get the bitter taste out of my mouth.
Wow....some people don't even seem to realize that they're partying because US soldiers are finally moving out...not because they're happy with what the US did there....
To all of you neo-Marxist, coffee-shop philosophers: try reviewing the facts before you write and spew your anti-U.S. propaganda and hatred.
First, Iraq was in bad shape before GWB took office. Why? Because of two failed wars Saddam Hussein got them into, first with Iran, and then in Kuwait.
Second, Saddam agreed as part of the armistice from 1991 to dismantle his WMD programs and cooperate with the U.N. inspectors. After 9 years of cat-and-mouse with UNSCOM, everyone's intelligence services still believed he had WMD. Not just GWB, but Bill Clinton, as well as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Germany, France, Britain. Search the records and you'll find quotes from democrat and republican politician stating the same thing. The only difference was that after 9-11, GWB decided to enforce the UN's own resolutions pertaining to the armistice agreement.
Third, if the war was "about oil", then why is the price of oil nearly double what it was in 2003? Why is it the IRAQI government running the oil modernization bidding instead of "GWB's cronies"? It's called sovereignty you dolts! Something the people of Iraq didn't have, and would NEVER have had under Saddam and his sons. But they have it now because of America's actions.
Fourth, you all really need to learn to think deeper than a few slogans and catch phrases you pick up at meetings with your friends, who apparently know little more than you do. Study a little history, and think in terms of the "Big Picture". Maybe that's why the Globe titles this section "The Big Picture".
FIfth, if you are a non-American poster, just admit it, instead of trying to make your comments sound as if they come from a U.S. resident. We who live in America, who are American citizens, and will live our lives in America can see through you phoniness...and it makes you look petty and ashamed of your own country.
Sixth, I am happy for the Iraqis and wish them the best of luck for building a new and free Iraq. An Iraq where people have the freedom to make their own way in life without worrying about a tyrant crushing them, because the socialists of the world would rather let them suffer, than spill their socialist espresso at the coffee shop in order to do something about it.
"Wow....some people don't even seem to realize that they're partying because US soldiers are finally moving out...not because they're happy with what the US did there...."
I can guarantee you that they celebrate another step in the right direction rather than the soldiers just leaving Iraq.
If you haven't been there than there's no chance in hell you have the slightest idea of what's going on down there and what the Iraqi people are thinking. Media can only tell you as much.
I'veI've ne
Amazing how many political experts that reside on the internet. We should have had a poll to determine the best course of action/inaction before we did anything. So many experts and so little time to query all of you.
How soon we forget 911!!!!
God Bless America. God Bless Iraq.
God Bless President Obama and God Bless President Bush
God Bless all of our military men and women.
#8 Is one gigantic waffle maker!!!
#46 "One woman in all of those pictures"
Such a contrast to the Iran photos where women dominated the protests and camera lenses. Makes me wonder what type of change will come from the war; apparently not much.
"Victory in Iraq. Thank you George Bush for liberating these people and keeping us safe. God Bless Iraq and the greatest nation on earth, USA."
-THE MOST STUPID WORDS I HAVE EVER READ!
DID YOU SEE DOKUMENT FILM FAHRENHEIT 9/11 ?
DID YOU?!
SO YOU SHOULD SEE.
AMERICAN DEVIL
I have looked at the pictures and read all the comments and as an American soldier who is currently in Iraq right now. I would suggest this to all those who criticize our effectiveness here. Join the military or become a civilian contractor over here. Spend a year dodging bullets, grenades, rockets, car bombs, IED's and individuals who where exploding vest. Spend a year talking to the Iraqi people on both sides about Saddam, Iran, and the war. Then you would understand why we are here, what we accomplished and what the over all out come is. Great pictures, once you have been here you truly understand.
I see that several of you keep asking the same question and still including your uneducated comments about there not being women celebrating in theses photos. It's because of there cultural and religious beliefs. Its called a book, pick one up and read it.
i want to say thanxxxxxx to all over US army in iraq to help us for see the freedom
thanxx men , you are greate.
sorry for bad english
The United States began its decadence with the fall of the Soviet union, today has major military power that yesterday but it does not mean very much, the Roman empire knew his military height little before declining. I will drink the day that USA falls, and I am sure that we all will see that.
you know... its funny... if I remember my history, the spanish empire was bigger and far worse in terms of hurting muslims and other natives than anything that might be refered to as an 'american empire'. in fact, it was much bigger than the roman empire at one point too. I am also pretty sure that the spanish took hundreds of years to leave most of the territory they conquered, and really they didnt leave (they killed off the native population) they just rebelled against themselves. I am a contractor working in Iraq. my local staff had the day off for sovereignity day. some even told me they were happy. however, most said that things wer going to get a lot more dangerous. I havnt been able to leave the compound since. our private security detail (PSDs) has restricted all movements due to the danger. things here are very hard. corruption is rampant and not getting better. crime has decreased but there is no real law and order. while things are very good in some parts (erbil and the north), and getting better in others (sulemanya), Baghdad is just getting worse. I hope things settle down soon, as people adapt to the new situation. I will miss the relative peace and calm of the IZ....
no more dictator, women voting, children have a future, and some people say we did wrong we should appologize, im so glad you people arent running the show or i would be typing german....some people are so ignorant thank you bush
Who exactly built the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of Iraq?
#32 is a very powerful picture. It doesn't show death gore or tears. But it shows the hardship of life after and during war. It shows what remains. The grief on the woman's face when she is surprised yet again for another misfortune. her car is no more, so much was possible with it, an easier life but still difficult but now made 10 times harder. She has to live with the thought that tomorrow may bring another unsuspected problem. Everyday may bring another problem, but retrieving her car? nope. Just as her car is lost, her home may be, her street, her friends, her family, her will to survive!
All those people suffer 90% loss and enjoy 10% gain. Compare that to yourselves. how much is lost how much is gained. Material, immaterial.
To #52, Anonymous:
Believe me when I say this American is not proud of what her country has done. I am embarrassed and ashamed to be an American after this unnecessary war.
Believe me when I say this American is not proud of what her country has done. I am embarrassed and ashamed to be an American after this unnecessary war.
these r some cool pics
is good