Iraq

IRAQ.jpg

The US Forces Iraq colors are lowered before being encased in a ceremony in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Dec., 15, 2011. The ceremonies mark the official end of the U.S. military mission in Iraq. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Pool)

20111214-195659-pic-723452757.jpg

President Obama speaks to returning troops at Fort Bragg, N.C., Wednesday, about the end of the Iraq war with the withdrawal of all U.S. forces at the end of this month. "Our commitment [to you] doesn't end when you take off the uniform," Mr. Obama said. (Associated Press)

20111214-194226-pic-732800681.jpg

** FILE ** Jessica Lynch, who became famous in 2003 as an Iraq war POW, is honored in a holiday parade. She has embarked on a teaching career and is glad just to be alive, saying: "You're just thankful for what you've been given, even if it's not what you wanted." (Associated Press)

20111213-203205-pic-308844880.jpg

ASSOCIATED PRESS Despite the continued violence and political uncertainty in Iraq, President Obama thinks the Iraqis are ready to deal with their own national security, a spokesman for the president said Tuesday.

OBAMA.jpg

President Barack Obama meets with Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, Dec. 12, 2011. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

20111212-204211-pic-278022395.jpg

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki makes a point at a joint news conference with President Obama on Monday at the White House. (Associated Press)

APTOPIX Obama US Iraq_Live.jpg

President Obama, accompanied by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, speaks during a news conference at the White House on Dec. 12, 2011. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

US Obama Iraq_Live.jpg

President Obama meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki at the White House on Dec. 12, 2011. (Associated Press)

Mideast Iraq NATO_Live.jpg

**FILE** Iraqi police officers demonstrate anti-riot policing techniques during a training session Nov. 25, 2009, at Camp Dublin in Baghdad, Iraq. The Italian Carabinieri police team, a part of the NATO Training Mission to Iraq, conducted the specialized training for the Iraqi National police. (Associated Press)

B1-Irag.jpg

Illustration: Iraq

Mideast Iraq US_Lea.jpg

U.S. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. (left) and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki hold a joint news conference in Baghdad on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

20111129-155648-pic-719000234.jpg

Ruins of homes destroyed by Iranian artillery during the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-88 remain standing in Mandali, a mixed Kurdish-Arab city about 60 miles northeast of Baghdad. (Associated Press)

Mideast Iraq US_Lea.jpg

Gen. Lloyd Austin (left), the top U.S. commander in Iraq, looks on as Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. (right) shakes hands with the James Jeffrey, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, upon Mr. Biden's arrival in Baghdad on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

THANKS_08

U.S. soldiers serve Thanksgiving meal for Gen. Lloyd Austin, left, the top U.S. commander in Iraq at Contingency Operating Site Echo, in Diwaniyah, 120 kilometers (80 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. The U.S. has promised to withdraw from Iraq by the end of the year as required by a 2008 security agreement between Washington and Baghdad. A little less than 20,000 U.S. troops are scheduled to clear out along with their equipment. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

THANKS_07

U.S. soldiers serve food for the last Thanksgiving meal at Contingency Operating Site Echo, in Diwaniyah, 120 kilometers (80 miles) south of Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. The U.S. has promised to withdraw from Iraq by the end of the year as required by a 2008 security agreement between Washington and Baghdad. A little less than 20,000 U.S. troops are scheduled to clear out along with their equipment. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

IRAQ.jpg

Security forces inspect the scene of a bomb attack in Basra, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011. Three bombs went off in a popular open-air market Thursday evening, killing and wounding scores of people, police said. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani)