The Frame
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December 15, 2011
US formally ends Iraq war with little fanfare
BAGHDAD (AP) -- There was no "Mission Accomplished" banner. No victory parade down the center of this capital scarred and rearranged by nearly nine years of war. No crowds of cheering Iraqis grateful for liberation from Saddam Hussein.
Instead, the U.S. military officially declared an end to its mission in Iraq on Thursday with a businesslike closing ceremony behind blast walls in a fortified compound at Baghdad airport. The flag used by U.S. forces in Iraq was lowered and boxed up in a 45-minute ceremony. No senior Iraqi political figures attended.
With that, and brief words from top American officials who flew in under tight security still necessary because of the ongoing violence in Iraq, the U.S. drew the curtain on a war that left 4,500 Americans and more than 100,000 Iraqis dead. (21 images)



The US flag, Iraq flag, and the US Forces Iraq colors are seen before they are carried in during ceremonies marking the end of US military mission, Thursday, Dec., 15, 2011 in Baghdad, Iraq. AP / Pablo Martinez Monsivais


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The US flag, Iraq flag, and the US Forces Iraq colors are seen before they are carried in during ceremonies marking the end of US military mission in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011. After nearly nine years, 4,500 American dead and 100,000 Iraqi dead, U.S. officials formally shut down the war in Iraq - a conflict that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said was worth the American sacrifice because it set Iraq on a path to democracy. AP / Khalid Mohammed



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The US flag, Iraq flag, and the US Forces Iraq colors are seen before they are carried in during ceremonies marking the end of US military mission in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011. AP / Khalid Mohammed



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The US flag, Iraq flag, and the US Forces Iraq colors are seen before they are carried in during ceremonies marking the end of US military mission in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011. AP / Khalid Mohammed



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The US flag, Iraq flag, and the US Forces Iraq colors are carried in during ceremonies marking the end of US military mission, Thursday, Dec., 15, 2011 in Baghdad, Iraq. AP / Pablo Martinez Monsivais



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The flag used by U.S. forces in Iraq is lowered before being encased during a ceremony in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Dec., 15, 2011. The ceremony marked the official end of the U.S. military mission in Iraq. AP / Pablo Martinez Monsivais



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Command Sgt. Major Joseph R. Allen, left, and Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, Commander of US Forces Iraq, encase the US Forces Iraq colors during a ceremony in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Dec., 15, 2011. AP / Pablo Martinez Monsivais



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US Army soldiers salute during ceremonies marking the end of US military mission in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011. AP / Khalid Mohammed



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An Iraqi officer, center, and US Army soldiers salute during ceremonies marking the end of the US military mission in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011. AP / Khalid Mohammed



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US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, left, speaks during ceremonies marking the end of US military mission in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011. AP / Khalid Mohammed



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Military personnel lower their heads during ceremonies of the encasing of the US Forces Iraq colors, in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Dec., 15, 2011. AP / Pablo Martinez Monsivais



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A US Army soldier begins his journey home during ceremonies marking the end of US military mission in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011. AP / Khalid Mohammed



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U.S. Army soldiers from 1st Cavalry Division, based at Fort Hood, Texas, load their baggage as they begin their journey home after a deployment in Iraq, at Camp Virginia, Kuwait, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011. AP / Maya Alleruzzo



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U.S. Army soldiers from 1st Cavalry Division, based at Fort Hood, Texas, load their baggage as they begin their journey home after a deployment in Iraq, at Camp Virginia, Kuwait, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011. AP / Maya Alleruzzo



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U.S. service members play basketball at Camp Virginia in Kuwait, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011. AP / Maya Alleruzzo



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U.S. Army soldiers from 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, based at Fort Bragg, N.C., load their baggage as they begin their journey home after a deployment in Iraq, at Camp Virginia, Kuwait, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011. AP / Maya Alleruzzo



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U.S. Army soldiers from 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, based at Fort Bragg, N.C., have their travel documents stamped as they begin their journey home after a deployment in Iraq, at Camp Virginia, Kuwait, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011. AP / Maya Alleruzzo



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President Barack Obama greets soldiers at at Fort Bragg, N.C., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011. The president and first lady Michelle Obama thanked the troops for their service in Iraq, marking the fulfillment of a campaign promise to bring home all U.S. forces following a nearly nine-year conflict. Raleigh News & Observer / Travis Long



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First lady Michelle Obama hugs a woman in the military in the 440th Structural Maintenance Hangar at Fort Bragg, N.C., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011. AP / Carolyn Kaster



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Troops cheer on President Barack Obama as he addresses soldiers at Fort Bragg, N.C., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011. Raleigh News & Observer / Travis Long



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President Barack Obama, accompanied by first lady Michelle Obama, speaks to troops at Fort Bragg, N.C., Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011. AP / Gerry Broome



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