Iraq Transitions As U.S. Forces Withdraw After 8-Year Presence

BAGHDAD, IRAQ - DECEMBER 14: Iraqi Army special forces soldiers keep watch (L) at a women's art exhibition sponsored by Iraqi Parliament member Safi Asiheil in a posh Baghdad neighborhood on December 14, 2011 in Baghdad, Iraq. Iraq is transitioning nearly nine years after the 2003 U.S. invasion and subsequent occupation. American forces are now in the midst of the final stage of withdrawal from the war-torn country. At least 4,485 U.S. military personnel have died in service in Iraq. According to the Iraq Body Count, more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians have died from war-related violence. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)