It was an impossible mission in pursuit of undefined goals. It's been more than time for them to come home, safe, to their country and loved ones. Now let's do the same in Afghanistan.
U.S. President Barack Obama applauds troops at Fort Bragg in North Carolina (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
U.S. and Iraqi flags are carried in a ceremony in Baghdad Dec. 15 marking the official end of U.S. military mission in the war. The final troop withdrawal will be by Dec. 31 (Pablo Martinez/Reuters)
U.S. Air Force Major Stacie Shafran carries her luggage to a loading paddock while waiting for her departure from Iraq (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)
Best of luck to the Iraqi people, who must now struggle to survive in their broken country.