The US invaded Iraq in 2003 and withdrew 8 years later. Saddam was dead and his Ba’athist regime gone, but corrupt and violent politics still plagued the country. In its final days, the US military poured its efforts into training its Iraqi counterpart while civilians continued life as best they could, trying out promised democratic freedoms that were often met with harsh crackdowns. This is the story of the last days of the US military presence in Iraq and the country’s faltering attempt to stand on its own feet.
