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

BAGHDAD, IRAQ - DECEMBER 12: Orphans Randa Monam (L) and Marwa Hassan, who both lost parents in war-related violence, stand in the orphanage where they now live on December 12, 2011 in Baghdad, Iraq. Both of Monam's parents were killed by an explosion in 2005 and Hassan's father was executed in 2008. Estimates suggest there may be more than one million orphans currently in the country, with many having lost parents to war-related violence. 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)