Retracing the Iraq Invasion

Operation Iraqi Freedom officially ends Aug 31, 2010. The last full U.S. combat brigade pulled out of the country nearly two weeks before the end-of-month deadline, leaving roughly 50,000 trainers and advisers and a few thousand combat troops to handle the final formalities. Insurgents promptly launched a bombing spree, killing dozens of Iraqis. For better or worse, however, the date is a milestone. To mark the transition, NEWSWEEK assigned photographer Max Becherer to trace the path of the 2003 invasion in reverse, from Baghdad south to Basra. The images he captured show a country that is bravely struggling to pick itself up and move on, even as true peace remains no more than a distant vision.