U.S. Combat in Iraq Officially Over

It's a quiet end for the war that began with "shock and awe." The U.S. combat mission in Iraq—with a death toll of 4,400 U.S. military personnel and 30,000 wounded—officially ended at 5 p.m. Eastern time. Despite the end of combat, some 50,000 troops will remain in Iraq to help ease the transition to self-government, though the political vacuum left after the elections earlier this year still remains. A government has been yet to be formed. Iraq Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki also said last week there could be more attacks without U.S. troops. President Barack Obama addressed soldiers at Fort Bliss, Texas, telling them that his remarks Tuesday night from the Oval Office are “not going to be a victory lap. We still have a lot of work to do.”