Iraq. The last American soldiers and equipment are leaving the country. Only 157 soldiers remain for the embassy in Baghdad. The war lasted nine years, sparking a civil war that killed 100,000 Iraqis. Of the 1.5 million Americans who passed through Iraqi territory, 4,487 were killed. The cost is estimated at $1 trillion. The Americans are leaving behind a fragile democracy with strong ethnic tensions (e.g., between Kurds, Turks, and Arabs) and religious tensions (e.g., between Sunnis and Shiites).
