Major Events From the Past 10 Years
1. United States forces declared a formal end to their operations in Iraq during a ceremony in Baghdad even as violence continued to plague the country and the Muslim world remained leery of American power. In Baghdad, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta thanked the more than one million American service members who have served in Iraq for “the remarkable progress” made over the past nine years but acknowledged the severe challenges that face the struggling democracy. Image: Flag bearers carried the colors out at the end of the ceremony marking the end of the United States' military involvement in Iraq. [ http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/08/31/world/middleeast/20100831-Iraq-Timeline.html?_r=0#/#time111_3264 ]
2. Defying a sustained barrage of mortars and rockets in Baghdad and other cities, Iraqis go to the polls in strength to choose a new Parliament meant to outlast the American military's presence in the country. [ http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/08/31/world/middleeast/20100831-Iraq-Timeline.html?_r=0#/#time111_3291 ] [http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/04/30/iraq-election/8498727/]
3. Iraqis celebrate the withdrawal of American troops from their cities with parades, fireworks and a national holiday as the prime minister trumpets the country’s sovereignty to a wary public. [ http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/08/31/world/middleeast/20100831-Iraq-Timeline.html?_r=0#/#time111_3290 ]
4. Syria’s polio outbreak has now officially spread to Iraq, the first neighbor of the war-ravaged country to be hit by the crippling virus despite an ambitious Middle East inoculation effort, and global health officials warned that dozens of vulnerable Iraqi children could potentially be infected. [ http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/08/world/middleeast/polio-spreads-from-syria-to-iraq-causing-worries.html ] [http://www.mideasttime.com/syrian-polio-outbreak-spreads-to-iraq/113730/]
5. A suicide bomber detonated a truck filled with explosives on the playground of an elementary school in northern Iraq on Sunday morning, killing 13 children and the headmaster, the police said. Shortly afterward, another suicide truck bomb struck a police station in the same village, killing three officers. [ http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/07/world/middleeast/deadly-bombing-at-elementary-school-playground-in-iraq.html??version=meter+at+5®ion=FixedCenter&pg&priority=true&module=RegiWall-Regi&action=click]
6. Since the American-led invasion of 2003, Iraq has become one of the world’s top oil producers, and China becomes its biggest customer. Iraq finally overtakes Iran as the second largest oil producer in OPEC according to the International Energy Agency. Baghdad chalked up 3mb/d production compared to 2.9mb/d from Tehran. [ http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/03/world/middleeast/china-reaps-biggest-benefits-of-iraq-oil-boom.html?pagewanted=all ] [http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewhulbert/2012/08/13/opecs-new-heavyweight-iraq/]
7. With Iraq wracked by the worst violence in three years, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki was in Washington looking for military aid and other help. This was quite a turnabout, since he had essentially forced American troops to leave in 2011. Since then, the pressures in Iraq have grown, and Mr. Maliki bears much responsibility for the current turmoil. [http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/02/opinion/can-iraq-be-saved.html ]
8. Iraq announced the return of hundreds of looted antiquities that had ended up in the United States, although 632 pieces repatriated last year were now unaccounted for. [ http://www.iraqmuseum.org/news/entry/looted-treasures-return-to-iraq/ ]
9. Iraqi archaeologists unearthed relics of an ancient village in the city of Hilla. [http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2009/10/14/jamjoom.iraq.archaeology.find.cnn?iref=videosearch] [ http://www.iraqmuseum.org/news/entry/video-archaeologists-find-relics/ ]
10. In December of 2012, Sunni Muslims stage mass rallies across the country over
several months, protesting against what they see as marginalisation by
the Shia-led government.[http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14546763]