The end of the war in Iraq... Really?

We have seen those pictures in 2003 and the speech from Bush. Mission accomplish!

Quite an accomplishment! See for yourself the number of civilian death since the mission accomplish! source

Year - Civilian deaths
2003 - 12,080
2004 - 10,797
2005 - 14,974
2006 - 27,767
2007 - 24,599
2008 - 9,221
2009 - 4,645
2010 - 1,989

And now.. More of the same from Obama:
Obama Admin Claims End to Combat Operations in Iraq, But Iraqis See Same War Under a Different Name
See this report from Democracy now.


From wikipedia, we see that there maybe over 100 thousand private military contractors in Iraq.

Currently in Iraq there are thought to be at least 100,000 contractors working directly for the United States Department of Defense which is a tenfold increase in the use of private contractors for military operations since the Persian Gulf War, just over a decade earlier.^[16] The prevalence of PMCs has led to the foundation of trade group the Private Security Company Association of Iraq. In Iraq, the issue of accountability, especially in the case of contractors carrying weapons is a sensitive one. Iraqi laws do not hold over contractors. Just before leaving office as head of theCoalition Provisional Authority, Paul Bremer signed Coalition Provisional Authority Order 17 where it is stated that:

Contractors shall not be subject to Iraqi laws or regulations in matters relating to the terms and conditions of their Contracts, including licensing and registering employees, businesses and corporations; provided, however, that Contractors shall comply with such applicable licensing and registration laws and regulations if engaging in business or transactions in Iraq other than Contracts. Notwithstanding any provisions in this Order, Private Security Companies and their employees operating in Iraq must comply with all CPA Orders, Regulations, Memoranda, and any implementing instructions or regulations governing the existence and activities of Private Security Companies in Iraq, including registration and licensing of weapons and firearms.^[17]

PMCs supply support to U.S. military bases throughout the Persian Gulf, from operating mess halls to providing security. They supply armed guards at a U.S. Army base in Qatar, and they use live ammunition to train soldiers at Camp Doha in Kuwait. They maintain an array of weapons systems vital to an invasion of Iraq. They also provide bodyguards for VIPs, guard installations, and escort supply convoys from Kuwait. All these resources are called upon constantly due to the war in Iraq.^[5]