Iraq is preparing to mark the 10th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion that began on March 19, 2003. Although the military operation succeeded in quickly toppling the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, it also presaged several years of violent insurgency. In this photo series, scenes of Iraq before, during, and just after the invasion stand side-by-side with images of a country that is showing fragile signs of normalcy after several years of turmoil. (12 PHOTOS)
Ten Years Of Change Since Invasion Of Iraq
1
Left: Smoke covers the presidential palace in Baghdad during a massive U.S.-led air raid on March 21, 2003.
Right: A night view of Baghdad's Fardoos Square taken from the rooftop of the Hotel Palestine on February 9, 2013.
Right: A night view of Baghdad's Fardoos Square taken from the rooftop of the Hotel Palestine on February 9, 2013.
2
Left: Schoolgirls walk past U.S. tanks on November 5, 2003, in the Baghdad suburb of Abu Ghraib.
Right: Women and kids ride in a rubber dinghy at an amusement park on February 4, 2013.
Right: Women and kids ride in a rubber dinghy at an amusement park on February 4, 2013.
3
Left: A female U.S. soldier searches a Kurdish Iraqi woman at a checkpoint on October 25, 2004, in Ramadi.
Right: An armed guard stands in front of models during a convention of hairdressers and make-up artists on February 9, 2013.
Right: An armed guard stands in front of models during a convention of hairdressers and make-up artists on February 9, 2013.
4
Left: A man drives a beat up car in Baghdad on October 24, 2003.
Right: A stunt rider on his motorbike during a motor show on February 8, 2013.
Right: A stunt rider on his motorbike during a motor show on February 8, 2013.
5
Left: A Shi'ite cleric and member of radical leader Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army watches an anti-U.S. rally on April 7, 2004.
Right: The same cleric poses at his home, decorated with a poster of Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr, on February 5, 2013.
Right: The same cleric poses at his home, decorated with a poster of Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr, on February 5, 2013.
6
Left: U.S. soldiers arrest several close allies of President Saddam Hussein during a raid on their house on March 20, 2003.
Right: A bride sits in a car decorated for her wedding on February 7, 2013.
Right: A bride sits in a car decorated for her wedding on February 7, 2013.
7
Left: A U.S. marine blindfolds a suspected insurgent on November 12, 2004, in Fallujah.
Right: A blindfolded Iraqi hairdresser competes on stage during a hairdressers' festival in Baghdad on February 9, 2013.
Right: A blindfolded Iraqi hairdresser competes on stage during a hairdressers' festival in Baghdad on February 9, 2013.
8
Left: Men walk past posters of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein outside a billboard factory on October 17, 2002.
Right: A man prays in his shop selling carpets depicting Imam Hussein, revered by Shi'ite Muslims, on February 2, 2013, on Baghdad's Rashid Street.
Right: A man prays in his shop selling carpets depicting Imam Hussein, revered by Shi'ite Muslims, on February 2, 2013, on Baghdad's Rashid Street.
9
Left: A girl drives a makeshift bumper car on February 16, 1998, during the UN embargo imposed on Iraq.
Right: A woman drives a bumper car at an amusement park on February 4, 2013.
Right: A woman drives a bumper car at an amusement park on February 4, 2013.
10
Left: Men who have volunteered to defend Iraq train at a military camp for the Iraqi special forces on March 12, 2003.
Right: Women walk past the tomb of two unidentified Arab fighters buried in the Martyrs' Cemetery in Baghdad's Adhamiyah neighborhood, a Sunni stronghold, on February 13, 2013.
Right: Women walk past the tomb of two unidentified Arab fighters buried in the Martyrs' Cemetery in Baghdad's Adhamiyah neighborhood, a Sunni stronghold, on February 13, 2013.
11
Left: A reflection of women is seen in the glass covering a photograph of Saddam Hussein on January 25, 2003.
Right: Women are reflected in a mirror displayed by a street vendor on February 4, 2013, in Baghdad's central Karrada neighborhood.
Right: Women are reflected in a mirror displayed by a street vendor on February 4, 2013, in Baghdad's central Karrada neighborhood.
12
Left: A car burns outside the UN headquarters in eastern Baghdad after a huge explosion rocked the building n August 19, 2003, killing at least 22 people, including UN special representative for Iraq Sergio Vieira de Mello.
Right: Baghdad on March 15, 2013, a day after militants staged an apparently unsuccessful assault. A coordinated string of bombings and an assault on the Justice Ministry killed 18 people, in the Iraqi capital's deadliest violence this month.
Right: Baghdad on March 15, 2013, a day after militants staged an apparently unsuccessful assault. A coordinated string of bombings and an assault on the Justice Ministry killed 18 people, in the Iraqi capital's deadliest violence this month.
