it's being conducted at baghdad's international airport.e're joined live now by nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engle there in baghdad. good to see you. thanks for being with us bright and early. you've covered this war in its entirety. you have many interactions with the troops there, as well as the iraqi people. what is the sense as this end of mission ceremony gets under way? >> well, this end of mission ser knowneny is under way right now and what this signifies is the closing of the u.s. military command here. this is the official -- this is officially called the casing of the the colors ceremony. that means, after right now and just a few minutes ago, the american military command flag was taken down. that means the u.s. military command in iraq is closed. now, what happens next is going to depend a lot on the iraqi people and many iraqis are concerned that sectarian violence could once again become a problem for this country, that the country could descend back into civil war. we've also heard many iraqis expressing grea

chief correspondent richard engle at the airport in baghdad. richard, you've been covering this war up close from the very beginning. tell us what you're seeing there this morning? >> well, this sore meneny is still under way so i'm going to have to speak fairly quietly. this is a significant ceremony. what this means is the u.s. military command in iraq is closing down. it means that the only mission left in this country is to pull out the some 4,000 american troops that remain in iraq, but the military command, the iraq war as we have known it for the last nine years, is ending right now. there are a speech going on by the defense secretary. they've been talking about the accomplishments that have been made. they've been talking about how saddam hussein, a dictator, a tyrant, has been toppled and that iraq now has the opportunity to build a new future. it's very different, however, from what we're hearing when we speak to iraqis off military bases like this one. what we're hearing from iraqis is that they are very worried about their future.

a somber ceremony here in baghdad that is big on symbolism.ost nine years of war, one trillion u.s. dollars spent. more than 120,000 iraqis have died, more than 4,400 u.s. troops have died. barbara starr is watching this ceremony. she has been traveling with the u.s. defense secretary, leon panetta. barbara, what are we seeing? barbara starr is at the scene. we will try to reestablish communication with her in just a moment. but this is a real big deal for both iraq and the united states. it is marking the official end of u.s. military operations in this country. jim clancy, my colleague, is in atlanta watching the ceremonies also. as we listen to the u.s. national anthem. jim, what goes through your mind? you covered this war when it started back in 2003. and here we are, almost nine years later, and it's officially over. >> this has been a very bitter experience, i think for many americans. let's listen to the end to the national anthem. let me collect some thoughts here. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> as we continue to watch the ceremony, as the casing of the

we've got some pictures for you here in baghdad, where the ceremony itself will take place. the u.s. defense secretary, leon panetta, in attendance as well for what may well be a relatively gentle, somber, quiet procession of events. nonetheless, it is a day that will go down in the history books as the formal close of combat for american troops in iraq. we'll keep across that for you of course here on "bbc world news." i wanted to bring you more now on our breaking and leading story this hour, and that is that jacques chirac has been found guilty of embezzlement and abuse of power on two counts against him while he was mayor of paris. joining me now is our paris correspondent, christian fraser, with more. perhaps you can just fill out a little bit for us the details of what he's been found guilty of, first of all. >> well, he hired members of his political party between 1977 and 1995 and paid them through the creation of fake jobs within city hall, effectively using the city's payroll, if you will, to run his campaign for presidential election. and he's been found guilty, a

we are live in baghdad. >>> and is your ride one of the safest on the road? the new crash test results released overnight. >>> and nine months and thousands of miles. debris from japan's tsunami zone, littering beaches a world away. >>> good morning. i'm sunny hostin. >> and i'm rob nelson. we all know how the war in iraq began. a nighttime barrage of u.s. bombs, right there in the heart of baghdad. >> and now, after nearly nine years, the u.s. mission ends today. but there are still huge concerns about the stability and security of iraq. >> abc's nick schifrin is in baghdad this morning with more on this watershed moment for both countries. good morning to you, nick. >> reporter: good morning, rob. good morning, sunny. it defined george bush's presidency and helped barack obama's ride. and almost $8 billion later, the u.s. presence in iraq is all but gone. the u.s.'s war in iraq is almost over. and sergeant larry green is headed home. a million men and women served here. 4,500 died. green survived four deployments. he was one of the first soldiers in. and on

nick schifrin, live in baghdad. thanks, nick. >>> to politics now. and the republican candidates' last chance to impress the voters before the iowa caucuses, just 19 days away. >> getting close. newt gingrich is still out in front. but his support -- his support i should say, appears to be eroding right now. tahman bradley joins us live from washington with more at what we can expect at tonight's debate. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: good morning, rob and sunny. there's precious little time left before the iowa caucuses. that's why mitt romney's attacks on newt gingrich have been fierce. expect more fireworks at tonight's debate. tonight, the final showdown before voting begins in iowa. republican presidential candidates debate one last time before the iowa caucuses. for mitt romney, it might be his last, best chance to break newt gingrich's momentum. >> zany is not what we need in a president. >> reporter: the romney campaign tells abc news their internal polls in iowa show gingrich's lead slipping. romney has ratcheted up his attacks on the fo

he's in baghdad.hts today, you're watching these images on your tv screen i presume right now. what is going through your mind as you watch this? >> well, the answer i have to say that a big, big thank you to the united states of america for bringing down saddam hussein, overthrowing that horrible brutal regime just under nine years ago. what happened after bringing down saddam hussein was a lot of collateral damages on the iraqi side. and i think this is a jubilant moment. and we feel in iraq that we own the country now. we regain our country. we have now our sovereignty and independence completely. and we -- the sense of belonging is now sky high to iraq. and we believe that we are on the right track. >> hey, arwa, excuse me, hala. >> just one question to mr. rubbaie. you say you're on the right track but there's so much concern about just what's going on today in baghdad with the iraqiya faction, walking out of parliament, the worry here that the prime minister nuri alma la can i is going to take n

arwa damon in baghdad.raq war at fort bragg, north carolina, saying u.s. troops are leaving with their heads held high but stressed america still has an obligation to the returning heroes. many of whom are suffering from the invisible wounds of war. david mattingly is live at fort bragg this morning. good morning, david. >> good morning. so many troops coming home now here to fort bragg have questions when they hit the ground here. they were listening intently to the president yesterday remark what's described here as a profound moment as they were all coming home and started it with two simple words. >> welcome home. welcome home roym soldiers out of iraq and home for the holidays. that alone is worth celebrating. but troops at fort bragg are looking for more. assurances from the president their sacrifices will not be overlooked. >> there's a lot of stuff behinds that we will never understand but we know the government is going to do its cutbacks. >> reporter: after eight years in iraq and budget cuts at h

nick schifrin, abc news, baghdad. and to give you a sense of how fragile people think this era may be, there's been a recent run on gun shops. and the prices of a.k.-47s have doubled in the last few weeks. a clear sign people fear they may have to soon defend themselves. rob? >> even with those purchases, though, what a stark contrast between images then and now. nick schifrin live for us again. >>> time, now, for the weather across the nation. showers from washington, d.c., down to the carolinas and atlanta. thunderstorms for jackson, mississippi, baton rouge, new orleans, houston and san antonio. snowshowers in the northern rockies. and, wow. 70-mile-per-hour santa ana winds in southern california. >> not getting a break. 60 in sacramento. 41 in albuquerque. 36 in salt lake city. 20s in fargo and minneapolis. and mostly 30s from kansas city to indianapolis. 49 here in new york. and 80 in miami. >>> coming up, all that procrastinating may pay off. how you can save a bundle if you shop today. >> good news for me. >>>

richard engel is live in baghdad as american troops have lowered the flag. they now begin the last leg of their journey home. >>> contagion. one of the most deadly viruses imaginable. why scientists created it. and now the debate over how much to reveal about it. >>> buyer's remorse. a potentially dangerous sign for retailers and our economy this holiday season. >>> and making a difference with random acts of kindness during this season of giving. random acts of kindness during this season of giving. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> good evening. at a ceremony in baghdad today, the americans lowered the flag and it was a quiet ending to a war that went bad not long after its spectacular start. this ends close to nine years of warfare and the u.s. exit from iraq comes after a high cost. nearly 4,500 american troops dead, more than 32,000 wounded. on the iraqi side, eimates e, begin at 150,000 dead. the cost in dollars to the u.s., around 2k4r8z$800 billion. some estimates put that at a trillion. please remember ever

. >> i was born and raised in baghdad. it's a beautiful city. >> iraqi interpreter mustafa abdul remembers growing up in the iraqi capital. >> i never cooked in iraq. i am a great cook right now because i had my mother and grandma and sisters cooking when i was living in baghdad. >> in 2003 he was 30 years old and one of 30 million iraqis who waited nervously for war. >> when president bush came on tv... >> sadam hussein and his sons must leave iraq within 48-hours. >> we kind of had an idea of when it was going to start. kind of, you know, torn between -- i had mixed emotions, very extremely happy like hell yeah, very excited that it is fully happening, but at the same time you are questioning everything, what if it doesn't work out? >> what if sadam hussein uses chemical gases and kills us all. until i heard the first bomb. it was like okay, it's happening. and i tell you what, one of the feelings i had in that particular moment, what am i going to do? am i going to be a part of it? am i even going to get the opportunity

>>ore business as usual in central baghdad. every family has been impacted from the long years of war and sectarian killing, much of it blamed on america. >> obama praised the efforts of american troops in liberating iraq, but he forgot that the occupation created destruction and violence. >> if the americans have achieved anything, he says, they achieve that for their own benefit. as for iraqis, they paid the high price and you can see by the killings and violence. in fallujah, near baghdad, they filled the streets to mark the withdrawal. in 2004, this city bore the brunt of an american offensive to try to stem the insurgency. at its height, 170,000 troops were here. a high stress and unpredictable combat and encounters with people and causes people find hard to understand. even now, iraq is far from secure. hundreds are still killed every month and there is much thought that with american troops gone, the next stage of the struggle is about to begin. humphrey hawksley, bbc news. prime ministery joins me now live from baghdad.

he is in baghdad for the ceremony marking the end of the war. the iraq war has continued for nearly nine years and it has cost nearly 4500 american lives. $800billion is the price tag for that war. as they mark the end of the war today, they had an official ceremony where the u.s. forces iraq flag was official ly retired or cased. it was wrapped and covered with camouflage. >> with the departure of the remaining u.s. forces within

baghdad pause sectarian boundaries dramatically widened. militias from the she a majority and the sunni minority terrorized civilians. today's attacks also targeted areas of baghdad where the two groups live and work together, a clear attempt to cost political instability and sectarian fear. it comes as the power-sharing agreement is unraveling, with the demand by the shia prime minister nouri al-maliki for the rest of the city vice president -- of the sunni vice president on charges of running hit squads. he accuses the shia leaders of wanting to monopolize power. today, this warning from the government of the former prime minister. >> we have warned that long ago that terrorism will continue to be acting in iraq against the iraqi people unless the political landscape is corrected and the political process is correct it and becomes an inclusive political process. >> the attacks come just four days since the last american combat troops left iraq, after an assertion by their president of -- that even then sound like a hostage of fortune. >>

at the height of morning rush- hour, 14 blasts across baghdad. the targets were commuters, the anti-corruption agency, and even a kindergarten. this is the imagery of under rock cast a backward, of the people once again in golfed by violence. in this home, a sleeping family was blasted into wakefulness. >> my baby was sleeping in her bed. other countries are stable. why don't we have security and stability? >> no group has admitted responsibility, but suspicion is falling on the sunni extremists of al qaeda in iraq. baghdad's sectarian boundaries dramatically hardened during the insurgency against the american occupation. militias from the shiite majority and sunni minority terrorized civilians. today's attacks targeted areas of baghdad where the group's live and work together, a clear attempt to sow sectarian fear and political instability. it comes with a power-sharing agreement designed to and strife unraveling, with a demand by she of prime minister nouri maliki for the arrest of sunni vice president tariq al-hashemi on charges of running hit

abc's nick schifrin is in baghdad this morning for us. good morning to you, nick. >> reporter: good morning, rob. it's day one in post-war iraq. but that doesn't mean that this country is at peace. there's a lot of tension on the streets here. and a hope that a departure of u.s. troops brings less struggle and more success. u.s. troops are out. and business is in. this is the baghdad the iraqi government hopes will emerge. a construction expo, where companies jostle for contracts worth more than $100 billion. there is so much to build here. this was sadr city in 2008, the largest neighborhood in baghdad, and one of the most violent. militias used it to launch rockets at the u.s. embassy. the u.s. troops moved in and fought a huge battle. they won, but at great cost. this gives you a sense of how massive the cleanup operation is in sadr city. this is the edge of the jamilah market that saw two months of heavy fighting. now, the goal is to try to clean this up enough so people can shop here again. and this is that market today, bustling. th

the butchers of baghdad are happy to see the backs of the americans. the chicken-seller says they brought poverty and killed our children. according to this man who sells cow hearts, they destroyed our country. the seller of sheepsheads thinks things were better under saddam. yet the united states has done a good job of training security forces here. these checkpoints are everywhere and they are the front-line of the continuing civil war. there are attacks on them every day. there were 79 bombing attacks last month. in 2007, there were 1000 bombs. suffering does not stop, but the insurgency is visibly winding down. for 40 years, iraq has known little more than dictatorship, war, and isolation. now people are daring to hope that there what may finally be changing. -- their luck may finally be changing. >> france is suggesting that if they lose their credit rating, the u.k. should as well. >> the united kingdom has the bigger deficits and weaker growth. it would have serious economic implications for france. it would increase the interest rates that have

. >> i was born and raised in baghdad. it's a beautiful city. >> iraqi interpreter mustafa abdul remembers growing up in the iraqi capital. >> i never cooked in iraq. i am a great cook right now because i had my mother and grandma and sisters cooking when i was living in baghdad. >> in 2003 he was 30 years old and one of 30 million iraqis who waited nervously for war. >> when president bush came on tv... >> sadam hussein and his sons must leave iraq within 48-hours. >> we kind of had an idea of when it was going to start. kind of, you know, torn between -- i had mixed emotions, very extremely happy like hell yeah, very excited that it is fully happening, but at the same time you are questioning everything, what if it doesn't work out? >> what if sadam hussein uses chemical gases and kills us all. until i heard the first bomb. it was like okay, it's happening. and i tell you what, one of the feelings i had in that particular moment, what am i going to do? am i going to be a part of it? am i even going to get the opportunity

it is back in 2003, there was just a ceasefire in baghdad, right after, you know the second world war,. and someone flew straight into jordan, hired two bodyguards, hired a four-wheel drive, and went straight into baghdad. why did she do that? because she knew that the baghdad art scene was one of the most vibrant in the arab world and actually in the world. there was a lot of very good talent that had been under the operation of the former regime still building a fantastic collection of art. she went to the bag that school of art. she asked to meet with the top 10 young artists there. she got a few their paintings and smuggled them back to france. she had a show, and i fell in love with this art. tin years later, we sell art online. i wanted to find a way to expose people worldwide to this fantastic art. i call that lady about six months ago, and it turned out that she still has a fantastic art from the artists, and i bought everything over the phone. it was the goal to bring it to the u.s. and then expose it, you know, to the broader public in multiple ways. our mission is to make a

elizabeth palm certificate in baghdad this evening and joins us now. liz, you just arrived back in baghdad yesterday. your last visit was a year and a half ago. how have things changed since then? >> reporter: well, the city feels pretty good. it's a bustling. there are traffic jams. people are out and about in the streets. and the shops are well stocked. that means that there is between five and six hours of selection a day here. they were drawn back out of the cities in the summer of 2010. but there's still a feel of an armed camp in the sense that there are check points manned by either iraqi police or military on all the major roads. and it's a big armed presence. you know, they have military vehicles and big guns. so there is still a whiff of war about baghdad. >> mitchell: how would you compare the level of violence now compared to a couple years ago? >> it's been falling steadily since 2007 when it was at its real peak in the days of ethnic cleansing. there were 50 corporations a night sometimes here in baghdad from assassinations. however, it's

military now is to make maintain that there is a government in baghdad that is friendly to the united states. well the u.s. government now has very limited options in terms of what can be done in iraq it has withdrawn its forces the only thing it has now it's an embassy in iraq which actually is a massive and this is sixteen thousand people five thousand of them are private security contractors but their their mandate is within the. premise of embassies that the united states and the consulates that he has in iraq america's position in iraq now that he has left has actually being diluted it doesn't carry the same way twenty comes to domestic iraqi affairs i think there are other outside players who have got their much bigger in power saudi arabia is one of them certainly iran is another major player in the turks are going to become much more involved and what happens in syria will have an impact also in fact one of the reasons why we see the recent skirmish domestically skirmish within iraq between prime minister nuri al maliki and his vice president tariq al hashimi is because of the

he joins us from baghdad. >> reporter: after nearly nine year, u.s. troops are leaving iraq and the cycle of deployment after deployment to this country is ending. there is a surreal feeling on u.s. bases these days. camp taji, 12 miles north of baghdad, was once a huge american air base. now -- >> not too many people here. >> reporter: very different. you go outside, you look around, like a ghost town. nobody's home. it is very strange. sergeant christopher redick was only 11 years old when this war started. now he's one of just a few hundred troops still in baghdad, packing up. >> i've been here a while. now i get to go home to my family. >> reporter: lieutenant colonel ray davis is taking a last look at family photos before his computer goes in a bag too. about a million troops deployed to iraq over nearly nine years. and it has come down to this. everything you have is going to go in here and then you're done. >> that's it. >> reporter: everyone else is doing the exact same thing. >> all down to one bag. >> reporter: there are a thousand buildings

at the height of the morning rush hour, 14 blasts across baghdad. the targets were commuters, even in kindergarten. it would be hard to imagine attacks more calculated to heighten sectarian fears. >> my baby was sleeping in her bed, shards of glass had fallen on her. why don't we have security? >> baghdad is a city whose sectarian boundaries hardened after the american invasion. militias representing the shi'a majority and sunni minority to rise to tether. the attack was not just consigned to shi'a district, this is where they live closer together. iraq's stability is based on a power-sharing agreement. tension has been growing with the demand of the shi'a prime minister, nordic maliki, for the rest of the vice-president. -- prime minister maliki, for the rest of the sunni vice president. there was this warning for the government from the former prime minister. >> we have warned long ago that terrorism continues to be acting in iraq against the iraqi people unless the political landscape is corrected and the political process is corrected and it bec

after 89 years of -- nearly nine years of war, the american flag has been lowered in baghdad, marking end of military operations in iraq. the u.s. flag had to be dropped after iraq would not agree to america's terms. our correspondent who covered the war in iraq reports now from baghdad. >> a kowt -- a quiet, downbeat ceremony marks the end of an occupation, which lasted 100 months, cost the lives of 4500 americans, and of an unknown, but for greater number of iraqis. -- far greater number of iraqis. >> this is a time for iraq to look forward. this is an opportunity for iraq to forge ahead on the path to security and prosperity. >> welcome to satyr city, a sprawling, working-class shiite suburb of baghdad. the occupiers are going, one says, thanks to our government. here.hings have changed you >> the last time i was here i was pretty nervous. kidnappings and bombings just about every day. now you can see for yourself just how relaxed everything is. >> but not everything is necessarily better. there are power cuts every day here and everywhere in iraq. the americans never managed to fi

in baghdad, greg palkot, fox news. >> the u.s.eral government is hosting muslim leaders here in washington this week for a conference on religious tolerance. many muslims are angry in how they are portrayed in the u.s. but other critics say it's appeasement to hardliners. the administration says it's promoting education and understanding. iran says it's almost done retrieving data from an american surveillance drone that went down in that country. there are conflicting views about how much they will gain from it. tonight, catherine herridge tells us how iranians may have gotten ahold of the drone in the first place. >> in washington, administration officials set a realistic tone as they urge iran to return the drone. >> we have asked for it back and we'll see how they comply. >> we don't expect them to comply. >> over the weekend they dragged about the drone's value. >> this is not only intelligence victory for us but intelligence defeat for our enemies. >> the u.s. officials seem to dismiss the claim as brado. it's not guaranteed

a ceremony in baghdad today officially brought the war to a close. american troops lowered the flag of command that had flown over the iraqi capitol. it has been almost nine years since the war started. defense secretary leon panetta flew in a baghdad for the ceremony. >> we remember the nearly 4500 brave americans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country as well as the more than 30,000 wounded warriors, many of whom still struggle with serious, life-altering injuries. >> reporter: it's estimated more than 150,000 iraqis lost their lives in the war. most of them civilians. >>> 16 days to go before the typical american worker gets hit with $1,000 a year tax increase. there are some signs now republicans, democrats, might, might break their log jam over extending the payroll tax cut. democratic source says that president obama may drop his plan for a millionaire surtax to cover the cost of extending it. republicans oppose any new taxes on the wealthy. they would like to pay for the extension primarily by freezing ped ral pay. >>> mitt romney r

, west of baghdad killed seven. hundreds of u.s. soldiers have been leaving iraq every day, with the last units expected to withdraw on december 31st, nearly nine years after the u.s.-led invasion. the recent spate of violence has heightened concerns about iraq's security after the u.s. pull-out. >>> the president of israel says that united front is the only way to deal with iran. shimon perez is urging the international community to coordinate sanctions against the country. and he made the comments in an exclusive interview with nhk. >> they want to have nuclear bombs and threaten the rest of the world. iran is the greatest danger to the rest of the world and the greatest danger to the middle east. >> the united states and britain recently announced new sanctions against iran. they made the decision after a report last month by the international atomic energy agency, the iaea said iran conducted high explosive testing needed to develop nuclear weapons. >> economic sanctions, political sanctions, do everything befor