We all remember the now infamous speech that former Secretary of State Colin Powell gave to the UN on February 5, 2003. He made the case that the U.S. had enough intelligence to conclude that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and that he was a threat to countries in the region and to the U.S. Powell was making the case for going to war with Iraq. And part of his argument rested on the word of an Iraqi defector named Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi. Now al-Janabi has told The Guardian newspaper in London that he was lying and that he would do it again.

When is what the world knows as an iconic moment, perhaps not an iconic moment? On April 9, 2003, a large statue of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was taken down by U.S. security forces in Baghdad's Firdos Square. The two-hour toppling took place in front of the Palestine Hotel, where journalists from around the world had been staying. And many reporters hailed it as a sign the U.S. was prevailing in the war and bringing Iraqis closer to liberation.

As America slowly withdraws from Iraq, so does a lot of U.S. financial support. The result: interpreters and thousands of others who currently depend on the U.S. presence for their livelihood will likely be out of work. How will they make the transition? Jack Healy, reporter for our partner The New York Times, joins us for more on the story.  

WikiLeaks released 400,000 documents on Friday that reveal cases of torture and abuse of detainees by Iraqi security forces. The reports also increase the number of civilian casualites in the war. WikiLeaks editor-in-chief, Julian Assange is the man at the center of this controversy, as he faces accusations that he has put U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians in danger. Also being heavily criticized is The New York Times, which published the reports.

On August 31, President Obama announced the end of combat operations in Iraq. "Operation Iraqi Freedom is over," he said from the Oval Office, as he ordered the withdrawal of all combat forces from the country. Now, only 50,000 troops remain, tasked with handing security operations over to the Iraqis.

Two U.S. soldiers were killed and nine were wounded by an Iraqi soldier during a firefight on Tuesday afternoon. The U.S. military has characterized the attack as "deliberate." This is the first attack on American soldiers since President Obama declared an end to combat operations in Iraq. For a look at what this event means for the future of the US's mission in Iraq, as well as what it means for the soldiers on the ground, The Takeaway turns to Steven Lee Myers, Baghdad bureau chief for our partner, The New York Times.

President Obama delivered a speech last night from the Oval Office that marked the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq, but myriad problems in the Middle East still exist. That and the morning's top headlines. 

Last night, President Obama gave a speech from the Oval Office to commemorate the end of the combat missioin in Iraq. That and this morning's top headlines.

The combat mission in Iraq officially ends today, but the question about what we've accomplished there will remain for years. We hear from veterans of the war, and ask them what they felt they personally accomplished there. 

Today marks the formal end of the United States' combat mission in Iraq, after almost eight years. There are now fewer than 50,000 troops left in Iraq — all serving in non-combat roles. The Obama administration has pledged to withdraw all troops by October 2011. But many are now asking questions about what Iraq's future holds. What kind of presence will the U.S. have there in the coming years and is it realistic for the country to fully support itself by the end of next year?

After combat troops leave, what is next for Iraq in the country's search for a peaceful future? That and this morning's top headlines.

After seven years and five months of war in Iraq, the final U.S. combat brigade has left the country ahead of the Aug. 31 deadline that President Obama set for ending combat operations there. Now that those troops have left, we're asking a big question: Do you think we won the Iraq war?

Facebook user, Deanne Bonner Simpson responded:

"Why is this question in the past tense? My husband is getting on a plane to Iraq today for a year of deployment. If it's over, why isn't he home playing outside with his kids? Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

The last combat brigadee left Iraq, yesterday, marking the end of the active combat phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom. 50,000 troops still remain, but are tasked to non-combat operations. The Obama administration has pledged to withdraw all troops from Iraq by October 2011, at which point security operations are to be transferred to Iraqi forces. In a statement, President Barack Obama called this a "milestone in the Iraq war," and State Department Spokesman P.J. Crowley labeled it "an historic moment."

But is it premature – yet again – to say, "mission accomplished?"

According to White House officials, combat in Iraq ends on August 31, 2010, yet Brian Stelter, media reporter for The New York Times, wouldn't blame you if you thought that yesterday was the official end to Operation Iraqi Freedom. All the news channels, led by MSNBC, reported that the last U.S. combat brigade left Iraq yesterday. We'll take a look, along with Brian, at the media's coverage of yesterday's historic event.

The last convoy of U.S. combat troops left Iraq overnight, moving into Kuwait under cover of darkness. Today, how are Iraqis feeling about the war? Is it over? Are they relieved, or worried about combat troops leaving when the country remains in politicial turmoil? We're joined by Lubna Naji, a 24-year-old medicine studies graduate from Baghdad, who tells us about her own feelings on the current situation there. She says, "They had a good strategy for war. they did not have a strategy for what's going to happen after the war."

The Green Zone was established in Baghdad when U.S. troops invaded in 2003, and since then it has come to symbolize much of the American presence, both in Iraq and abroad. It is a fortress, a city within a city, and the headquarters of both American power and the Iraqi government.

Today we take a look at the Green Zone’s future and legacy as American troops continue their withdrawal from Iraq, and whether the Green Zone needs to be dismantled in order for the country to have true sovereignty.

Twenty years ago today, one of the Arab world's most powerful armies invaded its tiny neighbor to the south. Iraqi forces significantly outnumbered and overpowered Kuwait's military as they marched in, and within a short time had overthrown the government. Saddam Hussein declared that the nation of Kuwait no longer existed; Iraqi forces held the country for seven months, until U.S. and coalition forces liberated the occupied country in the first Gulf War.

It's been seven years since the U.S.-led "coalition of the willing" invaded Iraq. We talk with two soldiers who fought in Iraq to find out what has changed on the ground since the war began.

Today marks seven years since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. In 2005, two years after U.S. and allied forces entered Iraq a U.S. presidential commission said intelligence that Iraq had WMD's was "dead wrong." The report also cast doubts on the integrity of U.S. intelligence on Iran, North Korea, China and Russia. Seven years later, we're taking a look at how the intelligence community responded and asking what changes they've made in the wake of this massive failure.

It has been nearly seven years since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Today, as the country awaits results from the March 7 national election, we check in with Iraqis about the state of their country.