Photo Gallery The Other Iraq
Lt. Col. Eric Welsh meets almost daily with officials from Mosul's police and military and sees it as the most important part of his job: "I even drink their coffee, which is saying something."
Ambassador Ryan Crocker thinks the Iraqi government still needs a few years to organize itself and a continued US military presence, but warns that "the surge can't go on forever."
After Lt. Colonel Alfredo Mycue leads a Stryker brigade through dangerous neighborhoods, he finds himself daydreaming of the "smoke beer," cheeserolls and mountains he enjoyed while in Germany: "You know, I think I have some Bavarian in me."
American soldiers search for bomb-making materials in a haystack during an early morning raid in Mosul.
Capt. Ian Lauer on patrol with a friendly Iraqi in a safer Ramadi: "Now peace has broken out. And that's fucking great!"
Soldiers make phone calls home from the Ibn Sani Hospital in Baghdad's International Zone.
Soldiers relaxing at Camp Falcon, a dusty outpost in south Baghdad.
Soldiers at Camp Falcon rest after a raid in south Baghdad.
Displays of power compete in Baghdad as American helicopters pass by a monument erected under Saddam Hussein to commemorate Iraqis who fell in the Iran-Iraq War.
Iraqis in Baghdad celebrate the country's semifinal victory over Australia in the Asian Cup semifinals in late July. Two car bombs would kill over 50 revelers in Baghdad, but the team would go on to win the tournament.
A policeman guards over detainees in a Mosul police station. Stations like this have been the target of insurgents, who've exploded dynamite-laden cars right outside police stations.
Lying in Baghdad's Ibn Sani Hospital, a wounded soldier keeps his purple heart near his bed. The award goes to soldiers wounded in combat.
General David H. Petraeus, commander of the multinational forces in Iraq, will brief the US Congress in September on the situation and options in Iraq. For now, he believes: "The situation is not satisfactory (but) it gives rise to hope."
Keeping markets, like this one in Ramadi, open and safe for merchants and shoppers has become a priority for American forces in Iraq.
Capt. Ian Lauer finds things peaceful enough to drop his guard and photograph a group of children on the road he patrols.
