The Sixth Anniversary Of The U.S. Invasion Of Iraq

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A U.S. soldier at a press conference in Baghdad takes down an older image, to display the latest image purporting to show the body of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al-Qaida-linked militant who led a bloody campaign of suicide bombings, kidnappings and hostage beheadings in Iraq, who was killed June 8, 2006 in a U.S. airstrike. (AP)

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Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein stands in the dock after being sentenced to death during his trial held under tight security in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, Nov. 5, 2006. Iraq's High Tribunal found Saddam Hussein guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced him to die by hanging. (AP)

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Outgoing Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld looks toward President Bush in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Nov. 8, 2006 where the president announced the nomination of former CIA Director Robert Gates to replace Rumsfeld. (AP)

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Iraqi students hold banners demanding the end to the U.S. presence in Iraq in Baghdad on April 15, 2007. Hundreds of students protested against occupation in front of Baghdad's Al-Mustansiriya University. (AP)

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Gen. David Petraeus testifies on the future course of the war in Iraq while appearing before a joint hearing of the House Armed Services Committee and House Foreign Relations Committee on Sept. 10, 2007, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP)

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An Iraqi traffic policeman inspects a car destroyed Sept. 16, 2007, by a Blackwater security detail in al-Nisoor Square in Baghdad, Iraq in this Sept. 20, 2007 file photo. Security contractor Blackwater Worldwide, which an angry Iraqi government blames for the shooting deaths of 17 civilians, is not expected to face criminal charges, all but ensuring the company will keep its multimillion dollar contract to protect U.S. diplomats. The Justice Department investigation instead is focusing on as few as three or four Blackwater guards who could be indicted in the Sept. 16 shootings, according to people close to the investigation. (AP)

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In this photo provided by the U.S. Army, U.S. presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain walks with Major Gen. Mark P. Hertling (R), commander of Multi-National Division-North, Lt. Gen. Riyadh Jalal Tawfiq (L), commander of the Ninewah Operations Command, and Sen. Lindsey Graham (3rd-R) after his arrival at the Mosul Airfield March 16, 2008 in Mosul, Iraq. (Getty

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In this photo released by the U.S. army, U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama, left, and top U.S. military commander in Iraq, David Petraeus, talk as they take a helicopter ride over Baghdad, Iraq, July 21, 2008. Iraq's government welcomed Obama on Monday with a message of apparent common ground on American troop withdrawal goals: expressing hopes that combat forces could leave by 2010. (AP)

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In this Dec. 14, 2008 photo, Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi throws a shoe at President George W. Bush during a new conference with Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad, Iraq. (AP)

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President Barack Obama speaks about decreasing combat troop levels in Iraq as he addresses military personnel at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., Feb. 27, 2009. He announces that all U.S. combat troops will be withdrawn by August 2010. (AP)

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An Iraqi woman mourns the death of her son, who was killed in a suicide attack, outside Baghdad's al-Kindi hospital on March 8, 2009. A suicide bomber on a bicycle blew himself up killing at least 28 people and wounding 58 more outside a police academy in the Iraqi capital in the bloodiest attack in weeks, officials said. (AFP/Getty)

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US anti-war demonstrators stage a rally in New York, March 19, 2009. A small group of demonstrators took to the streets of the US financial capital in a protest march ahead of the March 20 anniversary of the 2003 start of the Iraq war. (AFP/Getty)

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US anti-war demonstrators stage a rally in New York on March 19, 2009. A small group of demonstrators took to the streets of the US financial capital in a protest march ahead of the March 20 anniversary of the 2003 start of the Iraq war. (AFP/Getty)

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Despite the violence reduction, Iraq still faces its fair share of obstacles, as the AP reports.


"The political process is full of tensions and contradictions and the situation in Iraqi will deteriorate if political progress isn't made," Sunni lawmaker Osama al-Nujaifi said. "There are still a lot of challenges ahead, including unemployment and the immigration millions of Iraqis abroad."


He cited the country's budget crisis after severe cuts had to be made following the steep drop in oil prices from a high of $150 per barrel last summer to just over $50 per barrel on Thursday.

"We live in a critical economic situation," he said. "There is a lot to be accomplished before we can express our optimism."