Iraq Photos: Dec. 17-Dec. 23

U.S. army soldiers from Blackfoot Company, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, run to take defensive positions during a firefight on the outskirts of Muqdadiyah, in the volatile Diyala province, about 60 miles north of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2007.

US soldiers are reflected on a mirror while patrolling in Baghdad's predominantly Shiite suburb of Sadr City on the second day of the Shiites' Eid al-Adha festivities, December 22, 2007.

Iraqis sacrifice sheep during celebrations of Eid Al-Adha in Kirkuk, north of Baghdad, December 21, 2007. Muslim Shiites celebrate today Eid Al-Adha or the Festival of Sacrifice, marking the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca and is celebrated in remembrance of Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son to God.

An Iraqi woman offers sweets to US soldiers patrolling in Baghdad's predominantly Shiite suburb of Sadr City on the second day of the Shiites' Eid al-Adha festivities, December 22, 2007.

U.S. army soldiers from Blackfoot Company, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, interrogate a handcuffed suspect in the village of Towakal, on the northern outskirts of Muqdadiyah, in the volatile Diyala province, about 60 miles north of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007.

A U.S. army soldier from Blackfoot Company, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, passes by a destroyed house in the village of Towakal, on the northern outskirts of Muqdadiyah, in the volatile Diyala province, about 60 miles north of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007.

A U.S. army soldier from Blackfoot Company, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, passes by destroyed houses in the village of Towakal, on the northern outskirts of Muqdadiyah, in the volatile Diyala province, about 60 miles north of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007.

A ferris wheel towers over Iraqi women and a child at an amusement park in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, Iraq Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007. Iraqis gathered in parks and enjoyed amusement rides on Saturday, taking advantage of a lull in violence and the Islamic feast of Eid al-Adha to venture out of their homes in droves.

A US soldier plays the oud to Iraqi children in Baghdad's predominantly Shiite suburb of Sadr City on the second day of the Shiites' Eid al-Adha festivities, December 22, 2007. Eid al-Adha festivities or the Festival of Sacrifice, marks the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca and is celebrated in remembrance of Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son to God.

Iraqi Shittes attend the Friday Prayer at the Imam Musa al-Kadhim shrine in the Kadhimiyah district of Baghdad, December 21, 2007.

An Iraqi girl attends Chaldean mass in Baghdad, Iraq on Friday, Dec. 21, 2007.

British soldiers respond after an armored personnel carrier was hit by a suspected roadside bomb in Basra, 340 miles southeast of Baghdad, Iraq on Friday, Dec. 21, 2007. There were no reports of casualties.

A man in a wheelchair attends prayers at the Imam Hussein shrine to mark the Islamic holiday Eid al-Adha in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles south of Baghdad, Iraq on Friday, Dec. 21, 2007.

Iraqi soldiers stand guard in Karbala, 50 miles south of Baghdad, Iraq as the the Shiite holy city marks the beginning of the Islamic holiday Eid al-Adha on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2007.

Iraqis pray to mark the beginning of the Islamic holiday Eid al-Adha, in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles south of Baghdad, Iraq on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2007.

A cow approaches a U.S. army soldier from Blackfoot Company, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, as he lays concealed in thick grass during an ambush setup on the outskirts of Muqdadiyah, in the volatile Diyala province, about 60 miles north of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007.

A woman washes clothes as a U.S. army soldier from Blackfoot Company, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment passes her, on the outskirts of Muqdadiyah, in the volatile Diyala province, about 60 miles north of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007.

Iraqi boys hold pictures of Hassan Salem, who is in U.S. custody after being detained 14-months ago, during a demonstration calling for the release of prisoners held in the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq, on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2007.

Iraqi National Police demonstrate their skills in crowd control at a graduation ceremony for 700 cadets in Baghdad, Iraq, on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2007.

Police inspect the site of a suicide car bombing after it was driven into a police checkpoint in Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, Iraq, on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2007. The attack killed two and wounded 15, police said.