Iraqi National Guardsmen prepare to raise their country's flag above US Army troops of the 1st Cavalry division's 2nd Battalion during a dawn ceremony, in which the Stars and Stripes, right, was lowered to half mast, at a base in south eastern Baghdad yesterday. The US handed over sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government on Monday, formally ending a 14-month occupation two days earlier than expected to try to forestall guerrilla attacks.Jun 30, 2004

PHOTO: REUTERS