▁UN ▁mand ate ▁under ▁United ▁Nations ▁Security ▁Council ▁Resol ution ▁ 1 7 9 0 ▁exp ired ▁on ▁ 3 1 ▁December ▁ 2 0 0 8 . ▁▁ 2 0 0 3 ▁ ▁Fall ▁of ▁S add am ▁Hus sein ' s ▁government ▁ ▁School s , ▁police , ▁courts , ▁government , ▁and ▁military ▁were ▁shut ▁down , ▁which ▁meant ▁that ▁most ▁Ira q is ▁were ▁un emp loy ed . ▁C ities , ▁especially ▁Bag hd ad , ▁suffered ▁through ▁redu ctions ▁in ▁electric ity , ▁clean ▁water ▁and ▁tele phone ▁service ▁from ▁pre - war ▁levels , ▁with ▁short ages ▁that ▁continued ▁through ▁at ▁least ▁the ▁next ▁year . ▁ ▁On ▁ 1 ▁May ▁ 2 0 0 3 , ▁President ▁Bush ▁declared ▁the ▁" end ▁of ▁major ▁combat ▁operations " ▁in ▁Ira q , ▁while ▁ab o ard ▁the ▁USS ▁Abraham ▁Lincoln ▁with ▁a ▁large ▁" M ission ▁Ac com pl ished " ▁b anner ▁displayed ▁behind ▁him . ▁The ▁weeks ▁following ▁the ▁removal ▁of ▁Ba ' ath ▁Party ▁rule ▁were ▁port rayed ▁by ▁American ▁media ▁as ▁generally ▁a ▁eu ph or ic ▁time ▁among ▁the ▁Ira qi ▁popul ace . ▁New ▁York ▁Post ▁correspond ent ▁Jonathan ▁For eman ▁wrote ▁from ▁Bag hd ad ▁in ▁May ▁ 2 0 0 3 ▁that ▁" the ▁intensity ▁of ▁the ▁population ' s ▁pro - American ▁enthus ias m ▁is ▁aston ishing ". ▁ ▁There ▁were ▁w ides p read ▁reports ▁of ▁lo oting , ▁though ▁much ▁of ▁the ▁lo oting