Wednesday July 13, 2005, Baghdad, Iraq

Suicide bomb kills 27 in Iraq

Allegedly American troops had sealed off a stretch of highway in a search for carbombs in the area, but were handing out candy from a humwee to kids in the area when a suicide car sped into the humwee. As many as 27 may have been killed, including one American soldier. At least another 20 were wounded in the attack, including 3 American soldiers. 13 of the killed appeared to have been children.

Youngsters on top of a mini-van outside the al-Kindi hospital, mourn a relative killed in this morning's suicide bombing in Baghdad Jedida, or New Bahdad.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Thursday May 5, 2005, Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq

Suicide bombs kill 21 in Baghdad

Victims of this morning's attacks on a recruitment center and a police patrol, in the morgue of the Yarmuk Hospital. 11 recruits and at least 9 police officers were killed, in four separate attacks this morning.

A man weeps near bodies wrapped in sheets on the floor.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Monday August 16, 2004, Darfur, Sudan

Sudan Liberation Army fighters

Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) fighters in their camp in Western Darfur. SLA emerged in March 2003. The yellow turban has become one of their trademarks.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Friday August 13, 2004, Darfur, Sudan

Sudan Liberation Army fighters

Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) fighters in their camp in Western Darfur. SLA emerged in March 2003.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Thursday January 15, 2004, Balad, Salah Ad Din, Iraq

Leave no refuge

Soldiers from 4th Infantry Division, Forward Operation Base 'The Rock' on operations in the Sunni Triangle in the area around Balad. A new policy named 'Leave no refuge' was being implemented, where insurgents' and criminals' houses were being destroyed and members of the suspects' family would be detained if the suspect could not be found. A Bradley fighting vehicle was driven through this house.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Wednesday December 24, 2003, Basra, Basra, Iraq

Danish troops in Iraq

Danish troops on patrol in the desert near Basra. In the background trenches left over from the Iran-Iraq war in the 80's. Denmark has about 500 soldiers in Iraq.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Monday May 19, 2003, Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq

Baghdad Cinema

"Sexy films no good!", says Elah Edin, owner of the al-Najah cinema in Baghdad. He and a group of film aficionados run the 60-year old theater. Pornographic movies that were prohibited during the regime of Saddam Hussein, are now very popular, but the aficionados would rather show movie classics like Ben-Hur and Spartacus.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Saturday May 3, 2003, Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq

Wrestlers in Baghdad

Young wrestlers have started training again at the Aadamiyah Sports Centre in Baghdad. Older wrestlers also train here, hoping Iraq will be able to compete at the Olympics again.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Saturday April 26, 2003, Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq

Ammunition dump accident

Blood-spattered stretchers sit outside a Zafaraniyah hospital, following a series of uncontrolled explosions at an ammunition dump guarded by US troops. Surface-to-air missiles ignited in the incident struck the neighborhood of Zafaraniyah, killing 6 and wounding as many as 50.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Friday April 18, 2003, Baghdad, Iraq

Civilian damage

Six families live in this house which was severely damaged when an American tank fired on an abandoned truck loaded with heavy artillery shells. 2-year old Zahra, her father Haidar Nuri Yassim and 4-months old Abdul were injured in the explosion. The little girl suffered injuries to her face.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Sunday March 23, 2003, Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq

Manhunt in Baghdad

Hundreds of volunteeers, Police and Republican Guards gathered at the Tigris to search for two American pilots, that had allegedly been shot down over Baghdad.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Friday March 21, 2003, Baghdad, Iraq

First night of US Shock and Awe airstrike campaign against Iraq

US bombing of the ministries and palaces on the banks of the Tigris, at the beginning of the war on Iraq.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Saturday June 1, 2002, West Point, NY, United States

US Militarism

Veterans waiting for cadets to arrive at their graduation ceremony at the West Point military academy. President George W. Bush attended the ceremony and was the main speaker.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Monday June 20, 2005, Karabilah, Anbar, Iraq

Offensive in Karabilah

Marines entering the staircase of a house. Usually they would use fragmentation grenades, C-4 plastic explosives or a flashbang grenade to clear the immediate entrance of the house. An offensive has been going on in Karabilah in Western Iraq since Thursday. Most of the civilian population has cleared out of the town, only a few houses are still inhabited. Marines cleared house to house all day today, working their way through every house on every block. At least two weapons caches were found.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

February 2002, Fort Lee, New Jersey, United States

US Militarism

National guardsmen watch a helicopter flying over the George Washington Bridge. After 9/11, the National Guard has been present at important bridges, tunnels and other installations.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Wednesday June 29, 2005, Mosul, Nineveh, Iraq

Progress in Mosul area

After an uprising in Mosul began in November, 2004, the Charlie company of the 1st Battalion of the 5th Infantry regiment was called in from Fallujah to help stabilize the city. Iraqi police stations and army bases had been abandoned by local forces and widespread looting had taken hold. Over the past 8 months, the city has been gaining ground in the struggle towards normalcy. Charlie company's commander, Captain Kevin Burke has been working closely together with 1st Lieutenant Nik Trotta in setting up a new police force in a former insurgent stronghold, the town of Qabra Abed.

Charlie Company's commander, Captain Kevin Burke sits in the living room of the district mayor, Khalaf Khudr Mohammed al-Juburi.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Monday June 20, 2005, Karabilah, Anbar, Iraq

Iraq: Operation Spear

U.S. troops have been leading an offensive in the western Iraqi town of Karakilah. Most of the civilian population has cleared out of the town with only a few houses still inhabited in the town where two weapons caches have been found.

Marines advance through a neighborhood in Karabilah.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Monday June 20, 2005, Karabilah, Anbar, Iraq

Offensive in Karabilah

Marines getting ready to clear the last part of town. An offensive has been going on in Karabilah in Western Iraq since Thursday. Most of the civilian population has cleared out of the town, only a few houses are still inhabited. Marines cleared house to house all day today, working their way through every house on every block. At least two weapons caches were found. An offensive has been going on in Karabilah in Western Iraq since Thursday. Most of the civilian population has cleared out of the town, only a few houses are still inhabited. Marines cleared house to house all day today, working their way through every house on every block. At least two weapons caches were found.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Monday June 20, 2005, Karabilah, Anbar, Iraq

Offensive in Karabilah

American troops have been conducting offensive operations in the western town of Karabilah, as a part of Operation Spear for several days. As Marines go from house to house, clearing them of weapons, they've found that most of the town's inhabitants have fled. So far, two weapons caches have been located.

Marines search for weapons in a darkened house.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Sunday June 19, 2005, Karabilah, Anbar, Iraq

Offensive in Karabilah

An offensive has been going on in Karabilah in Western Iraq since Thursday. Most of the civilian population has cleared out of the town, only a few houses are still inhabited. A man looks on from his family's house while a Marine amphibious vehicle races by.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Friday June 17, 2005, Karabilah, Anbar, Iraq

Marines find hostage house in Iraq

During a raid conducted jointly by American and Iraqi military forces a hostage house was found where many people had been held. Four live hostages were discovered at the site. The hostages had not been told why they were being held. One of the hostages, a 19-year old who had been a temporary conscript int the Iraqi Army last year, had been told that he would only leave the house as a corpse. Next to the location a bomb-making factory where cars were turned into VBIED's (vehicle borne improvised explosive device) was discovered.

Marines inspect one of the rooms where hostages were held.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Friday June 3, 2005, Baghdad, Iraq

US Soldiers rap in Iraq

PFC Johnny Batista and LCPL Richard Bachellor from ATBN of 4th MEB (Anti Terrorist Batallion of the 4th marine Expeditionary Brigade). They met during basic training and have been rapping together since then.

PFC Johnny Batista and LCPL Richard Bachellor from ATBN of 4th MEB in front of a statue of Nebuchadnezzar, a king of Babylon in 604 B.C.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Sunday May 22, 2005, Baghdad, Iraq

Iraqi widow lives in poverty

40 year-old Muntaha Mowaffak Ali's (L) husband was executed during the regime of Saddam Hussein. Ali's family had spent tens of thousands of dollars in an attempt to bribe officials for the freedom of her husband before his death. After the confiscation of her house 7 years ago, Ali and her family moved several times before settling in a makeshift house constructed primarily from a shipping container.

L-R: Ahmed Hadat Hassan, Anfal Hadat Hassan and Muntaha Mowaffak Ali (mother)

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Tuesday May 10, 2005, Baghdad, Iraq

Bomb misses convoy in Baghdad

At least 7 were killed, and as many as 17 wounded when a bomb was set off close to Al Nasr square, in the busy shopping area of Sadoun Street in Baghdad. Allegedly the bomb had been placed in a parked car, which was detonated when an American convoy had just passed, thus making most of the victims civilian. Today's bombing was within a few hundred meters of the blast on Saturday, in Tahrir square.

Blood covers the rear of a pickup truck.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Saturday May 7, 2005, Baghdad, Iraq

Suicide car bomb in Baghdad kills over 17

At least 17 were killed, including 4 foreign contractors, in a bomb attack on a private security contractor convoy in Al Tahrir square, a busy shopping area in Baghdad. Among the casualties were girls from a nearby high school who had been on their way home in a mini-van.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Friday April 1, 2005, Habbaniyah, Al Anbar, Iraq

Camp Manhattan

Charlie Co. 1/506th INF, nicknamed "Hard Rock", 3rd Platoon. The batallion was formerly posted in Korea, but was deployed to Iraq in August 2004. Camp Manhattan is located at a former (Colonial) British RAF base approximately 10 miles south-east of Ramadi and 15 miles north-west of Fallujah - in the Sunni heartland.

An Iraqi, or 'haji' as the soldiers call them, seen through a spotting scope from the khaldiya overpass.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Friday April 1, 2005, Habbaniyah, Al Anbar, Iraq

Camp Manhattan

Charlie Co. 1/506th INF, nicknamed "Hard Rock", 3rd Platoon. The batallion was formerly posted in Korea, but was deployed to Iraq in August 2004. Camp Manhattan is located at a former (Colonial) British RAF base approximately 10 miles south-east of Ramadi and 15 miles north-west of Fallujah - in the Sunni heartland.

'Doc' on the left, calling home.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Friday July 1, 2005, Mosul, Nineveh, Iraq

Ongoing operations in Mosul area

First lieutenant Trotta pass the blast walls with an Iraqi flag painted on them, outside the police station in Qabra Abed. The Charlie company of the 1st Battalion of the 5th Infantry regiment has been at the Marez forward operating base in Mosul since November 2004. They were redirected from the battle of Fallujah to quell an uprising in Mosul. All police stations and Iraqi army bases were abandoned by Iraqi personnel, and some even took part in the ransacking themselves. The Charlie company's commander, Captain Kevin Burke has been working closely together with 1st Lieutenant Nik Trotta in setting up a new police force in a former insurgent stronghold, the town of Qabra Abed, a town of a few thousand inhabitants. They also work closely together with the district mayor, Khalaf Khudr Mohammed al-Juburi.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Tuesday May 6, 2003, Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq

Prisoners in Baghdad

The prison at the Police Academy in Baghdad is being filled up again, mostly with detainees arrested looting the city.

Credit: Johan Spanner / Polaris

Johan Spanner