<P> Data from the Pentagon and other U.S. agencies such as the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that daily attacks against civilians in Iraq remained "about the same" since February . The GAO also stated that there was no discernible trend in sectarian violence . However, this report ran counter to reports to Congress, which showed a general downward trend in civilian deaths and ethno - sectarian violence since December 2006 . By late 2007, as the U.S. troop surge began to wind down, violence in Iraq had begun to decrease from its 2006 highs . </P> <P> Entire neighborhoods in Baghdad were ethnically cleansed by Shia and Sunni militias and sectarian violence has broken out in every Iraqi city where there is a mixed population . Investigative reporter Bob Woodward cites U.S. government sources according to which the U.S. "surge" was not the primary reason for the drop in violence in 2007--08 . Instead, according to that view, the reduction of violence was due to newer covert techniques by U.S. military and intelligence officials to find, target and kill insurgents, including working closely with former insurgents . </P> <P> In the Shia region near Basra, British forces turned over security for the region to Iraqi Security Forces . Basra is the ninth province of Iraq's 18 provinces to be returned to local security forces' control since the beginning of the occupation . </P> <P> More than half of the members of Iraq's parliament rejected the continuing occupation of their country for the first time . 144 of the 275 lawmakers signed onto a legislative petition that would require the Iraqi government to seek approval from Parliament before it requests an extension of the UN mandate for foreign forces to be in Iraq, which expires at the end of 2008 . It also calls for a timetable for troop withdrawal and a freeze on the size of foreign forces . The UN Security Council mandate for U.S. ‐ led forces in Iraq will terminate "if requested by the government of Iraq ." Under Iraqi law, the speaker must present a resolution called for by a majority of lawmakers . 59% of those polled in the U.S. support a timetable for withdrawal . </P>

When did the war in iraq start and end