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For the first time since the war began, Kirkuk's school playgrounds were full of children once more

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Clearly delighted to be returning to school many of the children wore traditional Kurdish dress

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Others performed Kurdish dances to celebrate their new-found freedom

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One little girl made it clear which side she was on by wearing a picture of George W Bush around her neck

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Pictures of Saddam Hussein that used to adorn school text books were pulled out and defaced

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Or simply torn up

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But despite the celebrations much remains to be done to get the looted schools working properly again