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The United States Army, major branch of the United States armed forces charged with the preservation of peace and security and the defense of the country. The army furnishes most of the ground forces in the U.S. military organization.

In the early months of the American Revolution, the first regular U.S. fighting force, the Continental Army, was organized by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1775. It comprised the 22,000 militia troops then besieging Boston and an additional 5,000 militiamen in New York. It was placed under the control of a five-member civilian board, and U.S. military forces have remained in civilian control ever since. George Washington formally took command of these colonial troops on July 3, 1775, and soon discovered that the militiamen were largely accustomed to going home whenever a particular danger was past. In January 1776 the Continental Congress partially responded to Washington's urgent appeals by establishing a single standing force directly raised from all of the colonies, distinct from the several colonial militias. These "Continentals" were enlisted for longer terms and were trained more thoroughly than the militias; they provided Washington with a small but stable nucleus with which to work and proved to be his chief reliance in the dark hours of the war. They were the beginning of the regular army.

As the Revolution drew to a close, the Continental Congress asked Washington for his recommendations for a peacetime military force. In response, he prepared Sentiments on a Peace Establishment (May 1, 1783), a sweeping assessment of the strategic situation facing the new country. Washington believed that the United States needed only a small regular army to deal with Indian threats and to provide a nucleus for expansion by "a well-organized militia" in time of foreign war. Instead of the independent and diverse militia forces of the individual states, which had proved so unreliable during the Revolution, Washington recommended that the state contingents be organized as elements of a single national militia so that all would be similarly trained and equipped. He also recommended the development of war industries and arsenals, along with the establishment of a military school system. Congress ignored this blueprint for a national military policy, and on November 2, 1783, the entire army was disbanded except "twenty-five privates to guard the stores at Fort Pitt and fifty-five to guard the stores at West Point." Indian disturbances on the frontier, however, almost immediately forced an increase in the standing force. When Washington was inaugurated as president in 1789, the number of men in service was 595.

Washington, George: resigning commission Architect of the Capitol

The Constitution (1787) placed the military forces under the control of the president as commander in chief, and in 1789 the civilian Department of War was established to administer the military forces. One of the first tasks Washington assigned to the secretary of war, Maj. Gen. Henry Knox, was to prepare legislation for a military policy as outlined in his Sentiments. The principal element of this proposed legislation-establishment of a centrally coordinated militia system-was rejected by Congress in the Militia Act of 1792. This decision by the lawmakers was partly because of fear that Knox's proposal would concentrate too much power in the hands of the federal government and partly because state militia officers feared that centralization would diminish their own power and prestige. Washington was, however, able to persuade Congress to expand the small regular army to deal with increasing Indian disorders on the frontier. Until 1812 the army passed through swift periods of expansion and reduction, depending upon the immediacy of the Indian and foreign threats. From a single regiment in 1789, it changed to 3 in 1791, 5 in 1792 (in the wake of Saint Clair's Defeat), 9 in 1798 (during the XYZ Affair and quasi-war with France), 6 in 1800, 3 in 1802, and 11 in 1808.

During the War of 1812, the inadequacy of the Militia Act of 1792 was clearly demonstrated. A total of about 60,000 men served in the regular army during the almost three years of war. This force bore the brunt of conflict with about 70,000 British regulars, 2,000 efficient Canadian militia, and about 10,000 Indians, many of the last of whom were part of Tecumseh 's confederation. At one time or another, nearly 460,000 American militiamen were under arms, but few saw battle. Typical of those who did see action were the 6,500 militiamen at Bladensburg, Maryland, who were tasked with defending the national capital but fled in panic after one volley from 1,500 British regulars.

After the War of 1812, the regular army was reduced to 10,000 men and was still further reduced in 1821 to 6,127. It gradually rose to 7,958 by 1838, when the combination of the Second Seminole War and the expansion of the western frontier caused Congress to authorize an increase to 12,577. With the end of the Second Seminole War in 1842, however, the army was decreased to 8,613 (occupying over 100 posts), and that was still its authorized strength at the outbreak of the Mexican-American War in 1846.

The Mexican-American War and the Civil War

One significant aspect of the Mexican-American War was the virtual abandonment of the militia concept for war purposes. The regular army was increased to more than 30,000 troops, and approximately 60,000 additional volunteers were recruited. Most of the new regulars and many volunteers actually served in Mexico during the war. The army acquitted itself exceptionally well during the campaign. The main invasion force under Gen. Winfield Scott landed at Veracruz in March 1847 and scored a string of victories culminating in the capture of Mexico City in September 1847. Many of the most-recognizable commanders of the American Civil War-including Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Stonewall Jackson, George McClellan, James Longstreet, and George Pickett -served as junior officers during the Mexican-American War.

A Little More Grape, Capt. Bragg Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Approximately 12,000 militiamen had been called up at the beginning but served only three months and contributed nothing to the war effort. In 1848 the authorized strength of the army was reduced to 10,320, scattered over the immense area of the growing country. The task of dealing with Native Americans in the Far West, however, brought a gradual increase in strength. On December 20, 1860, when South Carolina seceded, the army numbered 16,367 officers and men.

The U.S. Army underwent an enormous expansion during the Civil War (1861-65), growing from a peacetime strength of about 16,000 troops in December 1860 to a maximum size of 1,000,000 by 1865. The Confederate army may have reached a strength of 500,000 troops at its height. The volunteer system was again substituted for the unworkable militia concept, and most militiamen served as volunteers in federal service. Both sides initially relied on voluntary enlistments, but both had eventually to resort to conscription to maintain their vast armies in the field. On July 17, 1862, Congress passed the Second Confiscation and Militia Act, which, among other things, legalized the enlistment of African American soldiers in the Union army (black volunteers were already serving in the United States Navy and had served with distinction in the American Revolution and the War of 1812). When Pres. Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, recruitment of black soldiers began in earnest, and by the end of the war nearly 180,000 black troops had enlisted.

The Army Reorganization Act of 1866 (formally, An Act to increase and fix the Military Peace Establishment of the United States) provided for a regular army of 54,000 men, but this figure was gradually decreased until 1874, when authorized strength was set at 25,000, where it remained until the Spanish-American War. About 19,000 troops were stationed in the South to support the military governments of the Reconstruction period. Because of the threat posed by the rule of Maximilian in Mexico, Gen. Philip Sheridan was sent to the border with a large command. The remainder of the army dealt with increasingly violent Plains Wars in the West.

Doughboys abroad: the U.S. Army at the turn of the 20th century

Pay and other conditions of service were so poor in the U.S. Army that in 1878 its effective strength was less than 20,000 men, the smallest force in proportion to the total U S. population at any time since Washington's first term. The army was well trained, however, because it saw almost constant combat service in the Indian Wars.

ledger drawing The Newberry Library, Gift of Edward E. Ayer, 1911

During the Spanish-American War, the army was again augmented by volunteers rather than militia units. Calls for volunteers increased its size to 216,029 troops by August 31, 1898; 50,000 of these were regulars. Because of the Philippine-American War (1899-1902), the president was authorized to keep the strength of the regular army at a maximum of 65,000 members, and in 1901 this figure was raised to 100,000. The hasty expansion of the army at the outset of the war with Spain had been chaotic. The War Department was revealed as scandalously inefficient in administration, organization, and operational direction.

In 1899, when Elihu Root was appointed secretary of war, he immediately set about correcting these deficiencies. He succeeded in reorganizing and revitalizing not only the War Department but U.S. military policy as a whole. In the process he strengthened the traditional concept of civilian control over the military. His greatest contribution was the establishment of an efficient general staff in 1903. Related to this was the development of an extensive and integrated system of postgraduate military education for all levels of responsibility from lieutenant to general. Root was also largely responsible for the establishment in 1903 of the Joint Board, comprising senior army and navy officers, to avoid future failures in coordination of strategic planning and tactical operations such as had occurred in the Spanish-American War.

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

When war came again in 1917, the U.S. Army was better prepared than at any previous time in American history. There were four main reasons: the existence of an efficient general staff for planning and coordination purposes; the combat experience which most American regular army officers had gained during the Philippine-American War; the mobilization of an expanded regular army and 65,000 national guardsmen for duty along the Mexican border; and the repeal of the Militia Act of 1792. A federally coordinated National Guard, with components in each state, was established, as was an Organized Reserve Corps, completely under federal authority. For all practical purposes, Washington's Sentiments on a Peace Establishment had been adopted, in a modernized form.

James Montgomery Flagg- Leslie-Judge Co., N.Y./Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-USZC4-3859)

During World War I the army expanded in 18 months to 3,685,000 troops, about three-fourths of whom were conscripted under the Selective Service Act of May 18, 1917. About 2,000,000 troops were sent to France to serve in Gen. John J. Pershing's American Expeditionary Force. The efficiency of this tremendous expansion and the decisive role played by U.S. forces in the final Allied victory in November 1918 were clear evidence of the effectiveness of the innovations made by Root only 15 years earlier.

World War II, the Korean War, and the Cold War

After World War I the army experienced its usual postwar contraction: for most of the period from 1919 to 1939, the army's strength was about 125,000 troops, the smallest by far of all the great powers. After Nazi Germany successfully invaded France in May 1940, however, the U.S. government reinstituted conscription, thereby raising the army's strength to 1,640,000 by the time the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. With the United States' entry into the war, the army went through a further process of expansion, this time to 8,300,000 troops, of whom about 5,000,000 saw service overseas. Of particular note were Nisei servicemen, second-generation Japanese Americans who enlisted by the thousands, despite the fact that many of their families had been forcibly interned. The 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (the two were later merged) were all-Nisei units that achieved renown for having displayed remarkable bravery in spite of crippling losses. The 442nd was the most-decorated unit of its size in U.S. history.

Unlike the situation in World War I, where the army had served primarily in France, in World War II it fought all over the globe-in North Africa, the Mediterranean, western Europe, across the Pacific Ocean, and in parts of mainland Asia. During the war the army was reorganized into three main commands: the Army Ground Forces, the Army Air Forces, and the Army Service Forces. Overall responsibility for handling an armed force of such unprecedented magnitude and complexity lay with Gen. George C. Marshall, who served as army chief of staff for the entire duration of the war.

World War II marked revolutionary changes in the conduct of war and in supporting the war from the home front. Because of these changes, representatives of the political, economic, industrial, diplomatic, and military communities of the country-combined and individually-began making adjustments and rearrangements in the country's overall defense organization even before the war drew to a close. However, with Japan's surrender in August 1945, public pressure caused an immediate and hasty demobilization of the army despite its occupation responsibilities in Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea. From a strength of over 8,000,000 in August 1945, the army declined to less than 3,000,000 by January 1946 and to 554,000 troops by March 1948. The drop in combat capability was even more rapid, as most veterans, except for the relatively few career soldiers, were discharged and replaced by inexperienced recruits.

The advent of the Cold War, however, soon stimulated efforts to restore military effectiveness, and the peacetime conscription established in 1940 was reinstituted in 1948 and periodically renewed thereafter. Army strength stabilized at about 600,000 troops in 1949-50. Meanwhile, the technological and military developments which had begun during World War II had increased the country's vulnerability by reducing the protective significance of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Partially in recognition of this fact and partially to correct organizational faults revealed during the war, the defense structure was fundamentally altered by the National Security Act of 1947. One major change was the establishment of an independent U S. Air Force, created from the Army Air Forces. In subsequent years-as the three service branches struggled to stretch their budgets to meet widespread military commitments and also tried to adjust to their new relationships and to the tremendous changes in the nature of war-there arose considerable dissension among them regarding their respective roles and missions. Among the more important interservice issues were: how air power was to be adapted to war on land and sea as well as in the air; how long-range missiles were to be incorporated into the fighting forces; and what was to be done about the application of nuclear power to combat. On July 26, 1948, Pres. Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981 abolishing racial segregation in the U.S. military. Although the army's top leadership initially resisted this change, the situation in Korea would soon force their hand.

The outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 occasioned another expansion of the army, this time to 1,500,000 troops by 1951. But even after the Korean War ended in 1953, the army maintained peacetime levels of strength that were unprecedented in the country's history. By the end of 1960, for example, army strength totaled 860,000. The need for such a large standing army was explained by the United States' leadership role in the Cold War and its need to maintain substantial armed forces in readiness in western Europe in case of a Soviet invasion. After the Korean War, army strength dwindled, while most of the defense budget was devoted to the long-range nuclear forces of the navy and the air force. More serious than the drop in the number of army personnel in the eyes of many strategic planners was a decline in combat efficiency because of lack of funds to modernize equipment and weapons. The army had 14 divisions, but only 11 were organized and equipped for combat.

Korean War: U.S. soldiers Harry S. Truman Library/NARA

Vietnam and the move to an all-volunteer army

The army's fortunes improved during the 1960s, as the doctrine of mutual nuclear deterrence between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. made it evident that there was far more likelihood of limited conventional wars than of a nuclear holocaust. Thus, more attention was focused on increasing the army's capability to fight quickly and effectively in small or large wars anywhere around the globe. Army strength increased to nearly 1,000,000 troops, even before commitment of forces in the Vietnam War, and to 1,463,000 at the height of that conflict. At the same time, there was great improvement in weapons and equipment. Army organization was substantially revised to ensure effective flexible employment of troops in a variety of combat tasks. With the completion of the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam in 1973, the peacetime draft was ended, and the army was returned to volunteer status.

During the Persian Gulf War in early 1991, the allied coalition against Iraq reached a strength of more than 700,000 troops, including 539,000 American personnel. After a massive allied air war lasting several weeks, the allies sent in large numbers of ground troops to destroy Iraqi fortifications, weapons stockpiles, and tanks. Within four days the allies had destroyed most of Iraq's elite Republican Guard, and Pres. George H.W. Bush declared a cease-fire. After the war, proposals were made by Congress to cut the total armed forces by some 22 percent over the next five years.

In 1993 Pres. Bill Clinton signed " Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT), a law directing that on matters of homosexuals serving in the U.S. military, military personnel "don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue, and don't harass." When it went into effect on October 1, 1993, the policy theoretically lifted a ban on homosexual service that had been instituted during World War II, though in effect it continued a statutory ban. Under the terms of the law, homosexuals serving in the military were not allowed to talk about their sexual orientation or engage in sexual activity, and commanding officers were not allowed to question service members about their sexual orientation. For a variety of reasons, the policy did little to change the behaviour of commanders; gay and lesbian soldiers continued to be discharged from service.

The U.S. Army in the 21st century

Afghanistan and the war on terrorism

The September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States were a spectacular example of the asymmetrical warfare that conventional 20th-century armies were ill equipped to combat. As a result, the CIA initially took the lead in Afghanistan, using local tribesmen as a force multiplier to overturn the Taliban regime that hosted al-Qaeda. As the focus of the administration of Pres. George W. Bush shifted to Iraq in 2003, Afghanistan was treated in some ways as "the forgotten war." The Taliban used this reprieve to regroup and rebuild its strength, while the remaining U.S. troops assisted with "nation-building" efforts. As the war in Iraq wound down in 2009, lessons learned by insurgents there were exported to Afghanistan, and U.S. casualties jumped sharply. A "surge" of 30,000 additional troops authorized by Pres. Barack Obama in 2009-10 allowed Afghan forces the opportunity to rebuild and ultimately assume some of the security burden. Although an international force of more than 10,000 troops remained in the country in an advisory capacity, the U.S. and NATO formally ended their combat mission in Afghanistan on December 28, 2014.

When U.S. troops returned to Iraq in March 2003, they did so in numbers that were a fraction of those deployed in 1991. This "light footprint" strategy relied heavily on the overwhelming technological edge enjoyed by the U.S.-led coalition. This advantage was on full display in the "shock and awe" bombardment that opened the war. Although this demonstration did not lead to the immediate capitulation of Iraqi forces, the U.S. advance on Baghdad was slowed more by the weather than it was by effective and concentrated Iraqi resistance. Bush declared an end to major combat operations on May 1, 2003, but the war in Iraq was far from over.

With Iraq's ruling Baʿth Party purged from the government and security forces, no domestic force was capable of enforcing order, and criminality and sectarian violence spiraled out of control. U.S. forces, unable to find the weapons of mass destruction that served as the war's rationale, found themselves engaged in a civil war between rival Shīʿite and Sunni militias. As the U.S. death toll climbed, recruitment numbers dropped, and the army was forced to adopt alternative methods to bolster its thinning ranks. National Guard units were deployed to Iraq, and thousands of reservists were called up to active duty. A controversial measure, known as stop-loss, prevented troops scheduled for deployment from leaving the military. Tens of thousands of active-duty soldiers and reservists were affected by the policy, which was criticized by some as a "back door draft." As the security situation in Iraq became more tenuous and criticism of the U.S. occupation increased, a "surge" of U.S. troops was implemented in early 2007. This action is thought to have been one possible factor in the declining level of violence.

By the time U.S. troops left Iraq in December 2011, almost 4,500 Americans had been killed and some 30,000 had been wounded, with the army accounting for the overwhelming majority in both categories. One very concrete change for the army that was spurred by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was the replacement for the venerable M16 rifle. The M4 carbine, a rifle that shared the AR-15 platform with the M16, was adopted as the army's standard infantry weapon. The M16's ability to accurately shoot at distances of more than 550 yards (500 metres) was largely wasted in the short-range engagements that were typical of modern wars. The smaller size of the M4 also made it better suited for the army's patrol doctrine, which involved frequently mounting and dismounting from vehicles

Changing policies for a changing army

By the 15-year anniversary of " Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in 2008, more than 12,000 soldiers and officers had been discharged from the military for refusing to conceal their homosexuality. When Obama campaigned for the presidency in 2008, he pledged to overturn "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and to allow homosexuals to serve openly in the military. In December 2010 both the House of Representatives and the Senate voted to repeal the policy, and Obama signed the legislation on December 22. The policy officially ended on September 20, 2011.

Beginning in World War II, women had begun to occupy an increasingly conspicuous role in the United States Army. More than 150,000 women served in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (later the Women's Army Corps [WAC]), working as nurses, mechanics, clerks, and intelligence analysts. In the massive demobilization that followed the war, most of these women returned to civilian life, but the success of the WAC led to its integration into the regular army. The WAC existed as a separate corps within the army until 1978, when it was abolished and women were integrated into all aspects of army life except combat duty. That distinction became increasingly suspect given the nature of asymmetrical warfare in the 21st century. No longer could personnel serving in traditional noncombat roles be considered outside the theatre of combat, as there were no fixed front lines. As a result, more than 130 female troops from various branches of service were killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Faced with this reality, in January 2013 the Department of Defense lifted the ban on women in combat. As combat experience is a significant consideration for promotion at virtually all ranks, the change was seen as a boost to the advancement prospects for women throughout the army.

Administrative structure

The current administrative structure of the U.S. Army was established by the National Security Act of 1947 and amendments to it in 1949. The Department of the Army is organized as a military section of the Department of Defense. It is headed by the Office of the Secretary of the Army. The army staff gives advice and assistance to the secretary and administers civil functions, including the civil works program of the Corps of Engineers.

The army's responsibilities are divided among 3 Army Commands (ACOM), 10 Army Service Component Commands (ASCC), and 13 Direct Reporting Units (DRU), all organized under the headquarters of the Department of the Army. The United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) is an ACOM that supervises Active Army and Army Reserve troops in the continental United States. Headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the command oversees the bulk of the army's operational force. FORSCOM is also in charge of the training of units of the Army National Guard. Other responsibilities include the development of plans for mobilization. The United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) is an ACOM that directs combat training programs for forces of both the Active Army and the Army Reserve. It is headquartered at Fort Eustis, Virginia. The United States Army Materiel Command (AMC) is an ACOM in charge of the equipment used by the army. Its responsibilities include development, procurement, storage, delivery, and maintenance.

The U.S. Army Cyber Command (USARCYBER) is an ACOM responsible for the electronic and information warfare and cybersecurity operations. The United States Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) is a DRU that provides health services for army personnel and supervises medical training and education. The United States Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) performs intelligence and security functions above the corps level. The Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) is an ASCC that controls the movement of freight, personal property, and passengers for the Department of Defense. Another duty of the SDDC is the administration of highways for national defense. The United States Army Military District of Washington (MDW), which supports the activities of the army and of the Department of Defense, is the DRU primarily responsible for protecting the nation's capital. Other duties include arranging state funerals and supervising military participation in ceremonies for foreign dignitaries. The United States Army Criminal Investigation Command (USACIDC) is responsible for all criminal investigations that are conducted by the army, including those overseas. It operates a criminal intelligence element. The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is a DRU responsible for both military engineering projects and civil works programs. The United States Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) is a DRU responsible for testing and evaluation of military systems. The United States Army Acquisition Support Center (USAASC) is a DRU that oversees the conceptualization, development, and acquisition of military systems. The United States Army Installation Management Command (IMCOM) maintains services and facilities for army personnel and their families.

In addition to these commands, there are six army regional Component Commands. The United States Army Africa (USARAF) is headquartered in Vicenza, Italy. The United States Army Europe (USAREUR) is headquartered in Weisbaden, Germany. The United States Army Central (Third Army/ARCENT) oversees central Asia and the Middle East and is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. The United States Army North (Fifth Army/ARNORTH) and the United States Army South (ARSO) oversee North and South America, respectively, and both are headquartered at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) oversees the Pacific region and is headquartered at Fort Shafter, Hawaii. Other DRUs include Arlington National Cemetery (ANC), the United States Army Accessions Support Brigade (USAASB), the United States War College (USWC), and the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York. Additional ASCCs include the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) and the United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command (USASMDC/ARSTRAT).

US Army Photo

Besides its purely military functions, the army also administers federal programs of environmental protection and development; provides military assistance to federal, state, and local governmental agencies; assists in times of natural disaster; and provides emergency medical air transportation.

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United States Army | History, Generals, Battles, & Structure

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The United States Army, major branch of the United States armed forces charged with the preservation of peace and security and the defense of the country. The army furnishes most of the ground forces in the U.S. military organization. In the early months of the American Revolution, the first regular U.S.

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Welcome to Baghdad: How Iraq Used to Be in the 1950s

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Fascinating insight in to Iraq in the 1950s. The country is steeped in a rich history and culture. The very beginnings of civilisation started here and where man began cultivating the land and where writing was conceived. It even used to be a tourist hot spot.

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foreignpolicy.com/.../who-won-the-war-in-iraq-heres-a-big-hint-it-wasnt-the-united-st...

1. the us was part of the war

2. there was a president jfk

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This article is about the war that started in 2003 and ended in 2011. For the initial invasion, see 2003 invasion of Iraq. For the current war in Iraq, see Iraqi Civil War (2014–present). For the entire conflict from 2003 to the present, see Iraq conflict (2003–present). For previous wars in Iraq, see Iraq War (disambiguation).Iraq WarPart of the Iraq conflict (2003–present)and the War on TerrorIraq War montage.pngClockwise from top: U.S. troops at Uday and Qusay Hussein's hideout; insurgents in northern Iraq; an Iraqi insurgent firing a MANPADS; the toppling of the Saddam Hussein statue in Firdos Square.Date	20 March 2003 – 18 December 2011(8 years, 8 months and 28 days)Location	IraqResult	Invasion and occupation of IraqOverthrow of Ba'ath Party government and execution of Saddam HusseinIraqi insurgency, emergence of al-Qaeda in Iraq, and Sectarian Violence and another civil war[6][7]Subsequent reduction in violence and depletion of al-Qaeda in Iraq[8][9]Establishment of democratic elections and formation of new Shia led governmentWithdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq in 2011Stronger Iranian influence in Iraq[10][11][12]Escalation of sectarian insurgency after U.S. withdrawal leading to the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the successor of al-Qaeda in Iraq[7][13]Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)Return of US forces to Iraq in 2014BelligerentsInvasion phase (2003) United States United Kingdom Australia Poland PeshmergaSupport from: Netherlands[1]	Invasion phase (2003) Ba'athist IraqPost-invasion(2003–11)  United States United Kingdom MNF–I(2003–09)[show] New Iraqi governmentIraqi Armed ForcesAwakening CouncilSupported by:Iran Iran[2][3] Iraqi KurdistanPeshmergaPost-invasion (2003–11) Ba'ath loyalistsLogo of the Supreme Command for Jihad and Liberation.png Supreme Command for Jihad and LiberationArmy of the Men of the Naqshbandi OrderSunni insurgents Al-Qaeda in Iraq (2004–06) Islamic State of Iraq[4] (from 2006)Islamic Army of Iraq (emblem).png Islamic Army of IraqAnsar al-Sunnah (2003–07)Shia insurgents Mahdi ArmyShiism arabic blue.svg Special GroupsAsa'ib Ahl al-HaqOtherssupported by:Iran IranQuds Force[5]For fighting between insurgent groups, see Sectarian violence in Iraq (2006–07).Commanders and leaders Ayad Allawi Ibrahim al-Jaafari Nouri al-Maliki Ricardo Sanchez George W. Casey, Jr. David Petraeus Raymond T. Odierno Lloyd Austin George W. Bush Barack Obama Tommy Franks Donald Rumsfeld Robert Gates Tony Blair Gordon Brown David Cameron John Howard Kevin Rudd Walter Natynczyk Anders Fogh Rasmussen Aleksander Kwaśniewski Silvio Berlusconi José María Aznar	Ba'ath Party Saddam Hussein (POW) Skull and crossbones.svg Izzat Ibrahim ad-DouriSunni insurgency Abu Musab al-Zarqawi † Abu Ayyub al-Masri † Abu Omar al-Baghdadi † Abu Bakr al-BaghdadiIslamic Army of Iraq (emblem).png Ishmael Jubouri Abu Abdullah al-Shafi'i (POW)Shia insurgency Muqtada al-SadrShiism arabic blue.svg Abu DeraaQais al-KhazaliAkram al-Kabi Qasem Soleimani[14]StrengthInvasion forces (2003)309,000 United States: 192,000[15] United Kingdom: 45,000 Australia: 2,000 Poland: 194Iraqi Kurdistan Peshmerga: 70,000Coalition forces (2004–09)176,000 at peakUnited States Forces – Iraq (2010–11)112,000 at activationSecurity contractors 6,000–7,000 (estimate)[16]Iraqi security forces805,269 (military and paramilitary: 578,269,[17] police: 227,000)Awakening militias≈103,000 (2008)[18]Iraqi Kurdistan≈400,000 (Kurdish Border Guard: 30,000,[19] Peshmerga 375,000)	Coat of arms of Iraq (1991-2004).svg Iraqi Armed Forces: 375,000 (disbanded in 2003)Iraqi Republican Guard Symbol.svg Special Iraqi Republican Guard: 12,000Iraqi Republican Guard Symbol.svg Iraqi Republican Guard: 70,000–75,000Fedayeen Saddam SSI.svg Fedayeen Saddam: 30,000Sunni Insurgents≈70,000 (2007)[20]al-Qaeda≈1,300 (2006)[21]Islamic State of Iraq≈1,000 (2008)Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order≈500–1,000 (2007)Casualties and lossesIraqi Security Forces (post-Saddam)Killed: 17,690[22]Wounded: 40,000+[23]Coalition forcesKilled: 4,815[24][25] (4,497 U.S.,[26] 179 UK,[27] 139 other)[24]Missing/captured (U.S.): 17 (8 rescued, 9 died in captivity)[28]Wounded: 32,776+ (32,249 U.S.,[29] 315 UK, 212+ other[30])[31][32][33][34] Injured/diseases/other medical*: 51,139 (47,541 U.S.,[35] 3,598 UK)[31][33][34]ContractorsKilled: 1,554[36][37]Wounded & injured: 43,880[36][37]Awakening CouncilsKilled: 1,002+[38]Wounded: 500+ (2007),[39] 828 (2008)[40]Total dead: 25,285 (+12,000 policemen killed 2003-2005)""Total wounded: 117,961	Iraqi combatant dead (invasion period): 7,600–10,800[41][42]Insurgents (post-Saddam)Killed: 26,544 (2003–11)[43]Detainees: 12,000 (Iraqi-held)[44]Total dead: 34,144–37,344Estimated deaths:Lancet survey** (March 2003 – July 2006): 654,965 (95% CI: 392,979–942,636)[45][46]Iraq Family Health Survey*** (March 2003 – July 2006): 151,000 (95% CI: 104,000–223,000)[47]PLOS Medicine Study**: (March 2003 – June 2011): 405,000 (95% CI: 48,000–751,000), in addition to 55,000 deaths missed due to emigration.[48]Documented deaths from violence:Iraq Body Count (2003 – 14 December 2011): 103,160–113,728 civilian deaths recorded,[49] and 12,438 new deaths added from the Iraq War Logs[50]Associated Press (March 2003 – April 2009): 110,600[51]For more information see: Casualties of the Iraq War* "injured, diseased, or other medical": required medical air transport. UK number includes "aeromed evacuations"** Total excess deaths include all additional deaths due to increased lawlessness, degraded infrastructure, poorer healthcare, etc.*** Violent deaths only - does not include excess deaths due to increased lawlessness, poorer healthcare, etc.[show] v t eIraq War[show] v t ePersian Gulf WarsThe Iraq War[nb 1] was a protracted armed conflict that began in 2003 with the invasion of Iraq by a United States-led coalition that overthrew the government of Saddam Hussein. The conflict continued for much of the next decade as an insurgency emerged to oppose the occupying forces and the post-invasion Iraqi government.[52] An estimated 151,000 to 600,000 or more Iraqis were killed in the first 3–4 years of conflict. The US became re-involved in 2014 at the head of a new coalition; the insurgency and many dimensions of the civil armed conflict continue. The invasion occurred as part of a declared war against international terrorism and its sponsors under the administration of US President George W. Bush following the September 11 terror attacks.The invasion began on 20 March 2003,[53] with the US, joined by the United Kingdom and several coalition allies, launching a "shock and awe" bombing campaign. Iraqi forces were quickly overwhelmed as U.S. forces swept through the country. The invasion led to the collapse of the Ba'athist government; Saddam was captured during Operation Red Dawn in December of that same year and executed by a military court three years later. However, the power vacuum following Saddam's demise and the mismanagement of the occupation led to widespread sectarian violence between Shias and Sunnis, as well as a lengthy insurgency against U.S. and coalition forces. Many violent insurgent groups were supported by Iran and al-Qaeda in Iraq. The United States responded with a troop surge in 2007. The winding down of U.S. involvement in Iraq accelerated under President Barack Obama. The US formally withdrew all combat troops from Iraq by December 2011.[54]The Bush administration based its rationale for the war principally on the assertion that Iraq, which had been viewed by the US as a rogue state since the Persian Gulf War, possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and that the Iraqi government posed an immediate threat to the United States and its coalition allies.[55][56] Select U.S. officials accused Saddam of harbouring and supporting al-Qaeda,[57] while others cited the desire to end a repressive dictatorship and bring democracy to the people of Iraq.[58][59] After the invasion, no substantial evidence was found to verify the initial claims about WMDs, while claims of Iraqi officials collaborating with al-Qaeda were proven false. The rationale and misrepresentation of US prewar intelligence faced heavy criticism both domestically and internationally, with President Bush declining from his record-high approval ratings following 9/11 to become one of the most unpopular presidents in US history.[60]In the aftermath of the invasion, Iraq held multi-party elections in 2005. Nouri al-Maliki became Prime Minister in 2006 and remained in office until 2014. The al-Maliki government enacted policies that were widely seen as having the effect of alienating the country's Sunni minority and worsening sectarian tensions. In the summer of 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) launched a military offensive in Northern Iraq and declared a worldwide Islamic caliphate, eliciting another military response from the United States and its allies. The Iraq War caused over a hundred thousand civilian deaths and tens of thousands of military deaths (see estimates below). The majority of deaths occurred as a result of the insurgency and civil conflicts between 2004 and 2007.

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This article is about the war that started in 2003 and ended in 2011. For the initial invasion, see 2003 invasion of Iraq. For the current war in Iraq, see Iraqi Civil War (2014–present). For the entire conflict from 2003 to the present, see Iraq conflict (2003–present). For previous wars in Iraq, see Iraq War (disambiguation).Iraq WarPart of the Iraq conflict (2003–present)and the War on TerrorIraq War montage.pngClockwise from top: U.S. troops at Uday and Qusay Hussein's hideout; insurgents in northern Iraq; an Iraqi insurgent firing a MANPADS; the toppling of the Saddam Hussein statue in Firdos Square.Date	20 March 2003 – 18 December 2011(8 years, 8 months and 28 days)Location	IraqResult	Invasion and occupation of IraqOverthrow of Ba'ath Party government and execution of Saddam HusseinIraqi insurgency, emergence of al-Qaeda in Iraq, and Sectarian Violence and another civil war[6][7]Subsequent reduction in violence and depletion of al-Qaeda in Iraq[8][9]Establishment of democratic elections and formation of new Shia led governmentWithdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq in 2011Stronger Iranian influence in Iraq[10][11][12]Escalation of sectarian insurgency after U.S. withdrawal leading to the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the successor of al-Qaeda in Iraq[7][13]Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)Return of US forces to Iraq in 2014BelligerentsInvasion phase (2003) United States United Kingdom Australia Poland PeshmergaSupport from: Netherlands[1]	Invasion phase (2003) Ba'athist IraqPost-invasion(2003–11)  United States United Kingdom MNF–I(2003–09)[show] New Iraqi governmentIraqi Armed ForcesAwakening CouncilSupported by:Iran Iran[2][3] Iraqi KurdistanPeshmergaPost-invasion (2003–11) Ba'ath loyalistsLogo of the Supreme Command for Jihad and Liberation.png Supreme Command for Jihad and LiberationArmy of the Men of the Naqshbandi OrderSunni insurgents Al-Qaeda in Iraq (2004–06) Islamic State of Iraq[4] (from 2006)Islamic Army of Iraq (emblem).png Islamic Army of IraqAnsar al-Sunnah (2003–07)Shia insurgents Mahdi ArmyShiism arabic blue.svg Special GroupsAsa'ib Ahl al-HaqOtherssupported by:Iran IranQuds Force[5]For fighting between insurgent groups, see Sectarian violence in Iraq (2006–07).Commanders and leaders Ayad Allawi Ibrahim al-Jaafari Nouri al-Maliki Ricardo Sanchez George W. Casey, Jr. David Petraeus Raymond T. Odierno Lloyd Austin George W. Bush Barack Obama Tommy Franks Donald Rumsfeld Robert Gates Tony Blair Gordon Brown David Cameron John Howard Kevin Rudd Walter Natynczyk Anders Fogh Rasmussen Aleksander Kwaśniewski Silvio Berlusconi José María Aznar	Ba'ath Party Saddam Hussein (POW) Skull and crossbones.svg Izzat Ibrahim ad-DouriSunni insurgency Abu Musab al-Zarqawi † Abu Ayyub al-Masri † Abu Omar al-Baghdadi † Abu Bakr al-BaghdadiIslamic Army of Iraq (emblem).png Ishmael Jubouri Abu Abdullah al-Shafi'i (POW)Shia insurgency Muqtada al-SadrShiism arabic blue.svg Abu DeraaQais al-KhazaliAkram al-Kabi Qasem Soleimani[14]StrengthInvasion forces (2003)309,000 United States: 192,000[15] United Kingdom: 45,000 Australia: 2,000 Poland: 194Iraqi Kurdistan Peshmerga: 70,000Coalition forces (2004–09)176,000 at peakUnited States Forces – Iraq (2010–11)112,000 at activationSecurity contractors 6,000–7,000 (estimate)[16]Iraqi security forces805,269 (military and paramilitary: 578,269,[17] police: 227,000)Awakening militias≈103,000 (2008)[18]Iraqi Kurdistan≈400,000 (Kurdish Border Guard: 30,000,[19] Peshmerga 375,000)	Coat of arms of Iraq (1991-2004).svg Iraqi Armed Forces: 375,000 (disbanded in 2003)Iraqi Republican Guard Symbol.svg Special Iraqi Republican Guard: 12,000Iraqi Republican Guard Symbol.svg Iraqi Republican Guard: 70,000–75,000Fedayeen Saddam SSI.svg Fedayeen Saddam: 30,000Sunni Insurgents≈70,000 (2007)[20]al-Qaeda≈1,300 (2006)[21]Islamic State of Iraq≈1,000 (2008)Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order≈500–1,000 (2007)Casualties and lossesIraqi Security Forces (post-Saddam)Killed: 17,690[22]Wounded: 40,000+[23]Coalition forcesKilled: 4,815[24][25] (4,497 U.S.,[26] 179 UK,[27] 139 other)[24]Missing/captured (U.S.): 17 (8 rescued, 9 died in captivity)[28]Wounded: 32,776+ (32,249 U.S.,[29] 315 UK, 212+ other[30])[31][32][33][34] Injured/diseases/other medical*: 51,139 (47,541 U.S.,[35] 3,598 UK)[31][33][34]ContractorsKilled: 1,554[36][37]Wounded & injured: 43,880[36][37]Awakening CouncilsKilled: 1,002+[38]Wounded: 500+ (2007),[39] 828 (2008)[40]Total dead: 25,285 (+12,000 policemen killed 2003-2005)""Total wounded: 117,961	Iraqi combatant dead (invasion period): 7,600–10,800[41][42]Insurgents (post-Saddam)Killed: 26,544 (2003–11)[43]Detainees: 12,000 (Iraqi-held)[44]Total dead: 34,144–37,344Estimated deaths:Lancet survey** (March 2003 – July 2006): 654,965 (95% CI: 392,979–942,636)[45][46]Iraq Family Health Survey*** (March 2003 – July 2006): 151,000 (95% CI: 104,000–223,000)[47]PLOS Medicine Study**: (March 2003 – June 2011): 405,000 (95% CI: 48,000–751,000), in addition to 55,000 deaths missed due to emigration.[48]Documented deaths from violence:Iraq Body Count (2003 – 14 December 2011): 103,160–113,728 civilian deaths recorded,[49] and 12,438 new deaths added from the Iraq War Logs[50]Associated Press (March 2003 – April 2009): 110,600[51]For more information see: Casualties of the Iraq War* "injured, diseased, or other medical": required medical air transport. UK number includes "aeromed evacuations"** Total excess deaths include all additional deaths due to increased lawlessness, degraded infrastructure, poorer healthcare, etc.*** Violent deaths only - does not include excess deaths due to increased lawlessness, poorer healthcare, etc.[show] v t eIraq War[show] v t ePersian Gulf WarsThe Iraq War[nb 1] was a protracted armed conflict that began in 2003 with the invasion of Iraq by a United States-led coalition that overthrew the government of Saddam Hussein. The conflict continued for much of the next decade as an insurgency emerged to oppose the occupying forces and the post-invasion Iraqi government.[52] An estimated 151,000 to 600,000 or more Iraqis were killed in the first 3–4 years of conflict. The US became re-involved in 2014 at the head of a new coalition; the insurgency and many dimensions of the civil armed conflict continue. The invasion occurred as part of a declared war against international terrorism and its sponsors under the administration of US President George W. Bush following the September 11 terror attacks.The invasion began on 20 March 2003,[53] with the US, joined by the United Kingdom and several coalition allies, launching a "shock and awe" bombing campaign. Iraqi forces were quickly overwhelmed as U.S. forces swept through the country. The invasion led to the collapse of the Ba'athist government; Saddam was captured during Operation Red Dawn in December of that same year and executed by a military court three years later. However, the power vacuum following Saddam's demise and the mismanagement of the occupation led to widespread sectarian violence between Shias and Sunnis, as well as a lengthy insurgency against U.S. and coalition forces. Many violent insurgent groups were supported by Iran and al-Qaeda in Iraq. The United States responded with a troop surge in 2007. The winding down of U.S. involvement in Iraq accelerated under President Barack Obama. The US formally withdrew all combat troops from Iraq by December 2011.[54]The Bush administration based its rationale for the war principally on the assertion that Iraq, which had been viewed by the US as a rogue state since the Persian Gulf War, possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and that the Iraqi government posed an immediate threat to the United States and its coalition allies.[55][56] Select U.S. officials accused Saddam of harbouring and supporting al-Qaeda,[57] while others cited the desire to end a repressive dictatorship and bring democracy to the people of Iraq.[58][59] After the invasion, no substantial evidence was found to verify the initial claims about WMDs, while claims of Iraqi officials collaborating with al-Qaeda were proven false. The rationale and misrepresentation of US prewar intelligence faced heavy criticism both domestically and internationally, with President Bush declining from his record-high approval ratings following 9/11 to become one of the most unpopular presidents in US history.[60]In the aftermath of the invasion, Iraq held multi-party elections in 2005. Nouri al-Maliki became Prime Minister in 2006 and remained in office until 2014. The al-Maliki government enacted policies that were widely seen as having the effect of alienating the country's Sunni minority and worsening sectarian tensions. In the summer of 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) launched a military offensive in Northern Iraq and declared a worldwide Islamic caliphate, eliciting another military response from the United States and its allies. The Iraq War caused over a hundred thousand civilian deaths and tens of thousands of military deaths (see estimates below). The majority of deaths occurred as a result of the insurgency and civil conflicts between 2004 and 2007.

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The first of these was a brief, conventionally foughtwar in March–April 2003, in which a combined force of troops from the United States and Great Britain (with smaller contingents from several other countries) invaded Iraq and rapidly defeated Iraqimilitary and paramilitary forces

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Back in 2006, we attempted to strip the history of the runup to the war to its bones, to reconstruct a skeleton that we thought might be key in resolving the open questions of the Bush era. As we prepare to leave Iraq, we present that timeline to you again. MotherJones.com offers a greatly expanded (if now technologically ...

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The Iraq war involved U.S armed soldiers and their armed invasion in Iraq. This invasion overthrew the government of Sadaam Hussein.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_War

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The iraq war was a conflict that started in 2003

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FOLLOW ME I KNOW DA WAE

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Tens of thousands fleeing the war in Syria have crossed into Europe in recent months [Reuters]

It's not that she is angry or even frustrated. She is just tired.

It's the kind of tired neither a holiday nor a rest will cure. It's the kind of tired that comes with living in temporary accommodations for years. The kind of tired that comes with constantly battling heat and dust and looking after her children. The kind of tired that comes after you have been forced to flee for your life and carry your belongings in your hand to a strange place.

I meet Umm Lai in a displacement camp in Baghdad. Her story isn't unusual.

Across Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Turkey people have crossed borders and travelled many kilometres within their own country to find respite from war.

Thousands have crossed continents and have ended up in Europe seeking that same respite. By and large it's taken Europe by surprise. Opinions vary on how to deal with the crisis. Some say Europe and the US should step up. Others say the rich Gulf states should use their enormous wealth to help.
RELATED: Making refugees feel like human beings
What no one talks about is the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

March 2003 was the pivotal point. Based on controversial evidence that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction (WMD), the war drums beat loudly.

The WMD claim was eventually publicly discredited by the CIA's own Iraq survey group report . That report proved whispers and intelligence community doubts from the time that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

But it wasn't just those who questioned the evidence. Mass opposition from the British and American public concluded in marches in various Western capitals opposing the war.

Those voices went ignored and in March 2003, the then US president and the British prime minister met in the Azores, Portugal, with the Spanish prime minister, and set into motion events that now include the dead body of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi that washed up on a Turkish beach.

What the Iraq war did was allow space for anger at the unjustified actions of the Western coalition to be moulded into a hardline movement of fighters who would join al-Qaeda In Iraq and other groups.

Before the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York, radical and violent movements were tiny in number. Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden were the only real threat.

Arab governments realised that and exiled the group until it found sanctuary in Afghanistan, the very place that bin Laden, funded by Saudi Arabia and the US, learned to fight against the Soviets and hone his violent philosophy.

After the September 11 attacks, the extremists got the fight they were looking for when the US invaded Afghanistan.

Al-Qaeda was defeated, and its host, the Taliban movement, was ousted from power. The group has since waged an armed resistance against the US-backed successive governments.

The US then invaded and occupied Iraq in 2003.

Suddenly the radical groups had found a new cause and a new fight.

They learned new tactics. They became hardened fighters. They dreamed of a caliphate that would spread across the Arab and Muslim world.

Angry that the US had invaded another Muslim country, money and weapons were donated in huge number from Muslim countries by individuals who might never have thought about donating to a cause that was violent in nature.

Once irrelevant, al-Qaeda became a threat again, and for the first time the group found a foothold in Iraq.

The philosophy of armed rebellion and fighting for God spread. Pakistan, another Muslim nation, found itself fighting an armed rebellion, as did many other countries.
RELATED: Iraq deputy justice minister kidnapped by masked gunmen
The 'Arab Spring' of 2011 raised hopes of democratisation in the Middle East, but many of the gains of the revolutionary movements have since been reversed.

Mohamed Morsi, who became Egypt's first democratically elected president, was toppled by the military in 2013. Initially it was not religious or even violent in nature.

It was popular anger at dictators propped up by the West coupled with frustration at the lack of economic development.

Down the dictators fell, and with them, decades of religious suppression. That religious fervour found expression in anger at the US' role in Iraq.

Suddenly religious groups were able to speak freely, and freely they did, mainly about the US and its role in the region.

Then when the protests reached Syria, President Bashar al-Assad knew he didn't want to suffer the same fate as his Arab counterparts.

The West quickly abandoned him and said no negotiations while he was in power. Left with little choice he moved on those that opposed him in a violent and bloody manner.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq became ISIL and took huge parts of Syria and Iraq. Other groups sprang up that used religion to recruit.

Syria unravelled and that's why you have millions of refugees.

The Iraq war was the war too far - the one that has changed the Middle East.

It was the war that solidified and unified disparate young men from different countries into following the path of violent jihad.

Had the Iraq war not happened, then Saddam Hussein would have been contained as he was.

This dictator was a threat to freedom and to his own people, but was no longer a threat to his neighbours.

The leaders of ISIL and other radical groups would have found death in Afghanistan or prison elsewhere. However, hindsight and "what if" are the words of those that have the luxury of not living in a tent.

The Iraq war did happen.

The refugee crisis is happening.

Now the only questions the world perhaps should be asking is how we can bring about a political solution to the war in Syria and how we bring all sides to the table.

What the refugee crisis has done is force the Western European public to think. Whether they can force their governments to act and bring about a solution is another question.

The architects of the Iraq war still say their actions had nothing to do with the current crisis.

In 2014, Tony Blair wrote an essay on his website and said: "The civil war in Syria with its attendant disintegration is having its predictable and malign effect. Iraq is now in mortal danger. The whole of the Middle East is under threat."

He argued and continues to argue that the invasion of Iraq had nothing to do with the rise of groups like ISIL and wars in both Iraq and Syria.

I wonder how refugees across Europe feel about those words.

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The Iraq war: The root of Europe's refugee crisis

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It's not that she is angry or even frustrated. She is just tired. It's the kind of tired neither a holiday nor a rest will cure. It's the kind of tired that comes with living in temporary accommodations for years. The kind of tired that comes with constantly battling heat and dust and looking after her children.

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Iraq War, also called Second Persian Gulf War, (2003–11), conflict in Iraq that consisted of two phases. The first of these was a brief, conventionally fought war in March–April 2003, in which a combined force of troops from the United States and Great Britain (with smaller contingents from several other countries) invaded Iraq and rapidly defeated Iraqi military and paramilitary forces. It was followed by a longer second phase in which a U.S.-led occupation of Iraq was opposed by an insurgency. After violence began to decline in 2007, the United States gradually reduced its military presence in Iraq, formally completing its withdrawal in December 2011.

READ MORE ON THIS TOPIC

the United States Army: The Iraq War

When U.S. troops returned to Iraq in March 2003, they did so in numbers that were a fraction of those deployed in 1991. This “light footprint” strategy relied heavily on the overwhelming technological edge enjoyed by the U.S.-led coalition. This advantage was…

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Prelude To War

Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990 ended in Iraq’s defeat by a U.S.-led coalition in the Persian Gulf War (1990–91). However, the Iraqi branch of the Baʿth Party, headed by Ṣaddām Ḥussein, managed to retain power by harshly suppressing uprisings of the country’s minority Kurds and its majority Shīʿite Arabs. To stem the exodus of Kurds from Iraq, the allies established a “safe haven” in northern Iraq’s predominantly Kurdish regions, and allied warplanes patrolled “no-fly” zones in northern and southern Iraq that were off-limits to Iraqi aircraft. Moreover, to restrain future Iraqi aggression, the United Nations (UN) implemented economic sanctions against Iraq in order to, among other things, hinder the progress of its most lethal arms programs, including those for the development of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. (See weapon of mass destruction.) UN inspections during the mid-1990s uncovered a variety of proscribed weapons and prohibited technology throughout Iraq. That country’s continued flouting of the UN weapons ban and its repeated interference with the inspections frustrated the international community and led U.S. Pres. Bill Clinton in 1998 to order the bombing of several Iraqi military installations (code-named Operation Desert Fox). After the bombing, however, Iraq refused to allow inspectors to reenter the country, and during the next several years the economic sanctions slowly began to erode as neighbouring countries sought to reopen trade with Iraq.

In 2002 the new U.S. president, George W. Bush, argued that the vulnerability of the United States following the September 11 attacks of 2001, combined with Iraq’s alleged continued possession and manufacture of weapons of mass destruction (an accusation that was later proved erroneous) and its support for terrorist groups—which, according to the Bush administration, included al-Qaeda, the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks—made disarming Iraq a renewed priority. UN Security Council Resolution 1441, passed on November 8, 2002, demanded that Iraq readmit inspectors and that it comply with all previous resolutions. Iraq appeared to comply with the resolution, but in early 2003 President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair declared that Iraq was actually continuing to hinder UN inspections and that it still retained proscribed weapons. Other world leaders, such as French Pres. Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, citing what they believed to be increased Iraqi cooperation, sought to extend inspections and give Iraq more time to comply with them. However, on March 17, seeking no further UN resolutions and deeming further diplomatic efforts by the Security Council futile, Bush declared an end to diplomacy and issued an ultimatum to Ṣaddām, giving the Iraqi president 48 hours to leave Iraq. The leaders of France, Germany, Russia, and other countries objected to this buildup toward war.

(From left) Portuguese Prime Minister José Manuel Durão Barroso, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, U.S. Pres. George W. Bush, and Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar holding an emergency summit meeting on March 16, 2003, in Portugal's Azores, in the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq and the beginning of the Iraq War.SSGT Michelle Michaud, USAF/U.S. Department Of Defense

The 2003 Conflict

When Ṣaddām refused to leave Iraq, U.S. and allied forces launched an attack on the morning of March 20; it began when U.S. aircraft dropped several precision-guided bombs on a bunker complex in which the Iraqi president was believed to be meeting with senior staff. This was followed by a series of air strikes directed against government and military installations, and within days U.S. forces had invaded Iraq from Kuwait in the south (U.S. Special Forces had previously been deployed to Kurdish-controlled areas in the north). Despite fears that Iraqi forces would engage in a scorched-earth policy—destroying bridges and dams and setting fire to Iraq’s southern oil wells—little damage was done by retreating Iraqi forces; in fact, large numbers of Iraqi troops simply chose not to resist the advance of coalition forces. In southern Iraq the greatest resistance to U.S. forces as they advanced northward was from irregular groups of Baʿth Party supporters, known as Ṣaddām’s Fedayeen. British forces—which had deployed around the southern city of Al-Baṣrah—faced similar resistance from paramilitary and irregular fighters.

U.S. soldiers assisting displaced Iraqi civilians.Mace M. Gratz/U.S. Department of Defense

In central Iraq units of the Republican Guard—a heavily armed paramilitary group connected with the ruling party—were deployed to defend the capital of Baghdad. As U.S. Army and Marine forces advanced northwestward up the Tigris-Euphrates river valley, they bypassed many populated areas where Fedayeen resistance was strongest and were slowed only on March 25 when inclement weather and an extended supply line briefly forced them to halt their advance within 60 miles (95 km) of Baghdad. During the pause, U.S. aircraft inflicted heavy damage on Republican Guard units around the capital. U.S. forces resumed their advance within a week, and on April 4 they took control of Baghdad’s international airport. Iraqi resistance, though at times vigorous, was highly disorganized, and over the next several days army and Marine Corps units staged raids into the heart of the city. On April 9 resistance in Baghdad collapsed, and U.S. soldiers took control of the city.

On that same day Al-Baṣrah was finally secured by British forces, which had entered the city several days earlier. In the north, however, plans to open up another major front had been frustrated when the Turkish government refused to allow mechanized and armoured U.S. Army units to pass through Turkey to deployin northern Iraq. Regardless, a regiment of American paratroopers did drop into the area, and U.S. Special Forces soldiers joined with Kurdish peshmerga fighters to seize the northern cities of Kirkuk on April 10 and Mosul on April 11. Ṣaddām’s hometown of Tikrīt, the last major stronghold of the regime, fell with little resistance on April 13. Isolated groups of regime loyalists continued to fight on subsequent days, but the U.S. president declared an end to major combat on May 1. Iraqi leaders fled into hiding and were the object of an intense search by U.S. forces. Ṣaddām Ḥussein was captured on December 13, 2003, and was turned over to Iraqi authorities in June 2004 to stand trial for various crimes; he was subsequently convicted of crimes against humanity and was executed on December 30, 2006.

Pres. George W. Bush with sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, May 1, 2003.Tyler J. Clements/U.S. Navy

Occupation And Continued Warfare

Following the collapse of the Baʿthist regime, Iraq’s major cities erupted in a wave of looting that was directed mostly at government offices and other public institutions, and there were severe outbreaks of violence—both common criminal violence and acts of reprisal against the former ruling clique. Restoring law and order was one of the most arduous tasks for the occupying forces, one that was exacerbated by continued attacks against occupying troops that soon developed into full-scale guerrilla warfare; increasingly, the conflict came to be identified as a civil war, although the Bush administration generally avoided using that term and instead preferred the label “sectarian violence.” Coalition casualties had been light in the initial 2003 combat, with about 150 deaths by May 1. However, deaths of U.S. troops soared thereafter, reaching some 1,000 by the time of the U.S. presidential election in November 2004 and surpassing 3,000 in early 2007; in addition, several hundred soldiers from other coalition countries have been killed. The number of Iraqis who died during the conflict is uncertain. One estimate made in late 2006 put the total at more than 650,000 between the U.S.-led invasion and October 2006, but many other reported estimates put the figures for the same period at about 40,000 to 50,000.

U.S. Army soldiers conducting a joint patrol with Iraqi Army soldiers in a predominantly Sunni neighbourhood in southern Baghdad, Iraq, March 23, 2007.David Furst—AFP/Getty Images

After 35 years of Baʿthist rule that included three major wars and a dozen years of economic sanctions, the economy was in shambles and only slowly began to recover. Moreover, the country remained saddled with a ponderous debt that vastly exceeded its annual gross domestic product, and oil production—the country’s single greatest source of revenue—was badly hobbled. The continuing guerrilla assaults on occupying forces and leaders of the new Iraqi government in the years after the war only compounded the difficulty of rebuilding Iraq.

In the Shīʿite regions of southern Iraq, many of the local religious leaders (ayatollahs) who had fled Ṣaddām’s regime returned to the country, and Shīʿites from throughout the world were able to resume the pilgrimage to the holy cities of Al-Najaf and Karbalāʾ that had been banned under Ṣaddām. Throughout the country Iraqis began the painful task of seeking loved ones who had fallen victim to the former regime; mass graves, the result of numerous government pogroms over the years, yielded thousands of victims. The sectarian violence that engulfed the country caused enormous chaos, with brutal killings by rival Shīʿite and Sunnimilitias. One such Shīʿite militia group, the Mahdi Army, formed by cleric Muqtadā al-Ṣadr in the summer of 2003, was particularly deadly in its battle against Sunnis and U.S. and Iraqi forces and was considered a major destabilizing force in the country.

A Controversial War

Unlike the common consent reached in the Persian Gulf War, no broad coalition was assembled to remove Ṣaddām and his Baʿth Party from power. Although some European leaders voiced their conditional support for the war and none regretted the end of the violent Baʿthist regime, public opinion in Europe and the Middle East was overwhelmingly against the war. Many in the Middle East saw it as a new brand of anti-Arab and anti-Islamic imperialism, and most Arab leaders decried the occupation of a fellow Arab country by foreign troops. Reaction to the war was mixed in the United States. Though several antiwar protests occurred in American cities in the lead-up to the invasion, many opinion polls showed considerable support for military action against Iraq before and during the war. Surprisingly, American opinions on the war sometimes crossed traditional party lines and doctrinal affiliation, with many to the right of the avowedly conservativeBush seeing the war as an act of reckless internationalism and some to the political left—appalled by the Baʿthist regime’s brutal human rights violations and its consistent aggression—giving grudging support to military action.

As violence continued and casualties mounted, however, more Americans (including some who had initially supported the war) began to criticize the Bush administration for what they perceived to be the mishandling of the occupation of Iraq. The appearance in the news of photographs of U.S. soldiers abusing Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison west of Baghdad—a facility notorious for brutality under the Baʿth regime—further damaged world opinion of the United States. In addition, a U.S. bipartisan commission formed to investigate the September 11 attacks reported in July 2004 that there was no evidence of a “collaborative operational relationship” between the Baʿthist government and al-Qaeda—a direct contradiction to one of the U.S. government’s main justifications for the war.

Bush’s prewar claims, the failure of U.S. intelligence services to correctly gauge Iraq’s weapon-making capacity, and the failure to find any weapons of mass destruction—the Bush administration’s primary rationale for going to war—became major political debating points. The war was a central issue in the 2004 U.S. presidential election, which Bush only narrowly won. Opposition to the war continued to increase over the next several years; soon only a dwindling minority of Americans believed that the initial decision to go to war in 2003 was the right one, and an even smaller number still supported the administration’s handling of the situation in Iraq.

In memory of 3,000 U.S. troops killed in Iraq, a sign posted with hundreds of white wooden crosses on a hillside in Lafayette, Calif., 2007.AP

Television journalist Gwen Ifill reporting on pre-Iraq War intelligence regarding the presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq (includes a statement by U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld).Stock footage courtesy The WPA Film Library

In late 2006 the Iraq Study Group, an independent bipartisan panel cochaired by former U.S. secretary of state James A. Baker III and former U.S. congressman Lee Hamilton, issued a report that found the situation in Iraq to be “grave and deteriorating.” The report advocated regionwide diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict and called for the U.S. military role to evolve into one that provided diminishing support for an Iraqi government that the report challenged to assume more responsibility for the country’s security.

Iraq Study Group cochairs, former secretary of state James A. Baker III (left) and former congressman Lee Hamilton, discussing their report before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, Dec. 7, 2006.AP Images

The lead-up to and conduct of the war were also the subjects of controversy in Britain and the focus of parliamentary inquiries. The so-called Hutton Inquiry of 2003–04 cleared the Blair government of accusations of having “sexed up” intelligence related to the imminent threat posed by Iraq. However, the Butler Review of 2004 was critical of the prewar role of the British intelligence service, especially of unreliable information that was used as a pretext for British involvement. An even more comprehensive inquiry that was launched in late 2009 had by early 2010 come to include allegations that cuts to the military budget prior to the war had left British troops in Iraq vulnerable, setting the stage for testimony by Blair and his successor as prime minister, Gordon Brown.

The Surge

Prior to the release of the Iraq Study Group report, there had been considerable debate within the administration over the path forward in Iraq. Although by December 2006 President Bush had indicated his inclination to increase the number of troops in Iraq, questions—in particular, the exact number of troops to be added—remained unsettled. Finally, in January 2007, President Bush announced a controversial plan to temporarily increase the number of U.S. troops there by more than 20,000, an effort that became known as the surge. Despite heavy casualties initially—2007 was the deadliest year for U.S. forces since 2004—the drop in violence that occurred as the year drew on was a source of encouragement, and a number of the additional troops were subsequently withdrawn. The ultimate success of the surge itself remained a source of continuing debate, however, as the declining levels of violence observed in 2007 were attributed not solely to the surge itself but to a confluence of factors. Among these were a change in tactics that brought U.S. forces already on the ground more in line with classic counterinsurgency strategy; the Sunni Awakening, a movement in which Sunni tribesmen who had formerly fought against U.S. troops eventually realigned themselves to help counter other insurgents, particularly those affiliated with al-Qaeda; and the voluntary peace observed by Ṣadr and his forces beginning in August of that year.

In November 2008 the Iraqi parliament approved a U.S.-Iraqi agreement that redefined the legal framework for U.S. military activity in Iraq and set a timetable for the final withdrawal of U.S. forces. Under the agreement, which was signed during the final months of the Bush administration after nearly a year of negotiation, U.S. troops were scheduled to leave the cities by mid-2009, and withdrawal from the country was set to be completed by December 31, 2011. In February 2009 newly elected U.S. Pres. Barack Obama announced that U.S. combat forces would be withdrawn from Iraq by August 31, 2010, with the remaining troops due to pull out by the end of 2011. On August 18, 2010—two weeks ahead of schedule—the last combat brigade withdrew from Iraq; 50,000 U.S. soldiers remained in Iraq to act as a transitional force.

In contrast to publicly known U.S. military casualty figures (tracked by the Pentagon to more than 4,300 in October 2009), for a number of years no comprehensive data on Iraqi mortality was made available by the Iraqi government. In October 2009 the Iraqi government released its estimate of violent deaths for the 2004–08 period (statistics for the earliest portion of the war were far more difficult to obtain, due to the lack of a functioning government at that time). According to the government estimate, more than 85,000 Iraqis—a figure that included both civilians and military personnel—had died violently in the four-year period.

In October 2010 the whistle-blowing organization WikiLeaks published nearly 400,000 secret U.S. military documents from the Iraq War online under the title “Iraq War Log,” following the release of a similar cache of documents related to the Afghanistan War in July 2010. WikiLeaks made the documents available to several major news outlets, including The New York Times, Der Spiegel, Le Monde, The Guardian, and Al-Jazeera ahead of the publication date, stipulating that the material had to remain under embargo until the online release. The documents, mostly raw tactical and intelligence reports generated by field units in Iraq between 2004 and 2009, did not radically change the public understanding of the war, but they did reveal detailed information about its day-to-day conduct. They indicated that U.S. forces kept more detailed counts of Iraqi civilian casualties than previously acknowledged and that these counts indicated higher rates of civilian casualties than the military’s public statements, that private military contractors were often involved in incidents of excessive force, that Iran provided extensive direct military aid to Shīʿite militias participating in Iraq’s sectarian conflict, and that U.S. forces ignored the widespread use of torture by Iraqi security forces. U.S. and Iraqi officials condemned the publication of the documents, saying that the release would set back security efforts and endanger the lives of military personnel and Iraqis who cooperated with the military.

In July 2011, U.S. military officials announced that Iraq and the United States had begun negotiations to keep several thousand U.S. soldiers in Iraq past December 31, 2011, the date for withdrawal set in negotiations in 2008. However, a possible extension of the U.S. presence in Iraq remained unpopular with the Iraq public and with several Iraqi political factions. Negotiations failed when the two sides were unable to reach an agreement over the continuation for U.S. troops of legal immunity from Iraqi law. In October, President Obama announced that the remaining 39,000 soldiers would leave the country at the end of 2011. The U.S. military formally declared the end of its mission in Iraq in a ceremony in Baghdad on December 15, as the final U.S. troops prepared to withdraw from the country.

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# data[].attributes.headline
On this day in 2003, the United States, along with coalition forces primarily from the United Kingdom, initiates war on Iraq. Just after explosions began to rock Baghdad, Iraq’s capital, U.S. President George W. Bush announced in a televised address, “At this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger.” President Bush and his advisors built much of their case for war on the idea that Iraq, under dictator Saddam Hussein, possessed or was in the process of building weapons of mass destruction.Hostilities began about 90 minutes after the U.S.-imposed deadline for Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq or face war passed. The first targets, which Bush said were “of military importance,” were hit with Tomahawk cruise missiles from U.S. fighter-bombers and warships stationed in the Persian Gulf. In response to the attacks, Republic of Iraq radio in Baghdad announced, “the evil ones, the enemies of God, the homeland and humanity, have committed the stupidity of aggression against our homeland and people.”Though Saddam Hussein had declared in early March 2003 that, “it is without doubt that the faithful will be victorious against aggression,” he went into hiding soon after the American invasion, speaking to his people only through an occasional audiotape. Coalition forces were able to topple his regime and capture Iraq’s major cities in just three weeks, sustaining few casualties. President Bush declared the end of major combat operations on May 1, 2003. Despite the defeat of conventional military forces in Iraq, an insurgency has continued an intense guerrilla war in the nation in the years since military victory was announced, resulting in thousands of coalition military, insurgent and civilian deaths.After an intense manhunt, U.S. soldiers found Saddam Hussein hiding in a six-to-eight-foot deep hole, nine miles outside his hometown of Tikrit. He did not resist and was uninjured during the arrest. A soldier at the scene described him as “a man resigned to his fate.” Hussein was arrested and began trial for crimes against his people, including mass killings, in October 2005.In June 2004, the provisional government in place since soon after Saddam’s ouster transferred power to the Iraqi Interim Government. In January 2005, the Iraqi people elected a 275-member Iraqi National Assembly. A new constitution for the country was ratified that October. On November 6, 2006, Saddam Hussein was found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death by hanging. After an unsuccessful appeal, he was executed on December 30, 2006.No weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq.

# data[].attributes.subject
On this day in 2003, the United States, along with coalition forces primarily from the United Kingdom, initiates war on Iraq. Just after explosions began to rock Baghdad, Iraq’s capital, U.S. President George W. Bush announced in a televised address, “At this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger.” President Bush and his advisors built much of their case for war on the idea that Iraq, under dictator Saddam Hussein, possessed or was in the process of building weapons of mass destruction.Hostilities began about 90 minutes after the U.S.-imposed deadline for Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq or face war passed. The first targets, which Bush said were “of military importance,” were hit with Tomahawk cruise missiles from U.S. fighter-bombers and warships stationed in the Persian Gulf. In response to the attacks, Republic of Iraq radio in Baghdad announced, “the evil ones, the enemies of God, the homeland and humanity, have committed the stupidity of aggression against our homeland and people.”Though Saddam Hussein had declared in early March 2003 that, “it is without doubt that the faithful will be victorious against aggression,” he went into hiding soon after the American invasion, speaking to his people only through an occasional audiotape. Coalition forces were able to topple his regime and capture Iraq’s major cities in just three weeks, sustaining few casualties. President Bush declared the end of major combat operations on May 1, 2003. Despite the defeat of conventional military forces in Iraq, an insurgency has continued an intense guerrilla war in the nation in the years since military victory was announced, resulting in thousands of coalition military, insurgent and civilian deaths.After an intense manhunt, U.S. soldiers found Saddam Hussein hiding in a six-to-eight-foot deep hole, nine miles outside his hometown of Tikrit. He did not resist and was uninjured during the arrest. A soldier at the scene described him as “a man resigned to his fate.” Hussein was arrested and began trial for crimes against his people, including mass killings, in October 2005.In June 2004, the provisional government in place since soon after Saddam’s ouster transferred power to the Iraqi Interim Government. In January 2005, the Iraqi people elected a 275-member Iraqi National Assembly. A new constitution for the country was ratified that October. On November 6, 2006, Saddam Hussein was found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death by hanging. After an unsuccessful appeal, he was executed on December 30, 2006.No weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq.

# data[].attributes.body
In effect, the United States chose Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein, to be its surrogate for policy in the Persian Gulf region and to counter the actions of Iran, which the United States, the Reagan administration, saw as the biggest threat.

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The last quarter century of Iraq Wars (from Desert Storm 1991 to the present) thrust the region into chaos while progressively erasing American dominance. Iran is picking up the pieces. As long as the U.S. insists on not opening diplomatic relations with Tehran, it will have no way short of war to exert any influence, a very weak position. Other nation-states in the Middle East will move to diversify their international relationships (think Russia and China) knowing this. Regional politics, not American interests, will drive events.

# data[].attributes.body
raq invaded Iran on 22 September 1980, triggering a bitter eight-year war which destabilised the region and devastated both countries. The then Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein claimed as a reason for the invasion a territorial dispute over the Shatt al-Arab, the waterway which forms the boundary between the two countries.Sep 22, 2005

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The protracted war between these neighboring Middle Eastern countries resulted in at least half a million casualties and several billion dollars’ worth of damages, but no real gains by other side. Started by Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein in September 1980, the war was marked by indiscriminate ballistic-missile attacks, extensive use of chemical weapons and attacks on third-country oil tankers in the Persian Gulf. Although Iraq was forced on the strategic defensive, Iran was unable to reconstitute effective armored formations for its air force and could not penetrate Iraq’s borders deeply enough to achieve decisive results. The end came in July 1988 with the acceptance UN Resolution 598.

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https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/iraq-war-30-the-war-to-end-all-wars-is-over-part_us_5a4cea27e4b06cd2bd03e3b7
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-raphael/the-failure-of-the-iraq-w_b_5530820.html
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/06/america-win-loss-iraq-afghanistan/394559/
https://www.cnn.com/2013/03/19/opinion/iraq-war-oil-juhasz/index.html

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The Iraq War was a military conflict that lasted seven years (2003 - 2011) and cost $1.06 trillion. The Bush Administration launched it to eliminate the threat from Iraq's Sunni leader, Saddam Hussein. President Bush announced Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction. The Iraq War was part of the War on Terror. That was the U.S. response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks by al-Qaida.

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The first of these was a brief, conventionally fought war in March–April 2003, in which a combined force of troops from the United States and Great Britain (with smaller contingents from several other countries) invaded Iraq and rapidly defeated Iraqi military and paramilitary forces

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The first of these was a brief, conventionally fought war in March–April 2003, in which a combined force of troops from the United States and Great Britain (with smaller contingents from several other countries) invaded Iraq and rapidly defeated Iraqi military and paramilitary forces

# data[].attributes.body
The first of these was a brief, conventionally fought war in March–April 2003, in which a combined force of troops from the United States and Great Britain (with smaller contingents from several other countries) invaded Iraq and rapidly defeated Iraqi military and paramilitary forces.

# data[].attributes.body
Iraq War, also called Second Persian Gulf War, (2003–11), conflict in Iraq that consisted of two phases. The first of these was a brief, conventionally fought war in March–April 2003, in which a combined force of troops from the United States and Great Britain (with smaller contingents from several other countries) invaded Iraq and rapidly defeated Iraqi military and paramilitary forces.

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The Iraq War was a protracted armed conflict that began in 2003 with the invasion of Iraq by a United States-led coalition that overthrew the government of Saddam Hussein

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The Iraq war was about a violent armed uprising

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Ethnic Groups: Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkman, Assyrian, or other 5%

Religion: Muslim (official) 99% (Shia 55%-60%, Sunni 40%), Christian 0.8%

GDP (purchasing power parity): $647.2 billion (2016 est.)

GDP per capita: $17,900 (2016 est.)

Unemployment: 16% (2012 est.)

Other Facts:
In ancient times, the area comprising Iraq was known as Mesopotamia and gave rise to some of the world's first civilizations.

One of the religious minorities in Iraq is the Yazidi. Throughout the Middle East, Yazidi number between 200,000 and one million. Per the US State Department, between 500,000 and 700,000 live in Iraq, mostly in the north. Their beliefs draw from aspects of Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism.

Chaldean Christians are another minority religious group in Iraq. They number less than 500,000, down from over one million prior to 2003.

After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, Great Britain gains control of the area. It sets up a government in Mesopotamia and renames the country Iraq.

1924 - The new Constitutional Assembly of Iraq meets to consider the Anglo-Iraq treaty. The treaty would compel Iraq to honor all agreements made by Great Britain previously, including oil concessions. In order to compel Iraq to accept the treaty, Great Britain threatens to withdraw and leave Iraq vulnerable to Saudi Arabia or Turkey. The treaty is ratified.

October 3, 1932 - Iraq becomes an independent nation with Baghdad as its capital, and is admitted to the League of Nations.

1943-1945 - Kurdish leader Mustafa Barzani leads an uprising, gaining control of areas of Erbil and Badinan. When the uprising is defeated, Barzani and his forces retreat to Kurdish areas in Iran and align with nationalist fighters under the leadership of Qazi Muhammad.

March 22, 1945 - Iraq becomes a founding member of the Arab League.

December 21, 1945 - Iraq becomes a member of the United Nations.

July 14, 1958 - King Faisal is killed in a coup led by Abdul Karim Kassem.

October 1959 - A group, including Saddam Hussein, attacks the motorcade of Kassem. The assassination attempt fails and most of the attackers are killed. Hussein escapes and flees to Syria.

February 1963 - Kassem is overthrown and executed. The Baath Party assumes control of the government. Hussein returns from Cairo, Egypt. The new Baath government is overthrown before the end of the year.

July 17, 1968 - In a coup, Major General Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr of the Baath party becomes Iraq's new president. Hussein becomes the secretary and acting deputy chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council.

October 1973 - Iraq fights Israel in the Yom Kippur war.

March 6, 1975 - Hussein and Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi of Iran meet to discuss a treaty. The Algiers Accord is signed by both countries later in the year.

October 1978 - At the Shah's insistence, Hussein expels Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini from Iraq, where he has been in exile for 13 years.

February 1979 - The Ayatollah returns to Iran to lead the country, after the ouster of the Shah in January.

July 16, 1979 - Hussein takes over as president of Iraq.

1979 - In response to the Ayatollah's call for the overthrow of the Baathist regime, comprised mostly of Sunni Muslims, President Hussein expels 40,000 Shiite Muslims. Hussein also orders the execution of Ayatollah Mohammed al-Bakr Sadr, an ally of Ayatollah Khomeini.

September 22, 1980 - Iraq launches an air attack against Iran, beginning the Iran-Iraq war. In 1984 and 1986 Iraq is accused of using mustard gas and other chemical weapons against Iran. The war ends in a stalemate in 1988.

March 16, 1988 - Iraq uses poison gas against the Kurdish people in Halabja in Northern Iraq. Thousands of people are believed to have died in the attack.

August 2, 1990 - Iraq invades Kuwait.

January 17, 1991 - Operation Desert Storm begins.

February 28, 1991 - A ceasefire in the Gulf War takes effect.

March 1991 - After the coalition expels Iraq from Kuwait, the US encourages the Kurds to rebel. However, Iraq crushes the rebellion and one million Kurds flee to Turkey.

April 3, 1991 - The UN passes Security Council Resolution 687. It establishes UNSCOM.

April 6, 1991 - Iraq accepts SCR 687.

April 18, 1991 - Under the terms of SCR 687, Iraq gives a detailed account of its weapons inventory. It states that it has no biological weapons program.

April 14, 1995 - The UN Security Council adopts Resolution 986 establishing the "oil-for-food" program, providing Iraq with the opportunity to sell oil to finance the purchase of humanitarian goods. Iraq does not accept the plan.

December 16, 1998 - Great Britain and the United States launch air strikes against Iraq. The attack, called Operation Desert Fox, is in response to Iraq's refusal to cooperate with UN weapons inspectors.

January 29, 2002 - US President George W. Bush says in his State of the Union address that Iraq, Iran and North Korea constitute an "axis of evil'' that threatens the United States.

September 16, 2002 - Facing the threat of US air strikes, Iraq unconditionally agrees to the return of United Nations inspectors.

September 19, 2002 - Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri sends a letter to the UN from Hussein stating that Iraq has no chemical, nuclear or biological weapons.

November 8, 2002 - The UN Security Council unanimously adopts Resolution 1441, outlining strict new weapons inspections and threatening "serious consequences" if Iraq fails to comply.

November 13, 2002 - Iraq agrees to comply with UN Resolution 1441.

November 27, 2002 - UN inspectors begin working in Iraq.

December 7, 2002 - Iraq submits a 12,000-page declaration of former weapons programs and civilian industries with military applications to the United Nations.

January 27, 2003 - Chief inspectors Mohammad ElBaradei and Hans Blix brief the UN Security Council on Iraqi compliance with inspections.

March 7, 2003 - Chief inspectors ElBaradei and Blix submit their final reports to the UN Security Council.

March 19, 2003 - President Bush announces that US and coalition forces have begun military action against Iraq. (This means that military action began the morning of March 20 in Iraq.)

March 20, 2003 - President Hussein speaks on Iraqi TV. He calls the US- led coalition attacks "shameful crimes against Iraq and humanity."

April 9, 2003 - Coalition forces take Baghdad.

May 1, 2003 - Speaking on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, President Bush declares that "major combat operations" in the Iraq war are over, despite some continued fighting.

May 22, 2003 - The United Nations Security Council approves Resolution 1483, lifting sanctions against Iraq and reaffirms the "sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq." It also acknowledges the US and Great Britain's right to occupy Iraq. The resolution sets up a UN support system to work with the United States and Great Britain to facilitate the transition to a government elected by the people of Iraq.

November 21, 2003 - The oil-for-food program ends. The Coalition Provisional Authority takes responsibility for supplying humanitarian aid to the Iraqi people.

December 13, 2003 - Hussein is captured in a "spider hole" near a hut in Tikrit. His capture is not confirmed until December 14 by the US Defense Department.

June 1, 2004 - The Iraqi interim government takes over from the US-backed Iraqi Governing Council (the IGC dissolves itself). The new interim government will be in charge of the country after sovereignty is handed over and until national elections for a transitional government are held by the end of January.

June 28, 2004 - The handover of sovereignty to the interim Iraqi government takes place at 10:26 a.m. local time, two days before the June 30 deadline previously announced by the US-led coalition.

June 28, 2004 - Ayad Allawi is sworn in as the interim prime minister of Iraq. He is the first ruler other than Hussein to lead the country in more than three decades. He steps down in April 2005.

June 30, 2004 - The Coalition turns over legal control of Hussein and 11 other former top Iraqi officials to the interim Iraqi government. They remain, however, in the physical custody of the United States for security reasons.

July 1, 2004 - Hussein makes his first appearance in court. A judge charges him with a variety of crimes that marked his reign, including the invasion of Kuwait and the gassing of the Kurds.

August 2004 - US and Iraqi forces battle insurgents in Najaf. Many insurgents there are followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

September 23, 2004 - Allawi, interim leader of Iraq, speaks before a joint session of Congress while he is in Washington for meetings with President George W. Bush.

November 2004 - US and Iraqi forces battle insurgents in Falluja. About 2,000 insurgents are killed. On November 14, 2004, the United States declares Falluja "liberated."

January 30, 2005 - Millions of Iraqis cast ballots in the nation's first free election in half a century. Iraqi expatriates in Australia, the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Iran, Jordan, the Netherlands, Sweden, Syria, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates also participate.

April 6 - 7, 2005 - Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani is selected the country's president by the transitional national assembly. The next day he and two vice presidents are sworn in.

May 3, 2005 - Ibrahim al-Jaafari is sworn in as Iraq's interim Prime Minister. He steps down in May 2006.

December 15, 2005 - Millions of Iraqis participate in an election to choose a 275-seat Parliament that will serve a four-year term.

February 10, 2006 - The results of the December 2005 election are certified. The United Iraqi Alliance wins 128 seats, the Kurdistan Alliance Party wins 53 seats, the Iraqi Accord Party wins 44 seats and the final 50 seats are split between five other parties.

April 22, 2006 - President Talabani names Nuri al-Maliki Prime Minister-designate.

May 20, 2006 - The Iraqi Parliament approves Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's choices for the Iraqi national unity government. There are 37 cabinet ministers, comprised of representatives from all major parties and all major ethnic and secular groups.

November 5, 2006 - The Iraqi High Tribunal reaches a verdict in the Dujail case. Eight defendants are charged with crimes relating to the murder of 148 Iraqi men in 1982. Former President Hussein is found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging, pending appeal.

December 30, 2006 - Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is hanged a few minutes after 6 am Baghdad time.

March 27, 2007 - A suicide truck, packed with 4,000 pounds (1,814 kilograms) of explosives, detonates in the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar, killing 152.

January 1, 2009 - The US military hands over control of Baghdad's "Green Zone" to Iraqi authorities.

June 30, 2009 - US troops pull back from Iraqi cities and towns and Iraqi troops take over the responsibility for security operations. However, US troops remain in the country to continue combat operations and patrols in rural areas.

March 7, 2010 - Iraqi legislative elections are held. The results are announced on March 26. The Iraqiya coalition, led by former interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, wins the most seats in Parliament.

August 19, 2010 - The last US combat brigade leaves Iraq. Approximately 52,000 US troops remain in the country.

September 1, 2010 - Operation Iraqi Freedom is renamed Operation New Dawn, to reflect the reduced role US troops will play in securing the country.

November 25, 2010 - Al-Maliki is named to a second term by Iraqi President Talabani in a televised ceremony.

December 15, 2010 - The UN Security Council votes to free Iraq from sanctions that started during the Saddam Hussein era.

October 21, 2011 - US President Obama announces that virtually all US troops will come home from Iraq by the end of the year. According to a US official, about 150 of the 39,000 troops currently in Iraq will remain to assist in arms sales. The rest will be out of Iraq by December 31.

December 15, 2011 - US troops lower the flag of command that flies over Baghdad officially ending the US military mission in Iraq.

September 9, 2012 - Fugitive Iraqi vice-president Tariq al-Hashimi is sentenced to death after being found guilty of running a death squad.

January 2014 - Violence erupts in Anbar province with Iraqi security forces, Sunni tribesmen and al-Qaeda-linked groups battling for control of the cities of Falluja and Ramadi.

April 30, 2014 - Iraqis vote in parliamentary elections to elect members of the Council of Representatives. Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki's party wins 92 seats in parliamentary elections, short of the 165 seats needed for a majority.

June 10, 2014 - Al-Qaeda splinter group ISIS seizes the province of Nineveh and its capital Mosul.

June 11, 2014 - ISIS takes control of Tikrit.

July 24, 2014 - Fouad Massoum succeeds Talabani as president.

August 8, 2014 - Two US F/A-18 jet fighters bomb Sunni Islamic extremists in Iraq. US President Barack Obama has authorized "targeted airstrikes" if needed to protect US personnel from ISIS militants. The US military also could use airstrikes to prevent what officials warn could be a genocide of minority groups by the ISIS fighters.

August 14, 2014 - In a televised address, Prime Minister al-Maliki withdraws his candidacy for a third term and endorses Haider al-Abadi as his replacement.

April 1, 2015 - Iraqi forces, working with Shiite militiamen, retake the city of Tikrit from ISIS.

March 17, 2016 - Secretary of State John Kerry announces that the United States has determined that ISIS' action against the Yazidis and other minority groups in Iraq and Syria constitutes genocide.

June 26, 2016 - Lt. General Abdul Wahab al-Saadi says on state TV that Iraqi troops retook the key city of Falluja from ISIS.

October 17, 2016 - Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi makes a televised statement announcing the start of the mission to retake the key city of Mosul from ISIS control. A diverse coalition of about 100,000 troops will play a role in the operation, mostly made up of Iraqi government troops and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. US military officials have estimated up to 5,000 ISIS fighters are in Mosul, but the terror group's supporters say there are 7,000.

March 7, 2017 - Iraqi forces take control of key government buildings and a bridge in western Mosul as part of their push to retake the city from ISIS. The Tigris river divides Mosul into east and west. The east was liberated in January and the second phase, to clear militants from the west, was launched on February 19.

October 3, 2017 - Former President Jalal Talabani, Iraq's first non-Arab president, dies at the age of 83.

October 5, 2017 - Iraqi forces retake the city center of Hawiji, one of the last major ISIS strongholds in Iraq.

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Ethnic Groups: Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkman, Assyrian, or other 5% Religion: Muslim (official) 99% (Shia 55%-60%, Sunni 40%), Christian 0.8% GDP (purchasing power parity): $647.2 billion (2016 est.) GDP per capita: $17,900 (2016 est.) Unemployment: 16% (2012 est.)

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invasion of Iraq by a United States-led coalition that overthrew the government of Saddam Hussein

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nvasion of Iraq by a United States-led coalition that overthrew the government of Saddam Hussein

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The first of these was a brief, conventionally foughtwar in March–April 2003, in which a combined force of troops from the United States and Great Britain (with smaller contingents from several other countries) invaded Iraq and rapidly defeated Iraqimilitary and paramilitary forces.

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Iran-Iraq War - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com

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Find out more about the history of Iran-Iraq War, including videos, interesting articles, pictures, historical features and more. Get all the facts on HISTORY.com

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The protracted war between these neighboring Middle Eastern countries resulted in at least half a million casualties and several billion dollars’ worth of damages, but no real gains by other side. Started by Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein in September 1980, the war was marked by indiscriminate ballistic-missile attacks, extensive use of chemical weapons and attacks on third-country oil tankers in the Persian Gulf. Although Iraq was forced on the strategic defensive, Iran was unable to reconstitute effective armored formations for its air force and could not penetrate Iraq’s borders deeply enough to achieve decisive results. The end came in July 1988 with the acceptance UN Resolution 598.

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tarted by Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein in September 1980, the war was marked by indiscriminate ballistic-missile attacks, extensive use of chemical weapons and attacks on third-country oil tankers in the Persian Gulf.

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On 20 March 2003, a United States-led international coalition - which included Britain - launched an invasion of Iraq.

The stated aims were to disarm the country of weapons of mass destruction, end Saddam Hussein's support for terrorism and free the Iraqi people from his repressive regime.

The invasion, named Operation 'Telic' by the British, began with air strikes on Baghdad and an assault from the Persian Gulf on the Al-Faw peninsula to secure oil fields and key ports.

As the land campaign progressed, many Coalition troops encountered fierce opposition. But by 9 April, US troops were in Baghdad - effectively ending Saddam Hussein's regime.

On 1 May, US President George W Bush made a speech in which he declared the war over, saying: 'The battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on September 11, 2001'.

Looting in Baghdad and other major cities had destroyed much of the country's infrastructure and there was high unemployment - made worse by the disbandment of the previous regime's army.

Across Iraq, the fighting continued as a violent insurgency developed. Coalition forces and Iraqis working with them were targeted. Large quantities of arms and ammunition had also been looted, further fuelling the insurgency.

Thousands of Iraqi civilians were killed, injured or forced to leave their homes as the violence escalated, reaching its peak in 2006.

By 2008, the situation had stabilised due partly to an increase of US troops. British combat troops were withdrawn in July 2009. US combat operations formally ended in August 2010.

Between 2003 and 2009, there were 179 UK military deaths in Iraq.

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On 20 March 2003, a United States-led international coalition - which included Britain - launched an invasion of Iraq.The stated aims were to disarm the country of weapons of mass destruction, end Saddam Hussein's support for terrorism and free the Iraqi people from his repressive regime.The invasion, named Operation 'Telic' by the British, began with air strikes on Baghdad and an assault from the Persian Gulf on the Al-Faw peninsula to secure oil fields and key ports.

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conflict in iraq

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What was the cause of the Iraq War?

When did the Iraq War begin?

Which United States president started the Iraq War?

When did the Iraq War end?

Iraq War, also called Second Persian Gulf War, (2003-11), conflict in Iraq that consisted of two phases. The first of these was a brief, conventionally fought war in March-April 2003, in which a combined force of troops from the United States and Great Britain (with smaller contingents from several other countries) invaded Iraq and rapidly defeated Iraqi military and paramilitary forces. It was followed by a longer second phase in which a U.S.-led occupation of Iraq was opposed by an insurgency. After violence began to decline in 2007, the United States gradually reduced its military presence in Iraq, formally completing its withdrawal in December 2011. American military casualties in the conflict included some 4,500 service members killed and some 32,000 others wounded.
(Read Britannica's interview with Jimmy Carter on the Iraq War and world affairs.)

Prelude to war

Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990 ended in Iraq's defeat by a U.S.-led coalition in the Persian Gulf War (1990-91). However, the Iraqi branch of the Baʿath Party, headed by Saddam Hussein, managed to retain power by harshly suppressing uprisings of the country's minority Kurds and its majority Shiʿi Arabs. To stem the exodus of Kurds from Iraq, the allies established a "safe haven" in northern Iraq's predominantly Kurdish regions, and allied warplanes patrolled "no-fly" zones in northern and southern Iraq that were off-limits to Iraqi aircraft. Moreover, to restrain future Iraqi aggression, the United Nations ( UN) implemented economic sanctions against Iraq in order to, among other things, hinder the progress of its most lethal arms programs, including those for the development of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. ( See weapon of mass destruction.) UN inspections during the mid-1990s uncovered a variety of proscribed weapons and prohibited technology throughout Iraq. That country's continued flouting of the UN weapons ban and its repeated interference with the inspections frustrated the international community and led U.S. Pres. Bill Clinton in 1998 to order the bombing of several Iraqi military installations (code-named Operation Desert Fox). After the bombing, however, Iraq refused to allow inspectors to reenter the country, and during the next several years the economic sanctions slowly began to erode as neighbouring countries sought to reopen trade with Iraq.

In 2002 the new U.S. president, George W. Bush, argued that the vulnerability of the United States following the September 11 attacks of 2001, combined with Iraq's alleged continued possession and manufacture of weapons of mass destruction (an accusation that was later proved erroneous) and its support for terrorist groups-which, according to the Bush administration, included al-Qaeda, the perpetrators of the September 11 attacks-made disarming Iraq a renewed priority. UN Security Council Resolution 1441, passed on November 8, 2002, demanded that Iraq readmit inspectors and that it comply with all previous resolutions. Iraq appeared to comply with the resolution, but in early 2003 President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair declared that Iraq was actually continuing to hinder UN inspections and that it still retained proscribed weapons. Other world leaders, such as French Pres. Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, citing what they believed to be increased Iraqi cooperation, sought to extend inspections and give Iraq more time to comply with them. However, on March 17, seeking no further UN resolutions and deeming further diplomatic efforts by the Security Council futile, Bush declared an end to diplomacy and issued an ultimatum to Saddam, giving the Iraqi president 48 hours to leave Iraq. The leaders of France, Germany, Russia, and other countries objected to this buildup toward war.

The 2003 conflict

When Saddam refused to leave Iraq, U.S. and allied forces launched an attack on the morning of March 20; it began when U.S. aircraft dropped several precision-guided bombs on a bunker complex in which the Iraqi president was believed to be meeting with senior staff. This was followed by a series of air strikes directed against government and military installations, and within days U.S. forces had invaded Iraq from Kuwait in the south (U.S. Special Forces had previously been deployed to Kurdish-controlled areas in the north). Despite fears that Iraqi forces would engage in a scorched-earth policy-destroying bridges and dams and setting fire to Iraq's southern oil wells-little damage was done by retreating Iraqi forces; in fact, large numbers of Iraqi troops simply chose not to resist the advance of coalition forces. In southern Iraq the greatest resistance to U.S. forces as they advanced northward was from irregular groups of Baʿath Party supporters, known as Saddam's Fedayeen. British forces-which had deployed around the southern city of Basra -faced similar resistance from paramilitary and irregular fighters.

In central Iraq units of the Republican Guard-a heavily armed paramilitary group connected with the ruling party-were deployed to defend the capital of Baghdad. As U.S. Army and Marine forces advanced northwestward up the Tigris-Euphrates river valley, they bypassed many populated areas where Fedayeen resistance was strongest and were slowed only on March 25 when inclement weather and an extended supply line briefly forced them to halt their advance within 60 miles (95 km) of Baghdad. During the pause, U.S. aircraft inflicted heavy damage on Republican Guard units around the capital. U.S. forces resumed their advance within a week, and on April 4 they took control of Baghdad's international airport. Iraqi resistance, though at times vigorous, was highly disorganized, and over the next several days army and Marine Corps units staged raids into the heart of the city. On April 9 resistance in Baghdad collapsed, and U.S. soldiers took control of the city.

On that same day Basra was finally secured by British forces, which had entered the city several days earlier. In the north, however, plans to open up another major front had been frustrated when the Turkish government refused to allow mechanized and armoured U.S. Army units to pass through Turkey to deploy in northern Iraq. Regardless, a regiment of American paratroopers did drop into the area, and U.S. Special Forces soldiers joined with Kurdish peshmerga fighters to seize the northern cities of Kirkuk on April 10 and Mosul on April 11. Saddam's hometown of Tikrīt, the last major stronghold of the regime, fell with little resistance on April 13. Isolated groups of regime loyalists continued to fight on subsequent days, but the U.S. president declared an end to major combat on May 1. Iraqi leaders fled into hiding and were the object of an intense search by U.S. forces. Saddam Hussein was captured on December 13, 2003, five months after his two sons, Uday and Qusay Hussein, who were central figures in their father's brutal 24-year rule, had been killed in a shoot-out with American troops after the brothers had been found hiding in a private residence. Saddam was subsequently convicted of crimes against humanity and was executed on December 30, 2006.

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Iraq War | Summary, Causes, Dates, Combatants, Casualties, & Facts

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Iraq War, conflict in Iraq (2003-11) that consisted of two phases: a conventionally fought war in March-April 2003, in which a combined force of troops primarily from the United States and Great Britain invaded Iraq and defeated Iraqi military forces, and a second phase consisting of a U.S.-led occupation of Iraq.