Iraq War

Iraq War
Conflict	Iraq War
Partof	the War on terror and the Arab–Israeli conflict
Date	20 March 2003 – 18 December 2011
Place	Iraq
Combatant1	Coalition:, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Poland, Iraqi allies:, Iraqi Kurdistan, Peshmerga
Combatant2	Ba'athist Iraq (2003), Insurgents (2003–2011):, Islamic State of Iraq, Mahdi Army, Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Jaish al-Mahdi
Commander1	George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Tommy Franks, Tony Blair, John Howard
Commander2	Saddam Hussein, Qusay Hussein, Uday Hussein, Ali Hassan al-Majid, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Muqtada al-Sadr

Iraq War. The Iraq War was a protracted armed conflict that began with the 2003 invasion of Iraq by a coalition of the willing led by the United States and the United Kingdom. The invasion toppled the government of Saddam Hussein but was followed by a violent insurgency, sectarian civil war, and prolonged military occupation that lasted until the formal withdrawal of U.S. forces in 2011. The conflict resulted in massive casualties, regional destabilization, and enduring political and legal debates over its justification and conduct.

Background and causes

The primary public justification for the invasion centered on intelligence claims that Ba'athist Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction and posed an imminent threat, assertions later discredited. The George W. Bush administration and the Tony Blair government also linked the Saddam Hussein regime to al-Qaeda following the September 11 attacks, a connection largely rejected by intelligence agencies. Key figures like Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and Paul Wolfowitz advocated for regime change, a policy goal enshrined in the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998. Diplomatic efforts at the United Nations Security Council, including debates over United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441, failed to achieve consensus, leading the coalition of the willing to act without explicit UNSC authorization for military force.

Invasion and initial combat operations

Operation Iraqi Freedom commenced on 20 March 2003 with a shock and awe bombing campaign against targets in Baghdad. Coalition ground forces, including the United States Army's V Corps and the United Kingdom's 1st Armoured Division, launched simultaneous thrusts from Kuwait. Major engagements included the Battle of Nasiriyah, the capture of Baghdad, and the Battle of Basra. Key Iraqi units like the Republican Guard were rapidly defeated, and symbolic moments such as the toppling of the statue of Saddam Hussein in Firdos Square were broadcast globally. By May, major combat operations were declared over by President George W. Bush aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

Post-invasion phase and insurgency

The Coalition Provisional Authority, led by L. Paul Bremer, disbanded the Iraqi Army and pursued de-Ba'athification, policies widely criticized for fueling the insurgency. Violence escalated with the rise of groups like al-Qaeda in Iraq under Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and the Mahdi Army led by Muqtada al-Sadr. Major battles included the First Battle of Fallujah and the Second Battle of Fallujah. The Iraqi Governing Council struggled to maintain order, and sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia militias peaked after the 2006 al-Askari shrine bombing. The United States military responded with a troop surge of 2007 under General David Petraeus.

Coalition withdrawal and aftermath

The U.S.–Iraq Status of Forces Agreement in 2008 set a timetable for withdrawal, completed in December 2011 under President Barack Obama. The Islamic State of Iraq, a successor to al-Qaeda in Iraq, exploited political tensions within the Government of Iraq and the sectarian policies of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. This instability allowed ISIS to capture vast territories, including Mosul, in 2014, prompting the return of U.S. forces. The war left a legacy of a strengthened Iranian influence in Iraq through groups like the Popular Mobilization Forces.

Casualties and humanitarian impact

Estimates of casualties vary widely. The Iraq Body Count project documented over 100,000 civilian deaths from violence, while other studies, such as the 2006 Lancet survey, suggested significantly higher figures. Hundreds of thousands of members of the Iraqi Security Forces and insurgents were killed or wounded. Coalition military deaths exceeded 4,800 for the United States and nearly 200 for the United Kingdom. The conflict created millions of internally displaced persons and Iraqi refugees, severely damaging infrastructure in cities like Fallujah and Ramadi. Widespread use of improvised explosive devices led to a crisis of traumatic amputations.

Political and legal controversies

The war was deeply controversial internationally and within coalition nations. The failure to find weapons of mass destruction led to major inquiries like the Iraq Inquiry in the United Kingdom and the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Allegations of torture and prisoner abuse, notably at Abu Ghraib prison, and the Haditha massacre provoked global condemnation. The legal basis for the war, bypassing the United Nations Security Council, was challenged by figures like Kofi Annan. Domestically, the conflict fueled the rise of anti-war movements and influenced subsequent elections in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

Category:2003 in Iraq Category:2000s conflicts Category:21st-century military history of the United States