Iraq War

Coat of arms (emblem) of Iraq 1991-2004

Iraqi Republican Guard Symbol

Iraqi Republican Guard Symbol

Fedayeen Saddam SSI

Rumsfeld-Memo-HowStart

Iraq War

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. The conflict continued for much of the next decade as an insurgency emerged to oppose the occupying forces and the post-invasion Iraqi government. The war officially ended in 2011 when U.S. forces withdrew from Iraq. Despite the formal end of combat operations, sectarian violence and insurgencies continued to plague the country, leading to the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and a renewed conflict that began in 2014.

Background

The origins of the Iraq War can be traced back to the Gulf War of 1991, after which Iraq was subjected to a United Nations arms embargo and economic sanctions due to its failure to withdraw from Kuwait and comply with UN Security Council resolutions regarding weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). Throughout the 1990s, the United States and the United Kingdom enforced no-fly zones over Iraq to protect Kurdish and Shia populations from attacks by the Hussein regime. In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in 2001, the U.S. government, led by President George W. Bush, began to advocate for regime change in Iraq, citing the threat posed by Hussein's alleged possession of WMDs and his supposed support for terrorism.

Invasion of Iraq

The invasion began on March 20, 2003, with a campaign of shock and awe bombing, followed by ground forces moving in from Kuwait. The coalition forces quickly defeated the Iraqi military and captured the capital, Baghdad, in April 2003, leading to the collapse of the Ba'athist government. Saddam Hussein went into hiding but was captured in December 2003.

Post-Invasion Phase

Following the invasion, the United States and its allies faced a growing insurgency composed of various groups, including Ba'athist loyalists, Sunni and Shia militias, and foreign jihadists. The Coalition Provisional Authority, led by the U.S., attempted to establish a new government but faced significant challenges due to sectarian violence, political instability, and the lack of security. The situation was further complicated by the Abu Ghraib prison scandal and the battle of Fallujah, which highlighted the difficulties of the occupation.

Withdrawal of U.S. Forces

In 2008, the U.S. and the Iraqi government signed the Status of Forces Agreement, which stipulated that all U.S. troops would withdraw from Iraqi cities by June 30, 2009, and from the entire country by December 31, 2011. The last U.S. troops left Iraq in December 2011, officially ending the Iraq War. However, the country remained unstable, with sectarian violence continuing and the emergence of ISIL, leading to further military engagements involving the U.S. and international partners.

Impact

The Iraq War had a profound impact on Iraq and the region. It resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and thousands of U.S. and coalition military personnel. The war also displaced millions of Iraqis and led to the destruction of infrastructure and a humanitarian crisis. Internationally, the war strained relations between the U.S. and some of its closest allies and sparked widespread protests and debates about the legality and morality of the invasion.