2003 invasion of Iraq

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of life surveillance on the town of Ar Rutba. A two-man team called in a pair of nearby F-16C Fighting Falcons to destroy an Iraqi Army radio direction-finding facility they had identified. A second reconnaissance team from ODA 525 deployed to cover the two highways leading to Ar Rutbah, however as the team was compromised by roving Bedouins who informed the Iraqi Army garrison at Ar Rutbah of the teams presence and location, armed Iraqi technicals crewed by the Fedayeen drove out to search for them, so the Green Berets mounted their GMVs, left their hide and found a position to ambush the Fedayeen, under the weight of fire the Fedayeen retreated. ODA 525 attempted to link up with the two-man reconnaissance team and extract it to safety but large numbers of Iraqi vehicles began driving out of the town to them, the ODAs called in immediate air support. While waiting, the reconnaissance team and Target Acquisition Marines fired on the Fedayeen leaders with their suppressed MK12 sniper rifle and contacted ODA 521 (who were clearing suspects east of the town) and they reinforced ODA 525. Within minutes, F-16Cs arrived and engaged the Fedayeen vehicles, another Fedayeen convoy attempted to outflank ODA 525 but ran into the guns of ODA 524, after 4 hours of constant and punishing airstrikes on the encircling Fedayeen, eight GMVs of ODA 521 and 525 managed to extract the exposed reconnaissance team under the cover of a B-1B strategic bomber, the vehicles withdrew to ODB 520s staging area south of Ar Rutbah. Over 100 Fedayeen fighters were killed and four armed technicals were destroyed. To the west ODA 523 reinforced ODA 524, but ran into a pair of armed technicals on the highway, both were destroyed by the GMVs, the Green Berets ceased fire when a civilian station wagon full of Iraqi children drove into the middle of the firefight. ODA 522 also identified two Fedayeen armed technicals proceeding down the highway toward ODA 523, they set an ambush for them, destroying the vehicles and killing 15 Fedayeen.

5619:, 75th Ranger Regiment assaulted the complex (codenamed Objective Beaver). While the first of four MH-60Ks inserted the Rangers into their blocking positions, it was engaged by small arms fire from a nearby building, an AH-6M spotted the muzzle flashes and fired a 2.75inch rocket into the location silencing the small arms fire, the second MH-60K was also struck by small arms fire but its door gunner suppressed it. A-10As engaged nearby electricity transformers successfully blacking out the area, but it resulted in a series of explosions and a resulting fire at the stations that dramatically lit the sky – pinpointing the orbiting helicopters for enemy gunmen. Small arms fire increased as the final two MH-60Ks inserted their blocking teams, one Ranger was wounded, the two pairs of AH-6Ms and MH-60L DAPs supporting the mission continued to suppress targets as the four MH-47Es carrying the DEVGRU main assault force inserted under heavy enemy small arms fire while DEVGRU sniper teams aboard a pair of MH-6Ms engaged numerous gunmen and vehicles, one Nightstalker crew was wounded as the MH-47Es lifted off. The SEALs conducted a hasty SSE while the Ranger blocking positions received and returned fire, the AH-6Ms and the aerial snipers continued to engage enemy gunmen while the DAPs pushed further out to ensure no reinforcements approached – engaging and destroying numerous Fedayeen armed technicals. The SSE took longer than expected owing to the size and maze-like structure of the building, the mission completed after 45 minutes, later tests of the material recovered by DEVGRU showed no evidence of chemical or biological weapons at the Objective Beaver. 4974: 7091:'s 5 February 2003 presentation to the U.N Security Council by saying that: "Given the choice between military intervention and an inspections regime that is inadequate because of a failure to cooperate on Iraq's part, we must choose the decisive reinforcement of the means of inspections." In response to Donald Rumsfeld's reference to European countries that did not support the invasion of Iraq as 'Old Europe', Dominique de Villepin ended his speech with words that would later come to embody the French-German political, economic, and military alliance throughout the beginning of the 21st century: "This message comes to you today from an old country, France, from a continent like mine, Europe, that has known wars, occupation and barbarity. (...) Faithful to its values, it wishes resolutely to act with all the members of the international community. It believes in our ability to build together a better world." The direct opposition between diplomatic solution and military intervention involving France and the United States which was personified by Chirac versus Bush and later Powell versus de Villepin, became a milestone in the 5674:

surrounding Green Berets and captured. ODAs guided precision airstrikes on Fedayeen anti aircraft guns on the outskirts of the town and on top of the airstrikes, they also struck large groups of Fedayeen militia with Javelin missiles. On 9 April, nine ODAs secured the main roads into the town and commenced a day of near continuous final airstrikes from fix-wing aircraft and Apache helicopters. Civilians from the town approached the Green Berets asking them to stop the bombing, the Green Berets struck a deal with the civilians and they entered the town the next day. A B-52 and 2 F-16Cs flew show of force flights over the town as the Green Berets entered, the Fedayeen blended in with the population. Within days, the Green Berets helped the town to elect a mayor and set up markets, get sixty percent of the electricity grid working and repair water supplies. ODA 521 and 525 continued to operate in the region, stopping several trucks carrying foreign fighters, they disarmed them, took their details and warned them not to come back before sending them to Syria; in late May, the teams were replaced by the

5537: 5297:, the Squadron scattered and escaped the well-constructed trap. A number of Land Rovers became bogged down in a nearby wadi, so they mined the vehicles and abandoned them – though several did not detonate and were captured and exhibited on Iraqi television. The SBS was now in three distinct groups: one with several operational Land Rovers was being pursued by the Iraqi hunter force, a second mainly equipped with ATVs was hunkered down and trying to arrange extraction, the third with just 2 operators on an ATV raced for the Syrian border. The first group tried to call in coalition strike aircraft but the aircraft could not identify friendly forces because the SBS were not equipped with infra-red strobes – although their vehicles did have Blue Force Tracker units, they eventually made it to an emergency rendezvous point and were extracted by an RAF Chinook. The second group was also extracted by an RAF Chinook and the third group made it to Syria and was held there until their release was negotiated, there were no SBS casualties. 5485:. Once the town fell, it would be clear for the coalition to advance on Mosul. ODAs from the 3rd and 10th SFG called in airstrikes on the Iraqi garrisons in and around the town, causing many of the Iraqi conscripts to flee. By 5 April 2003, there appeared to be only two Iraqi platoons left in the town. On 6 April, ODAs 051, 055, and 056 assaulted the town – ODAs 055 and 056 provided fire support along with Peshmerga heavy weapons teams, while ODA 51 made the actual assault on the town. As ODA 51 cautiously advanced on the village, it came under intense fire – the two platoons of Iraqis turned out to be closer to battalion strength and equipped with heavy weapons like 82 mm mortars, anti-aircraft guns, and an artillery piece. After 4 hours of F/A-18 airstrikes and constant heavy weapons fire from ODA 055 and 056, the assault force entered Ain Sifni; soon afterward, Iraqi infantry counterattacked, supported by several mortars, attempting to retake the town, but it was beaten back by ODA 51 and the Kurds. 2928:. As of February 2003, the IAEA "found no evidence or plausible indication of the revival of a nuclear weapons program in Iraq"; the IAEA concluded that certain items which could have been used in nuclear enrichment centrifuges, such as aluminum tubes, were in fact intended for other uses. UNMOVIC "did not find evidence of the continuation or resumption of programs of weapons of mass destruction" or significant quantities of proscribed items. UNMOVIC did supervise the destruction of a small number of empty chemical rocket warheads, 50 liters of mustard gas that had been declared by Iraq and sealed by UNSCOM in 1998, and laboratory quantities of a mustard gas precursor, along with about 50 Al-Samoud missiles of a design that Iraq stated did not exceed the permitted 150 km range, but which had traveled up to 183 km in tests. Shortly before the invasion, UNMOVIC stated that it would take "months" to verify Iraqi compliance with resolution 1441. 6304: 4386: 5094: 109: 5843:

the AH-6s covered the MH-60Ks as they dropped off assault teams on the hospital roof and another by the front door, the ground assault convoy arrived and the assaulters raced inside and onto the second floor where Lynch was located. 13 minutes later, a MH-60K touched down near the hospital entrance with a team of PJs and SOAR medics on board and transported Lynch to Tallil where it rendezvoused with a standby medical flight and then onto Kuwait and finally the United States. The hospital was devoid of any Fedayeen, although evidence suggested they were using it as a base; the Ranger blocking teams experienced some sporadic direct fire, the SEALs and the Rangers eventually recovered the remains of eight members of Lynch's unit that had been killed or died of their wounds. Task Force 20 carried out the first successful U.S.

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different opinion concerning the threat posed by Iraq. In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee in February 2000, Zinni said: "Iraq remains the most significant near-term threat to U.S. interests in the Persian Gulf region. This is primarily due to its large conventional military force, pursuit of WMD, oppressive treatment of Iraqi citizens, refusal to comply with United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR), persistent threats to enforcement of the No Fly Zones (NFZ), and continued efforts to violate UN Security Council sanctions through oil smuggling." However, it is important to note that Zinni specifically referred to "the Persian Gulf region" in his Senate testimony, which is a significantly smaller region of the world than the "Middle East", which he referred to in 2007.

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Rangers on the eastern side engaged a truck carrying infantry, which led to an hour-long contract. South of the dam, another Ranger platoon was securing the dam's power station and electricity transformer against sabotage, another platoon was occupied establishing blocking positions on the main road into the dam complex. The blocking positions came under the sporadic mortar fire, resulting in the AH-6Ms flying multiple gun runs to silence the mortar positions, another mortar team, firing from a small island was engaged and silenced by a Ranger Javelin team. For five days, Iraqi forces continued to harass the Rangers at the dam, principally with episodic artillery and mortar fire along with several infantry counterattacks against the blocking positions; the

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held at, an airstrike by US Marine AV-8 Harriers would be conducted against one of the bridges to confuse the opposition further and US Marine AH-1W Cobras were tasked to fly over the area to conceal the sound of incoming SOF helicopters. Air cover as provided by an AC-130 Spectre and a Marine EA-6 Prowler to jam any enemy SAM systems that might be present. With the deception mission underway, the SEAL and select Ranger elements would be inserted by MH-60K Blackhawks and four MH-6 Little Birds, supported by four AH-6 attack helicopters and two MH-60L DAPs, the other Rangers would be flown in by Marine CH-46s and CH-53 transport helicopters to establish a cordon around the hospital grounds. The main assault force of SEALs would arrive by a ground convoy of

3314:, the objectives of the invasion were, "First, end the regime of Saddam Hussein. Second, to identify, isolate and eliminate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. Third, to search for, to capture and to drive out terrorists from that country. Fourth, to collect such intelligence as we can related to terrorist networks. Fifth, to collect such intelligence as we can related to the global network of illicit weapons of mass destruction. Sixth, to end sanctions and to immediately deliver humanitarian support to the displaced and to many needy Iraqi citizens. Seventh, to secure Iraq's oil fields and resources, which belong to the Iraqi people. And last, to help the Iraqi people create conditions for a transition to a representative self-government." 6785:, and "removed layers of archeological earth from the site. The daily flights of the helicopters rattle the ancient walls and the winds created by their rotors blast sand against the fragile bricks. When my colleague at the site, Maryam Moussa, and I asked military personnel in charge that the helipad be shut down, the response was that it had to remain open for security reasons, for the safety of the troops." Bahrani also reported that in the summer of 2004, "the wall of the Temple of Nabu and the roof of the Temple of Ninmah, both sixth century BC, collapsed as a result of the movement of helicopters." Electrical power is scarce in post-war Iraq, Bahrani reported, and some fragile artifacts, including the 5945:

Iraqis managed to inflict some casualties on the U.S. forces near the airport from defensive positions but suffered severe casualties from air bombardment. Within hours of the palace seizure and with television coverage of this spreading through Iraq, U.S. forces ordered Iraqi forces within Baghdad to surrender, or the city would face a full-scale assault. Iraqi government officials had either disappeared or had conceded defeat, and on 9 April 2003, Baghdad was formally occupied by coalition forces. Much of Baghdad remained unsecured however, and fighting continued within the city and its outskirts well into the period of occupation. Saddam had vanished, and his whereabouts were unknown.

5687: 5949: 6566:, charged with the defense of Baghdad, dramatically shifted the positions of the two main divisions protecting Baghdad several times in the days before the arrival of U.S. forces, and as a result the units were confused, and further demoralized when U.S. forces attacked. The invasion force did not see the entire Iraqi military thrown against it; U.S. and UK units had orders to move to and seize objective target points rather than seek to engage Iraqi units. This resulted in most regular Iraqi military units emerging from the war without having been engaged, and fully intact, especially in southern Iraq. It is assumed that most units disintegrated to return to their homes. 4090: 2607: 6193: 118: 89: 3061: 6809: 3781: 350: 613: 23352: 659: 587: 575: 563: 552: 540: 528: 517: 506: 495: 483: 470: 337: 307: 4079: 6038: 675: 3811:, reported that he had received 240 separate communications regarding the legality of the war, many of which concerned British participation in the invasion. In a letter addressed to the complainants, Mr. Moreno Ocampo explained that he could only consider issues related to conduct during the war and not to its underlying legality as a possible crime of aggression because no provision had yet been adopted which "defines the crime and sets out the conditions under which the Court may exercise jurisdiction with respect to it." In a March 2007 interview with 5333:; they had prepared a number of defensive positions including anti-aircraft machine guns and maintained a facility, that US intelligence suspected, at which chemical and biological agents may have been developed and stored for future terrorist attacks. Viking Hammer was set to begin on 21 March, however, the ground component of the operation was set back several days owing to the issues around infiltrating most of the 3rd Battalion 10th SFG into Iraq. The Islamic Group of Kurdistan surrendered after having suffered 100 men killed in the 21 March strikes. 459: 6702:

treatment of detainees, indiscriminate attacks that killed and injured civilians, and forced disappearances. The report stated that both President Bush and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had publicly confessed to involvement in secret detentions and faced no criminal accountability. The report also noted that despite the conclusions of the International Criminal Court in 2020 that British forces had committed war crimes in Iraq, including deliberate killings, rape and torture, no senior British officials have been held criminal accountable.

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reinforcements. Col. Grimsley order LTC Marcone Task Force 3-69 Armor to send a quick reaction force to support the ADA company. LTC Marcone sent B 3-7 Infantry to clear and secure the bridge. Bravo Company was made up of two infantry platoons with M2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles and one platoon of M1A2 Abrams tanks. Bravo 3-7 Infantry secured the bridge and fought for 36 hours through a sandstorm. During that time the soldiers fought against Iraqi Military and Fedayeen forces. After 36 hours B co 3-7 Infantry was relieved on 26 March.

632: 241: 7279: 6656:. Sergeant Walters was initially reported to have been killed in the ambush after killing several Fedayeen before running out of ammunition. However, an eyewitness later reported that he had seen Walters being guarded by several Fedayeen in front of a building. Forensics work later found Walters' blood in front of the building and blood spatter suggesting he died from two gunshot wounds to the back at close range. This led the Army to conclude that Walters had been executed after being captured, and he was posthumously awarded the 2944: 4719:. Their main objectives were to destroy the Iraqi army, cripple their ability to fight, and dismantle the Iraqi government. However, the Iraqis immediately adapted and began using unconventional tactics. Already on March 22, just two days into the war, the Americans encountered their first taste of the insurgency tactics that would later define the war. Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Broadhead, a platoon sergeant in the Crazy Horse troop of the 3rd Infantry Division's cavalry unit, was in a tank heading towards a bridge in 710: 700: 782: 448: 437: 426: 5219: 3874: 2861: 795: 772: 415: 404: 393: 382: 371: 3012: 5306: 6255: 623: 228: 3494:

conflated the two." For instance, the BBC report quotes Colin Powell in February 2003, stating that "We've learned that Iraq has trained al-Qaeda members in bomb-making and poisons and deadly gases. And we know that after September 11, Saddam Hussein's regime gleefully celebrated the terrorist attacks on America." The same BBC report also noted the results of a recent opinion poll, which suggested that "70% of Americans believe the Iraqi leader was personally involved in the attacks."

215: 6985:) and predicting that the war would destabilize the Middle East region. In 2010, an independent commission of inquiry set up by the government of the Netherlands, maintained that UN resolution 1441 "cannot reasonably be interpreted (as the Dutch government did) as authorising individual member states to use military force to compel Iraq to comply with the Security Council's resolutions." Accordingly, the Dutch commission concluded that the invasion violated international law. 22309: 5405: 4728: 3594: 5445:. Several were engaged by Iraqi air defences on the flight into northern Iraq (one was sufficiently damaged enough that it was forced to make an emergency landing at Incirlik Air Base). The initial lift had deployed 19 Green Beret ODAs and four ODBs into Northern Iraq. Hours after the first of such flights, Turkey did allow the use of its air space and the rest of the 10th SFG infiltrated in. The preliminary mission was to destroy the base of the Kurdish terrorist group 23345: 5025: 22318: 23359: 268: 3777:'s address to the Security Council one month before the invasion. According to an independent commission of inquiry set up by the government of the Netherlands, UN resolution 1441 "cannot reasonably be interpreted (as the Dutch government did) as authorising individual member states to use military force to compel Iraq to comply with the Security Council's resolutions." Accordingly, the Dutch commission concluded that the 2003 invasion violated international law. 5905: 4675: 24422: 22163: 20978: 22330: 6359: 5549:

safeguarding the oil fields from destruction. They later rejoined the other half of the team and fought roving bands of Fedayeen. The ODAs next mission was to work with a CIA-recruited Sheikh and assist British forces in identifying targets around Basra. The ODA soon established an informant network, they eventually assisted the British in rounding up some 170 Fedayeen in the city; they were eventually replaced by members of G Squadron 22nd SAS Regiment.

2710: 720: 5157:. There, U.S. Army elements met resistance from Iraqi troops defending cities and key bridges along the Euphrates River. These forces threatened to interdict supply routes as American forces moved north. Eventually, troops from the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army secured the cities of Najaf and Karbala to prevent any Iraqi counterattacks on the 3rd Infantry Division's lines of communication as the division pressed its advance toward Baghdad. 3046:. As a follow-up to Powell's presentation, the United States, United Kingdom, Poland, Italy, Australia, Denmark, Japan, and Spain proposed a resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq, but Canada, France, and Germany, together with Russia, strongly urged continued diplomacy. Facing a losing vote as well as a likely veto from France and Russia, the US, UK, Poland, Spain, Denmark, Italy, Japan, and Australia eventually withdrew their resolution. 650: 24432: 22173: 6460: 5866: 5178: 4370: 4362: 3486:

American support for a possible war against Iraq and demonstrate seriousness of purpose to Saddam's regime." The CSM went on to report that, while polling data collected "right after 11 Sept. 2001" showed that only 3 percent mentioned Iraq or Saddam Hussein, attitudes "had been transformed" by January 2003, with a Knight Ridder poll showing that 44% of Americans believed "most" or "some" of the 11 September hijackers were Iraqi citizens.

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extracted the team from out under the Fedayeen's "noses". A second larger SBS operation was launched by M Squadron in full strength in a mix of land rovers and ATVs into northern Iraq from H-2 air base, the objective was to locate, make contact and take the surrender of the Iraqi 5th Army Corps somewhere past Tikrit and to survey and mark viable temporary landing zones for follow-on forces. However the Squadron was compromised by a

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disarmament, not regime change – that is our objective. Now I happen to believe the regime of Saddam is a very brutal and repressive regime, I think it does enormous damage to the Iraqi people ... so I have got no doubt Saddam is very bad for Iraq, but on the other hand I have got no doubt either that the purpose of our challenge from the United Nations is the disarmament of weapons of mass destruction, it is not regime change."

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501,000 pieces. The more recent estimate places the number of stolen pieces at around 15,000, and about 10,000 of them probably were taken in an "inside job" before U.S. troops arrived, according to Bogdanos. Over 5,000 looted items have since been recovered. An assertion that U.S. forces did not guard the museum because they were guarding the Ministry of Oil and Ministry of Interior is disputed by investigator Colonel

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were wounded, but neither Saddam or any of his top aides were found. U.S. forces supported by mortars, artillery, and aircraft continued to attack Iraqi forces still loyal to Saddam Hussein and non-Iraqi Arab volunteers. U.S. aircraft flying in support were met with Iraqi anti-aircraft fire. On 12 April, by late afternoon, all fighting had ceased. A total of 34 American soldiers and 2,320 Iraqi fighters were killed.

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Iraqi government blind to the threat it faced, hampered by Saddam's inept military leadership and deceived by its own propaganda and inability to believe an invasion was imminent without further Iraqi provocation. According to the BBC, the report portrays Saddam Hussein as "chronically out of touch with reality – preoccupied with the prevention of domestic unrest and with the threat posed by Iran."

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risk that he will not some day use these weapons at a time and the place and in the manner of his choosing at a time when the world is in a much weaker position to respond? The United States will not and cannot run that risk to the American people. Leaving Saddam Hussein in possession of weapons of mass destruction for a few more months or years is not an option, not in a post–September 11 world.

321: 6998:, a former U.N. weapons inspector who argued in 2002 that inspections had eliminated the nuclear and chemical weapons programs, and that evidence of their reconstitution would "have been eminently detectable by intelligence services ..." Although it is popularly believed that Saddam Hussein had forced the IAEA weapons inspectors to leave Iraq, they were withdrawn at the request of the US before 5751: 3354: 6034:

Baghdad would remain the capital of the new Iraqi government. Nasiriyah responded favorably and quickly backed down; however, Al-Kut placed snipers on the main roadways into town, with orders that invading forces were not to enter the city. After several minor skirmishes, the snipers were removed, but tensions and violence between regional, city, tribal, and familial groups continued.

3903:. The original list prepared in March 2003 included 49 members. Of those 49, only six besides the U.S. contributed troops to the invasion force (the United Kingdom, Australia, Poland, Spain, Portugal, and Denmark), and 33 provided some number of troops to support the occupation after the invasion was complete. Six members have no military, meaning that they withheld troops completely. 4914: 4419:. Other countries, notably Russia and China, also condemned the zones as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. In mid-2002, the U.S. began more carefully selecting targets in the southern part of the country to disrupt the military command structure in Iraq. A change in enforcement tactics was acknowledged at the time, but it was not made public that this was part of a plan known as 3421:

the future remains open, no WMDs have been found in Iraq since the invasion despite comprehensive inspections lasting more than 18 months. In Cairo, on 24 February 2001, Colin Powell had predicted as much, saying, " has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction. He is unable to project conventional power against his neighbours."

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civilian deaths and damage to infrastructure. It was expected that the elimination of the leadership would lead to the collapse of the Iraqi Forces and the government, and that much of the population would support the invaders once the government had been weakened. Occupation of cities and attacks on peripheral military units were viewed as undesirable distractions.

6041: 5653:) and Task Force 64 (Australian Special Air Service Regiment) called in constant 24 hours of precision airstrikes on H-3 using SOFLAM target designators, the aerial bombardment forced the Iraqi military vehicles to leave the base and headed towards Baghdad. ODA 521 over watching the highway they were travelling on ambushed the convoy destroying a truck mounted 4046:, stated that it is "quite possible" that Canadian forces indirectly supported the American operation. According to Lang, Canada's military strongly advocated to be involved in the Iraqi War instead of the war in Afghanistan, and Canada mainly decided to keep its assets in the Gulf to maintain good relations with America. After the invasion, Brigadier General 14891:

scriptural commen-tary by the ninth-century scholar Ibn Qutayba, copied in 1079. The National Library of Iraq and National Centre for Archives, known as the House of Wisdom, comparable to the US Library of Congress. It held 417,000 books, 2,618 periodicals from the late Ottoman era and modern times, and a collection of 4,412 rare books and manuscripts.

5268:. They set up observation posts and called in airstrikes that defeated the Iraqi defenders. The combined British and Australian Squadrons took H-2 virtually unopposed. H-3 was secured on 25 March with the assistance of members of Delta Force and by Green Beret ODAs from Bravo company, 1st Battalion 5th SFG; a company of Rangers and Royal Marines from 2475:, on the role this played in changing U.S. strategic calculations, and the rise of the freedom agenda. According to Blair, the trigger was Iraq's failure to take a "final opportunity" to disarm itself of alleged nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons that U.S. and British officials called an immediate and intolerable threat to world peace. 3004:. Therefore, joint SAD and Army Special forces teams and the Peshmerga constituted the entire Northern force against the Iraqi army. They managed to keep the northern divisions in place rather than allowing them to aid their colleagues against the U.S.-led coalition force coming from the south. Four of these CIA officers were awarded the 6042: 5449:, believed to be linked to al-Qaeda. Concurrent and follow-on missions involved attacking and fixing Iraqi forces in the north, thus preventing their deployment to the southern front and the main effort of the invasion. Eventually Task Force Viking would number 51 ODAs and ODBs alongside some 60,000 Kurdish Peshmerga militia of the 3177:. In a passionate speech to the House of Commons after his resignation, he said, "What has come to trouble me is the suspicion that if the 'hanging chads' of Florida had gone the other way and Al Gore had been elected, we would not now be about to commit British troops to action in Iraq." During the debate, it was stated that the 6562:, even among the elite Republican Guard. Entire units disbanded into the crowds upon the approach of invading troops, or actually sought out U.S. and UK forces to surrender to. Many Iraqi commanding officers were bribed by the CIA or coerced into surrendering. The leadership of the Iraqi army was incompetent – reports state that 3208:

stand aside and they would handle it." Cannistraro stated that the offers made were all "killed" by the George W. Bush administration because they allowed Saddam to remain in power, an outcome viewed as unacceptable. It has been suggested that Saddam Hussein was prepared to go into exile if allowed to keep US$ 1 billion.

7002:, the 1998 American bombing campaign. After the build-up of U.S. troops in neighboring states, Saddam welcomed them back and promised complete cooperation with their demands. Experienced IAEA inspection teams were already back in Iraq and had made some interim reports on its search for various forms of WMD. American diplomat 3390:

2003, it was still the official line that the only cause of invasion would be a failure to disarm. As Blair made clear in a statement to the House of Commons, "I detest his regime. But even now he can save it by complying with the UN's demand. Even now, we are prepared to go the extra step to achieve disarmament peacefully."

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truck-borne Iraqi reinforcements arrived. Two MH-60K Blackhawks carrying a para jumper medical team and two MH-60L DAPs of the 160th SOAR responded and engaged the Iraqis, which allowed the Delta operators to move their casualties to an emergency HLZ and they were medevaced to H-1 escorted by a pair of A-10As, however

6735:. Bogdanos notes that the Ministry of Oil building was bombed, but the museum complex, which took some fire, was not bombed. He also writes that Saddam Hussein's troops set up sniper's nests inside and on top of the museum, and nevertheless U.S. Marines and soldiers stayed close enough to prevent wholesale looting. 6679:, which was still held by Iraqi forces. The unit was ambushed and Sapper Luke Allsopp and Staff Sergeant Simon Cullingworth became separated from the rest. Both were captured and executed by Iraqi irregular forces. In 2006, a video of Allsopp lying on the ground surrounded by Iraqi irregular forces was discovered. 5636:, Habbariya and Mudyasis, ODA's 534 and 532 split off to head for the area surrounding Nukyab searching for mobile Scud-B TEL launch sites. ODA 532 also inserted a mobile weather station that provided planners with vital real time weather updates of the battle space. Bravo company set out for the central town of 2901:, which authorized the resumption of weapons inspections and promised "serious consequences" for non-compliance. Security Council members France and Russia made clear that they did not consider these consequences to include the use of force to overthrow the Iraqi government. Both the U.S. ambassador to the UN, 3417:. These documents were dismissed by the IAEA as forgeries, with the concurrence in that judgment of outside experts. At the time, a US official stated that the evidence was submitted to the IAEA without knowledge of its provenance and characterized any mistakes as "more likely due to incompetence not malice". 4298:, Nasiriyah, and Basra, the vast majority by US forces. In the information, the US forces provided the Dutch Ministry of Defense with the GPS coordinates of the DU rounds, along with a list of targets and numbers fired. Then, the Dutch Ministry of Defence released the data to Dutch peace group Pax under the 4034:, and a secret U.S. briefing cable noted that despite public promises by Canadian officials that these assets would not be used in support of the war in Iraq, "they will also be available to provide escort services in the Straits and will otherwise be discreetly useful to the military effort." However, the 5248:

the invasion began, two members of Special Boat Team 22's Delta Detachment and the Commanding Officer of the 539th Assault Squadron Royal Marine Commandos, were infiltrated into southern Iraq by Kuwait intelligence operatives to gather critical intelligence for the upcoming assault on the port of Um Qasr.

2978:, a group with ties to al-Qaeda, in Iraqi Kurdistan. This battle was for control of the territory that was occupied by Ansar al-Islam. It was carried out by Paramilitary Operations Officers from SAD and the Army's 10th Special Forces Group. This battle resulted in the defeat of Ansar and the capture of a 6850:

sources. According to the study, 64% of total sources supported the Iraq War while total anti-war sources made up 10% of the media (only 3% of US sources were anti-war). The study looked only at 6 American news networks after 20 March for three weeks. The study stated that "viewers were more than six

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staff and supplied by request of the United States Navy, was criticized as premature. The White House subsequently released a statement that the sign and Bush's visit referred to the initial invasion of Iraq and disputing the charge of theatrics. The speech itself noted: "We have difficult work to do

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was seriously injured and captured after her convoy was ambushed by Iraqi forces during the Battle of Nasiriyah. Initial intelligence that led to her rescue was provided by an informant who approached ODA 553 when it was working in Nasiriyah, the intelligence was passed on and Task Force 20 planned a

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and the surrounding towns of Northern Iraq. Previously, during the Battle of the Green Line, Bravo Company, 3/10 with their Kurdish allies pushed back, destroyed, or routed the 13th Iraqi Infantry Division. The same company took Tikrit. Iraq was the largest deployment of the U.S. Special Forces since

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and an enormous amount of ammunition. H-3 was established as an Advanced Operating Base for Bravo company, with supplies delivered by C-130s and MH-47Es; ODA 581 vehicle checkpoint managed to capture the Iraqi general in command of H-3 as he was trying to escape in civilian attire, he was secured and

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with six ODAs and a support ODB (Operational Detachment Bravo). ODAs 523 and 524 searched a suspected Scud-B storage facility while ODAs 521 and 525 were tasked with clearing several abandoned airfields, with no sign of Scud launchers, ODA 525 deployed a Special Reconnaissance team to conduct pattern

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while the Polish commandos captured offshore oil platforms near the port, preventing their destruction. Despite the rapid advance of the invasion forces, some 44 oil wells were destroyed and set ablaze by Iraqi explosives or by incidental fire. However, the wells were quickly capped and the fires put

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states. One result of this was that one of the divisions intended for the invasion was forced to relocate and was unable to take part in the invasion until well into the war. Many observers felt that the coalition devoted sufficient numbers of troops to the invasion, but too many were withdrawn after

4670:

from the Northern Iraq Liaison Element infiltrated throughout Iraq and called in the early air strikes. At 03:16 UTC, or 10:16 pm EST, George W. Bush announced that he had ordered an attack against "selected targets of military importance" in Iraq. When this word was given, the troops on standby

4434:

showed that the UK dropped twice as many bombs on Iraq in the second half of 2002 as they did during the whole of 2001. The tonnage of UK bombs dropped increased from 0 in March 2002 and 0.3 in April 2002 to between 7 and 14 tons per month in May–August, reaching a pre-war peak of 54.6 tons

3579:

have argued, however, that they believe human rights concerns were never a central justification for the invasion, nor do they believe that military intervention was justifiable on humanitarian grounds, most significantly because "the killing in Iraq at the time was not of the exceptional nature that

3493:

has also noted that, while President Bush "never directly accused the former Iraqi leader of having a hand in the attacks on New York and Washington", he "repeatedly associated the two in keynote addresses delivered since 11 September", adding that "Senior members of his administration have similarly

7046:

and a former foreign secretary, resigned from Tony Blair's cabinet in protest over the UK's decision to invade without the authorization of a U.N. resolution. Cook said at the time that: "In principle I believe it is wrong to embark on military action without broad international support. In practice

6573:

report, "The largest contributing factor to the complete defeat of Iraq's military forces was the continued interference by Saddam." The report, designed to help U.S. officials understand in hindsight how Saddam and his military commanders prepared for and fought the invasion, paints a picture of an

5963:

On 10 April, a rumor emerged that Saddam Hussein and his top aides were in a mosque complex in the Al Az'Amiyah District of Baghdad. Three companies of Marines were sent to capture him and came under heavy fire from rocket-propelled grenades, mortars, and assault rifles. One Marine was killed and 20

5944:

The next day, another brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division attacked downtown Baghdad and occupied one of the palaces of Saddam Hussein in fierce fighting. U.S. Marines also faced heavy shelling from Iraqi artillery as they attempted to cross a river bridge, but the river crossing was successful. The

5842:

At 0100 on 1 April 2003, the Marines commenced their deception mission, CIA elements cut the city's power as the helicopters approached their objective, the AH-6s led the way, behind them the MH-6s dropped off Task Force 20 sniper teams at strategic locations around and on the hospital. The DAPs and

5648:

The strategic intent of the US Army Special Forces ODAs had been to shut down the main supply routes and deny access around Ar Rutbah and the strategically important H-3 air base, which was defended by a battalion of Iraqi troops and significant numbers of mobile and static anti aircraft guns. On 24

5473:

George Fernandez died. The DAPs stayed on station and continued to engage the Iraqis, destroying a truck carrying a mortar and several infantry squads, while Delta snipers killed Iraqi infantryman firing on the DAPs, another pair of A-10As arrived and dropped airburst 500 lb bombs within 20m of

5288:

mounted on Honda ATVs inserted into Iraq from Jordan. Its first mission was to conduct reconnaissance of an Iraqi air base at al-Sahara. The team was compromised by an anti-special forces Fedayeen unit and barely escaped thanks to a U.S. F-15E that flew air cover for the team and an RAF Chinook that

5047:

helicopter gunships setting out on a mission to attack Republican Guard armored units; while flying low the Apaches came under heavy anti-aircraft, small arms, and RPG fire which heavily damaged many helicopters and shot one down, frustrating the attack. They attacked again successfully on 26 March,

4702:

Following Turkey's decision to deny any official use of its territory, the coalition was forced to modify the planned simultaneous attack from north and south. Special Operations forces from the CIA and U.S. Army managed to build and lead the Kurdish Peshmerga into an effective force and assault for

4448:

this was "Located at the furthest extreme of the southern no-fly zone, far away from the areas that needed to be patrolled to prevent attacks on the Shias, it was destroyed not because it was a threat to the patrols, but to allow allied special forces operating from Jordan to enter Iraq undetected."

4131:

SAD teams also conducted high-risk special reconnaissance missions behind Iraqi lines to identify senior leadership targets. These missions led to the initial strikes against Saddam Hussein and his key generals. Although the initial strikes against Saddam were unsuccessful in killing the dictator or

3799:

Critics and proponents of the legal rationale based on the U.N. resolutions argue that the legal right to determine how to enforce its resolutions lies with the Security Council alone, not with individual nations and therefore the invasion of Iraq was not legal under international law, and in direct

3501:

reported that "Vice President Dick Cheney, anxious to defend the White House foreign policy amid ongoing violence in Iraq, stunned intelligence analysts and even members of his own administration this week by failing to dismiss a widely discredited claim: that Saddam Hussein might have played a role

3456:

While not explicitly declaring Iraqi culpability in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, administration officials did, at various times, imply a link. In late 2001, Cheney said it was "pretty well confirmed" that attack mastermind Mohamed Atta had met with a senior Iraqi intelligence official.

3420:

Since the invasion, the U.S. government statements concerning Iraqi weapons programs and links to al-Qaeda have been discredited, though chemical weapons were found in Iraq during the occupation period. While the debate of whether Iraq intended to develop chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons in

3389:

At a press conference on 31 January 2003, Bush again reiterated that the single trigger for the invasion would be Iraq's failure to disarm, "Saddam Hussein must understand that if he does not disarm, for the sake of peace, we, along with others, will go disarm Saddam Hussein." As late as 25 February

3289:

wished to meet with Hage and the Iraqis if the Pentagon would clear it. Duran responded "Mike, working this. Keep this close hold." On 7 March, Perle met with Hage in Knightsbridge, and stated that he wanted to pursue the matter further with people in Washington (both have acknowledged the meeting).

2830:

recalled in an interview his experience during the time before the invasion, stating that "When we were getting ready for what became the invasion of Iraq, the prevailing wisdom was that we were going to have a long, hard fight to Baghdad, and it was really going to be hard to take Baghdad. The road

6746:

reported in 2003, adding that the libraries at the University of Mosul and University of Basra had been looted. András Riedlmayer, a specialist in Islamic architecture at Harvard University, said the U.S. State Department had asked him for advice before the invasion, and that "everybody warned them

6701:

released a report calling for accountability and reparations for human rights violations perpetrated by the US-led coalition during the invasion and subsequent occupation between 2003 and 2011. They cited violations of international humanitarian law including secret prisons, torture and other cruel

6054:

assumed control of Iraq as the supreme commander of the coalition occupation forces. Shortly after the sudden collapse of the defense of Baghdad, rumors were circulating in Iraq and elsewhere that there had been a deal struck (a "safqua") wherein the U.S.-led coalition had bribed key members of the

5834:

conventional Marines from Task Force Tarawa then currently fighting through the city and aviators from the Army, Marines and Air Force. The plan called for Task Force Tarawa to conduct a deception mission by seizing the bridges across the Euphrates to draw attention away from the hospital Lynch was

5736:

with local Sheikhs and their militias supported by AV-8Bs and F/A-18s; managing to capture the city of Qwam al Hamza. The following day ODA 563, their local Sheikh and his militia and a small Force Recon team captured the bridge leading to Diwaniyah and the militia attacked Iraqi positions over the

5548:

crossed the border with the United States Marines to support the seizure of the Rumaylah oil fields which was later secured by UK forces; half the team later drove to the outskirts of Basra and successfully picked up four Iraqi oil industry technicians who had been recruited by the CIA to assist in

5432:

since 1991, and employing them against the 13 Iraqi Divisions located near Kirkuk and Mosul. Turkey had officially prohibited any coalition troops from using their bases or airspace, so lead elements of the 10th SFG had to make a detour infiltration; their flight was supposed to take four hours but

5379:

maintained the pressure on the retreating Ansar al-Islam terrorists as they pulled back toward the Iranian border; the next day, Task Force Viking seized the high ground and pushed down through the valley – surrounding and killing small pockets of remnants from Ansar al-Islam. With their objectives

5272:

flew from Jordan to the bases and the base was handed over to them. The SAS teams moved to the next objective – the intersection of the two main highways linking Baghdad with Syria and Jordan, where both squadrons were involved in conducting interdictions of fleeing Iraqi leadership targets heading

5247:

on suspected chemical weapon facilities before heading for the Haditha Dam complex. Along the way, Delta supported the seizure of H-3 Air Base and also conducted numerous deception operations to confuse the Iraqis as to the disposition of coalition forces in the west. From the south, a week before

4785:

In the meantime, Royal Air Force Tornados from 9 and 617 Squadrons attacked the radar defence systems protecting Baghdad, but lost a Tornado on 22 March along with the pilot and navigator (Flight Lieutenant Kevin Main and Flight Lieutenant Dave Williams), shot down by an American Patriot missile as

4658:

of the 160th SOAR. Ground elements of Task Force Dagger, Task Force 20, Task Force 14, and Task Force 64 breached the sand berms along the Iraqi border with Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait in the early morning hours and drove into Iraq. Unofficially, the British, Australians, and Task Force 20 had

4147:

refused to allow its territory to be used for the invasion. As a result, the SAD/SOG and U.S. Army Special Forces joint teams and the Kurdish Peshmerga constituted the entire northern force against government forces during the invasion. Their efforts kept the 5th Corps of the Iraqi army in place to

3707:

The resolution "supported" and "encouraged" diplomatic efforts by President George W. Bush to "strictly enforce through the U.N. Security Council all relevant Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq" and "obtain prompt and decisive action by the Security Council to ensure that Iraq abandons its

3376:

We know that Saddam Hussein is determined to keep his weapons of mass destruction; he's determined to make more. Given Saddam Hussein's history of aggression ... given what we know of his terrorist associations and given his determination to exact revenge on those who oppose him, should we take the

3262:

In January 2003, Hage met with the chief of Iraqi intelligence's foreign operations, Hassan al-Obeidi. Obeidi told Hage that Baghdad did not understand why they were targeted and that they had no WMDs. He then made the offer for Washington to send in 2000 FBI agents to confirm this. He additionally

3207:

stating that Saddam "knew there was a campaign to link him to 11 September and prove he had weapons of mass destruction (WMDs)." Cannistraro further added that "the Iraqis were prepared to satisfy these concerns. I reported the conversation to senior levels of the state department and I was told to

2939:

to market the war to its citizens. Americans overwhelmingly believed Saddam did have weapons of mass destruction: 85% said so, even though the inspectors had not uncovered those weapons. Of those who thought Iraq had weapons sequestered somewhere, about half responded that said weapons would not be

2478:

In a January 2003 CBS poll, 64% of Americans had approved of military action against Iraq; however, 63% wanted Bush to find a diplomatic solution rather than go to war, and 62% believed the threat of terrorism directed against the U.S. would increase due to war. The invasion was strongly opposed by

6033:

launched attacks on each other immediately following the fall of Baghdad to establish dominance in the new country, and the U.S.-led coalition quickly found themselves embroiled in a potential civil war. U.S.-led coalition forces ordered the cities to cease hostilities immediately, explaining that

6020:

The Marine Corps colonel in the area saw the Saddam statue as a target of opportunity and decided that the statue must come down. Since we were right there, we chimed in with some loudspeaker support to let the Iraqis know what it was we were attempting to do... Somehow along the way, somebody had

5577:

on customised ATVs, marking targets for coalition airstrikes resulting in the eventual destruction of a large number of Iraqi armoured vehicles and anti aircraft systems. Delta's reconnaissance of the dam indicated that a larger force would be needed to seize it, so a request was made and approved

5503:

had largely broken the will of the Iraqi Army and only the Fedayeen remained in Kirkuk. The first ODA units entered the city the next day; a week later the 173rd Airborne took over responsibility for the city. After some minor skirmishes the Fedayeen fled. Staging out of MSS Grizzly, Delta mounted

4997:

launched several counterattacks. The Marines managed to repel them using indirect fire and close air support. The last Iraqi attack was beaten off at dawn. The battalion estimated that 200–300 Iraqi soldiers were killed, without a single U.S. casualty. Nasiriyah was declared secure, but attacks by

4613:

One bomb missed the compound entirely and the other three missed their target, landing on the other side of the wall of the palace compound. Saddam Hussein was not present, nor were any members of the Iraqi leadership. The attack killed one civilian and injured fourteen others, including four men,

3554:

In fact, Iraq had no offensive UAV fleet or any capability of putting UAVs on ships. Iraq's UAV fleet consisted of less than a handful of outdated Czech training drones. At the time, there was a vigorous dispute within the intelligence community whether the CIA's conclusions about Iraq's UAV fleet

7024:

During his 2003–2004 interrogation, Saddam asserted that the majority of Iraq's WMD stockpiles had been destroyed in the 1990s by UN inspectors, and the remainder were destroyed unilaterally by Iraq; the illusion of maintaining a WMD program and WMDs was maintained as a deterrent against possible

6714:

took place in the days following the 2003 invasion. According to U.S. officials, the "reality of the situation on the ground" was that hospitals, water plants, and ministries with vital intelligence needed security more than other sites. There were only enough U.S. troops on the ground to guard a

6494:

The U.S.-led coalition forces toppled the government and captured the key cities of a large nation in only 26 days. The invasion did require a large army build-up like the 1991 Gulf War, but many did not see combat and many were withdrawn after the invasion ended. This proved to be short-sighted,

6270:

Members of the coalition included Australia: 2,000 invasion, Poland: 200 invasion—2,500 peak, Spain: 1,300 invasion, United Kingdom: 46,000 invasion, United States: 150,000 to 250,000 invasion. Other members of the coalition were Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Colombia, Costa

4723:

on the invasion route. He waved at a group of Iraqis, but instead of waving back, they began attacking the American tanks with AK-47 rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, and mortars. Because these types of paramilitary forces were well-armed, but indistinguishable from civilians, they would come to

3329:

George W. Bush, speaking in October 2002, said that "The stated policy of the United States is regime change. ... However, if Saddam were to meet all the conditions of the United Nations, the conditions that I have described very clearly in terms that everybody can understand, that in itself will

2993:

his forces. Strikes against Iraq's generals were more successful and significantly degraded the Iraqi command's ability to react to, and maneuver against, the U.S.-led invasion force. SAD operations officers successfully convinced key Iraqi Army officers to surrender their units once the fighting

2580:

The main body of coalition forces continued their drive into the heart of Iraq and were met with little resistance. Most of the Iraqi military was quickly defeated and the coalition occupied Baghdad on 9 April. Other operations occurred against pockets of the Iraqi Army, including the capture and

6918:

stated in an article on the matter that "the normal diplomatic tools—sanctions, persuasion, pressure, UN resolutions—have all been tried, during 12 deadly but failed years" then giving a mild conditional support to the war stating that "if Mr Hussein refuses to disarm, it would be right to go to

6726:

was soon called into Iraq to track down the stolen items. It was found that the initial allegations of looting of substantial portions of the collection were heavily exaggerated. Initial reports asserted a near-total looting of the museum, estimated at upwards of 170,000 inventory lots, or about

5589:

and GMVs against the Haditha Dam complex. Three platoons of Rangers seized the dams' administrative buildings with little initial opposition, while a pair of AH-6M Six Guns orbited overhead. After daybreak, a Ranger sniper shot and killed 3 Iraqis carrying RPGs on the western side of the dam and

5507:

The successful occupation of Kirkuk came after approximately two weeks of fighting that included the Battle of the Green Line (the unofficial border of the Kurdish autonomous zone) and the subsequent Battle of Kani Domlan Ridge (the ridgeline running northwest to southeast of Kirkuk), the latter

5460:

augmented the invasion's northern front by parachuting into northern Iraq onto Bashur Airfield, controlled at the time by elements of 10th SFG and Kurdish peshmerga. The fall of Kirkuk on 10 April 2003 to the 10th SFG, CIA Paramilitary Teams and Kurdish peshmerga precipitated the 173rd's planned

5276:

Previously, 16 (Air) Troop of D squadron conducted mounted reconnaissance of an Iraqi army facility near the Syrian border, followed by a harassing attack on the site, two other troops had conducted mobile ambushes on Iraqi units in the area, although they themselves were being hunted by a large

5009:

By 28 March, a severe sandstorm slowed the coalition advance as the 3rd Infantry Division halted its northward drive halfway between Najaf and Karbala. Air operations by helicopters, poised to bring reinforcements from the 101st Airborne, were blocked for three days. There was particularly heavy

3485:

observed at the time, while "ources knowledgeable about U.S. intelligence say there is no evidence that Saddam played a role in the 11 Sept. attacks, nor that he has been or is currently aiding Al Qaeda. ... the White House appears to be encouraging this false impression, as it seeks to maintain

3350:, possessed, and made efforts to acquire, particularly considering two previous attacks on Baghdad nuclear weapons production facilities by both Iran and Israel which were alleged to have postponed weapons development progress; and, further, that he had ties to terrorists, specifically al-Qaeda. 7065:

for 2003 included no more than the statement: "Following the end of major hostilities which resulted in the occupation of Iraq..." A similar report from the Security Council was similarly terse in its reference to the event: "Following the cessation of hostilities in Iraq in April 2003 ..." The

6651:

on 23 March, the bodies of several U.S. soldiers who had been killed in the ambush were shown on Iraqi television. Some of these soldiers had visible gunshot wounds to the head, leading to speculation that they had been executed. Except for Sgt. Donald Walters, no evidence has since surfaced to

4511:

at a remote location outside al-Qa'im and awaited the arrival of B squadron, who had driven overland from Jordan. Their approach to the plant was compromised, and a firefight developed which ended in one 'pinkie' having to be abandoned and destroyed. Repeated attempts to assault the plant were

3385:

stated, in an answer to a parliamentary question, that "Regime change in Iraq would be a wonderful thing. That is not the purpose of our action; our purpose is to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction..." In November of that year, Blair further stated that, "So far as our objective, it is

2831:

to deployment, which was a very compressed road for the 101st Airborne Division, started with a seminar on military operations in urban terrain, because that was viewed as the decisive event in the takedown of the regime in Iraq that and finding and destroying the weapons of mass destruction."

14890:

The Awqaf Library (Library of the Ministry of Religious En- dowments), which contained 8,500 Islamic manuscript codices (an ancient type of book) in Ara-bic, as well as hundreds of manu-scripts in Persian and Ottoman Turkish. It also contained ancient illuminated Korans. Its oldest work was a

7185:

for U.S. forces in the Middle East and State Department's envoy to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, called Iraq "maybe six or seven," in terms of U.S. Middle East priorities, adding that "the affordability line may be drawn around five." However, while commander of CENTCOM, Zinni held a very

5468:

On 2 April, Delta was engaged by half a dozen armed technicals from the same anti-special forces Fedayeen that had previously fought the SBS. Two Delta operators were wounded (one serious); the squadron requested an urgent aeromedical evacuation and immediate close-air support as a company of

4698:

military campaign attempting to bypass Iraqi military units and cities in most cases. The assumption was that superior mobility and coordination of coalition forces would allow them to attack the heart of the Iraqi command structure and destroy it in a short time, and that this would minimize

4346:

containing 20 million submunitions during the 1991 Gulf War, and 13,000 cluster munitions containing two million submunitions during the 2003 invasion and subsequent insurgency. Thousands of unexploded munitions from the invasion and previous wars, including cluster munitions, mines and other

6993:

The central U.S. justification for launching the war was that Saddam Hussein's alleged development of nuclear and biological weapons and purported ties to al-Qaeda made his regime a "grave and growing" threat to the United States and the world community. During the lead-up to the war and the

6055:

Iraqi military elite and/or the Ba'ath party itself to stand down. In May 2003, General Franks retired, and confirmed in an interview with Defense Week that the U.S.-led coalition had paid Iraqi military leaders to defect. The extent of the defections and their effect on the war are unclear.

5792: 5673:

Bravo company turned its attention to Ar Rutbah, signals intercepts by SOT-A (Support Operations Team – Alpha) and an informer network among the Bedouins as well as inhabitants of the town indicated that around 800 Fedayeen remained in the town; Fedayeen patrols from the town were engaged by

5370:

to suppress the entrenched terrorists, his actions allowed the Peshmerga to bring forward their own 82 mm Mortars and Grads which forced the Ansar al-Islam fighters to retreat. Task Force Viking advanced to secure the Daramar Gorge – which was surrounded by caves in the rock walls – the

5336:

On 28 March 2003, the ground element of Operation Viking Hammer was finally launched with a six-pronged advance, each prong was composed of several ODAs from 3rd Battalion, 10th SFG and upwards of 1,000 Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. The main advance set off towards Sargat – the location of the

3724:

The legality of the invasion of Iraq under international law has been challenged since its inception on a number of fronts, and several prominent supporters of the invasion in all the invading states have publicly and privately cast doubt on its legality. It has been argued by US and British

5055:

The 1st Brigade Combat Team's air defense battery supported by a COLT (combat observation lasing team) and the Brigade Recon Troop moved in to secure the bridge at Al Kifl late on 24 March 03. When the ADA company was unable to secure the western bank of the bridge the commander called for

4252:

and took part in the fighting, usually commanded by the Fedayeen Saddam. It is not known for certain how many foreign fighters fought in Iraq in 2003, however, intelligence officers of the U.S. First Marine Division estimated that 50% of all Iraqi combatants in central Iraq were foreigners.

5001:

With the Nasiriyah and Tallil Airfields secured, coalition forces gained an important logistical center in southern Iraq and established FOB/EAF Jalibah, some 10 miles (16 km) outside Nasiriyah. Additional troops and supplies were soon brought through this forward operating base. The

4132:

his generals, they were successful in effectively ending the ability to command and control Iraqi forces. Other strikes against key generals were successful and significantly degraded the command's ability to react to and maneuver against the U.S.-led invasion force coming from the south.

7082:

Criticisms about the evidence used to justify the war notwithstanding, many opponents of military intervention objected, saying that a diplomatic solution would be preferable, and that war should be reserved as a truly last resort. This position was exemplified by French Foreign Minister

5361:

and suppressed the gun positions allowing the Peshmerga to assault and wipe out the terrorists. After capturing the town of Gulp, the force continued onto the village of Sargat; the village was heavily defended by fortified fighting positions mounting DShKs and mortars along with several

5125:

destroyed 14 Iraqi tanks on 27 March. A few members of D Squadron, British SAS, were deployed to southern Iraq to support the coalition advance on Basra. The team conducted forward route reconnaissance and infiltrated the city and brought in strikes on the Ba'athist loyalist leadership.

4260:

controlled a small section of northern Iraq in an area outside Saddam Hussein's control. Ansar al-Islam had been fighting against secular Kurdish forces since 2001. At the time of the invasion they fielded about 600 to 800 fighters. Ansar al-Islam was led by the Jordanian-born militant

6601:, a group that relies on press reports, NGO-based reports and official figures to measure civilian casualties, approximately 7,500 civilians were killed during the invasion phase. The Project on Defense Alternatives study estimated that 3,200–4,300 civilians died during the invasion. 6835:. These reporters signed contracts with the military that limited what they were allowed to report on. When asked why the military decided to embed journalists with the troops, Lt. Col. Rick Long of the U.S. Marine Corps replied, "Frankly, our job is to win the war. Part of that is 2697:

the preceding August (after some had been accused of spying for the U.S.), the act provided $ 97 million for Iraqi "democratic opposition organizations" to "establish a program to support a transition to democracy in Iraq." This legislation contrasted with the terms set out in

4998:

Iraqi Fedayeen continued. These attacks were uncoordinated, and resulted in firefights that killed many Fedayeen. Because of Nasiriyah's strategic position as a road junction, significant gridlock occurred as U.S. forces moving north converged on the city's surrounding highways.

4646:) engaged Iraqi visual observation posts along the southern and western borders of Iraq. Within seven hours, more than 70 sites were destroyed, effectively depriving the Iraqi military of any early warning of the coming invasion. As the sites were eliminated, the first heliborne 3405:

in 2002, however, reported that it was highly unlikely that the tubes could be used to enrich uranium. Powell later admitted he had presented an inaccurate case to the United Nations on Iraqi weapons, based on sourcing that was wrong and in some cases "deliberately misleading."

6615:

Fedayeen Saddam militia, Republican Guard and Iraqi security forces were reported to have executed Iraqi soldiers who tried to surrender on multiple occasions, as well as threatening the families of those who refused to fight. One such incident was directly observed during the

4933:, was ambushed after taking a wrong turn into the city. Eleven U.S. soldiers were killed, and seven, including Lynch and Johnson, were captured. Piestewa died of wounds shortly after capture, while the remaining five prisoners of war were later rescued. Piestewa, who was from 7217:", Scowcroft wrote that, "Possibly the most dire consequences would be the effect in the region ... there would be an explosion of outrage against us ... the results could well destabilize Arab regimes", and, "could even swell the ranks of the terrorists." In an October 2015 5352:

on the Ansar al-Islam machine gun nests and strafed the positions with 20 mm cannon before departing due to being low on fuel. The advance began again only to be halted once more by fire from prepared DShK and PKM machine gun nests, Green Berets from ODA 081 deployed a

2823:(IIS). Some Bush advisers favored an immediate invasion of Iraq, while others advocated building an international coalition and obtaining United Nations authorization. Bush eventually decided to seek UN authorization, while still reserving the option of invading without it. 2935:, which authorized the President to "use any means necessary" against Iraq. Americans polled in January 2003 widely favored further diplomacy over an invasion. Later that year, however, Americans began to agree with Bush's plan. The U.S. government engaged in an elaborate 5235:(known as "Wolverines"), accompanied by several Air Force Special Tactics teams, a Delta intelligence and Target Acquisition, several military working dog teams and two Iraqi-American interpreters, was the first US SOF unit to enter western Iraq, crossing the border from 5464:

Following the Battle of Haditha Dam, Delta Force handed the dam over to the Rangers and headed north to conduct ambushes along the highway above Tikrit, tying up Iraqi forces in the region and attempting to capture fleeing high-value targets trying to escape to Syria.

7153:". Some critics of the war, particularly within the U.S. military community, argued pointedly against the conflation of Iraq and the war on terror, and criticized Bush for losing focus on the more important objective of fighting al-Qaeda. As Marine Lieutenant General 6668:, who later helped American forces rescue Lynch, stated that he saw an Iraqi Colonel slap Lynch while she was in her hospital bed. The staff at the hospital where Lynch was held later denied both stories, saying that Lynch was well cared for. While Lynch suffers from 5598:

at the blocking positions, the car was driven by a pregnant Iraqi woman acting distressed and asking for water. Rangers captured an Iraqi forward observer dressed as a civilian after sinking his kayak with .50cal fire, the observer had maps of the Rangers positions.

5293:; the SBS drove for several days while unknown to them anti-special forces Fedayeen units followed them. At an overnight position near Mosul, the Fedayeen ambushed the Squadron with DShK heavy machine guns and RPGs, the SBS returned fire and began taking fire from a 7252:

By July 2007, opposition to the Iraq war had increased to 62 percent among Americans in a USA Today\Gallup poll. On the tenth anniversary of the invasion, in March 2013, a Gallup poll found that 53 percent of Americans surveyed believed the Iraq War was a mistake.

5515:

On 11 April an advanced element from FOB 102 numbering no more than 30 Green Berets advanced into Mosul. The advance had followed several days of heavy airstrikes on three Iraqi divisions defending Mosul. On 13 April, 3rd Battalion 3rd SFG and a battalion from the

4455:, who commanded the invasion of Iraq, has since admitted that the bombing was designed to "degrade" Iraqi air defences in the same way as the air attacks that began the 1991 Gulf War. These "spikes of activity" were, in the words of then British Defence Secretary, 4498:

launch site or a depot; an SAS officer was quoted by author Mark Nicol as saying "it was a location where missiles had been fired at Israel in the past, and a site of strategic importance for WMD material." The 60 members of D squadron, along with their 'Pinkie'

3106:

to discuss the invasion of Iraq and Spain's potential involvement in the war, as well as the beginning of the invasion. This encounter was extremely controversial in Spain, even now remaining a very sensitive point for the Aznar government. Almost a year later,

2896:

The United Kingdom agreed with the U.S. actions, while France and Germany were critical of plans to invade Iraq, arguing instead for continued diplomacy and weapons inspections. After considerable debate, the UN Security Council adopted a compromise resolution,

5536: 4910:. The city was defended by a mix of regular Iraqi army units, Ba'ath loyalists, and Fedayeen from both Iraq and abroad. The United States Army 3rd Infantry Division defeated Iraqi forces entrenched in and around the airfield and bypassed the city to the west. 4749:

in about three weeks. The oil infrastructure of Iraq was rapidly seized and secured with limited damage in that time. Securing the oil infrastructure was considered of great importance. In the first Gulf War, while retreating from Kuwait, the Iraqi army had

2589:

Saddam Hussein and the central leadership went into hiding as the coalition forces completed the occupation of the country. On 1 May, President George W. Bush declared an end to major combat operations: this ended the invasion period and began the period of

6228:

announcing the end of major combat operations in the Iraq war. Bush's landing was criticized by opponents as an unnecessarily theatrical and expensive stunt. Clearly visible in the background was a banner stating "Mission Accomplished." The banner, made by

6627:

were reported from various towns in Iraq. Iraqi Republican Guard units were also reported to be using human shields. Some reports indicate that the Fedayeen used ambulances to deliver messages and transport fighters into combat. On 31 March, Fedayeen in a

6550:

attacks by irregular Iraqi forces, few U.S. and UK tanks were lost, and no tank crew-members were killed by hostile fire, although nearly 40 M1 Abrams were damaged in the attacks. The only tank loss sustained by the British Army was a Challenger 2 of the

5631:

crossed the Kuwait border at H-Hour with ODA 531 using breaching demolition charges to clear a path through the sand berms. Charlie company's seven ODAs in 35 vehicles took the southeastern operation box of the western desert heading towards the towns of

2431:

The coalition sent 160,000 troops into Iraq during the initial invasion phase, which lasted from 19 March to 1 May. About 73% or 130,000 soldiers were American, with about 45,000 British soldiers (25%), 2,000 Australian soldiers (1%), and ~200 Polish

6686:

to approach an American unit securing a bridge. After getting close to the soldiers, the Iraqis suddenly opened fire, killing 10 soldiers and wounding 40. In response, American forces reinforced security procedures for dealing with prisoners of war.

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some long-standing U.S. allies, including the governments of France, Germany, and New Zealand. Their leaders argued that there was no evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and that invading that country was not justified in the context of

6935:. The war in Iraq provided the first time in history that military on the front lines were able to provide direct, uncensored reportage themselves, thanks to blogging software and the reach of the internet. Dozens of such reporting sites, known as 4465:

reported, to "provoke Saddam Hussein into giving the allies an excuse for war". In this respect, as provocations designed to start a war, leaked British Foreign Office legal advice concluded that such attacks were illegal under international law.

5901:, and non-Iraqi Arab volunteers. Initial plans were for coalition units to surround the city and gradually move in, forcing Iraqi armor and ground units to cluster into a central pocket in the city, and then attack with air and artillery forces. 6874:

was using Fox News to advocate an invasion. Critics have argued that this statistic is indicative of misleading coverage by the U.S. media since viewers in other countries were less likely to have these beliefs. A post-2008 election poll by

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on 9 April. Pre-existing electrical and water shortages continued throughout the conflict and looting began as Iraqi forces collapsed. While coalition forces began working with local Iraqi Police to enforce order, a joint team composed of

10264: 4167:. April Fool then sold the Iraqi false "top secret" invasion plans provided by Franks' team. This deception misled the Iraqi military into deploying major forces in northern and western Iraq in anticipation of attacks by way of Turkey or 7194:

Besides arguing that Iraq was not the top strategic priority in the war on terrorism or in the Middle East, critics of the war also suggested that it could potentially destabilize the surrounding region. Prominent among such critics was

7060:

said in an interview with the BBC in September 2004, "rom our point of view and from the Charter point of view was illegal." This drew immediate criticism from the United States and was immediately played down. His annual report to the

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While it never made an explicit connection between Iraq and the 11 September attacks, the George W. Bush administration repeatedly insinuated a link, thereby creating a false impression for the U.S. public. Grand jury testimony from the

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More serious for the post-war state of Iraq was the looting of cached weaponry and ordnance which fueled the subsequent insurgency. As many as 250,000 tons of explosives were unaccounted for by October 2004. Disputes within the

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Peshmerga were again engaged by small arms fire and RPGs which it and the ODAs returned fire with heavy weapons, however, it became obvious that they could not advance any further without air support. To dislodge the terrorists, the

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divisions blocking the Karbala Gap. Here these forces suffered heavy coalition air attacks. However, the coalition had since the beginning of March been conducting a strategic deception operation to convince the Iraqis that the U.S.

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Iranian invasion. An FBI agent who interrogated Saddam during this time also believes that while Iraq may not have possessed WMDs after the 1990s, Saddam likely intended to restart the WMD program if given the opportunity to do so.

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Throughout 2002, the Bush administration insisted that removing Saddam from power to restore international peace and security was a major goal. The principal stated justifications for this policy of "regime change" were that Iraq's

3223:

that the Iraqis wanted to discuss the accusations that the country had weapons of mass destruction and ties with Al-Qaeda. Iraq also attempted to reach the U.S. through the Syrian, French, German, and Russian intelligence services.

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We could never have all got together like this in Baghdad, or anywhere else," he told me. "It would have been impossibly dangerous. Here, we were not only safe, but we were only a few hundred metres away from the entire al-Qaida

5924:

This plan soon became unnecessary, as an initial engagement of armored units south of the city saw most of the Republican Guard's assets destroyed and routes in the southern outskirts of the city occupied. On 5 April, Task Force

5582:. C-17 flew the company from Tallil to H-1 and then to MSS (Mission Support Site) Grizzly – a desert strip established by Delta Force located between Haditha and Tikrit; C Squadron, Delta Force was flown directly to MSS Grizzly. 4965:

that resulted in the death of six Marines when it accidentally attacked an American amphibious vehicle. Two other vehicles were destroyed when a barrage of RPG and small arms fire killed most of the Marines inside. A Marine from

2706:. The campaign's express rationale was to hamper Saddam Hussein's government's ability to produce chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, but U.S. intelligence personnel also hoped it would help weaken Saddam's grip on power. 6816:

The U.S. invasion of Iraq was the most widely and closely reported war in military history. Television network coverage was largely pro-war and viewers were six times more likely to see a pro-war source as one who was anti-war.

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gotten the idea to put a bunch of Iraqi kids onto the wrecker that was to pull the statue down. While the wrecker was pulling the statue down, there were Iraqi children crawling all over it. Finally they brought the statue down.

4061:

Plans to open a second front in the north were severely hampered when Turkey refused the use of its territory for such purposes. In response to Turkey's decision, the United States dropped several thousand paratroopers from the

2392:. The invasion began on 20 March 2003 and lasted just over one month, including 26 days of major combat operations, in which a United States-led combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and 3441:

trials cited numerous direct linkages from the bombers to Baghdad and Department 13 of the Iraqi Intelligence Service in that initial attack marking the second anniversary to vindicate the surrender of Iraqi armed forces in

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ran a number of articles describing Saddam Hussein's attempts to build weapons of mass destruction. The 8 September 2002 article titled "U.S. Says Hussein Intensifies Quest for A-Bomb Parts" would be discredited, leading

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Critics within this vein have further argued that containment would have been an effective strategy for the Saddam government, and that the top U.S. priorities in the Middle East should be encouraging a solution to the

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offered petroleum concessions but stopped short of having Saddam give up power, instead suggesting that elections could be held in two years. Later, Obeidi suggested that Hage travel to Baghdad for talks; he accepted.

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This campaign featured a variety of new terminology, much of it initially coined by the U.S. government or military. The military official name for the invasion was Operation Iraqi Freedom. Also notable was the usage

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would authorize military intervention in Iraq. It became increasingly clear that U.N. authorization would require significant further weapons inspections. Many criticized their effort as unwise, immoral, and illegal.

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saying, "From a marketing point of view, you don't introduce new products in August." Bush began formally making his case to the international community for an invasion of Iraq in his 12 September 2002 address to the

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for more information about Turkey's policy during the invasion look, Ali Balci and Murat Yesiltas, "Turkey's New Middle East Policy: The Case of the Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Iraq's Neighboring Countries",

9713: 7017:, which was later corroborated by an April 2006 report from the Defense Department's inspector general. These reports further alleged that Bush Administration officials, particularly former undersecretary of defense 10240: 3290:

A few days later, he informed Hage that Washington refused to let him meet with Habbush to discuss the offer (Hage stated that Perle's response was "that the consensus in Washington was it was a no-go"). Perle told

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summit, declared that, "should Iraqi President Saddam Hussein choose not to disarm, the United States will lead a coalition of the willing to disarm him." Thereafter, the Bush administration briefly used the term

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Since the invasion, assertions of operational links between the Iraqi regime and al-Qaeda have largely been discredited by the intelligence community, and Secretary Powell himself later admitted he had no proof.

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Another attempt at provoking the war was mentioned in a leaked memo from a meeting between George W. Bush and Tony Blair on 31 January 2003 at which Bush allegedly told Blair that "The US was thinking of flying

3676: 2650:(UNSCOM) which had been charged with the post-war disarmament of Saddam's Iraq. The investigation concluded that the program had not continued after the war. The U.S. and its allies then maintained a policy of " 5657:, the convoy was thrown into disarray, a sandstorm prevented the ODA calling in airstrikes and the convoy scattered into the desert. Bravo company 5th SFG and the coalition SOF secured the airfield, finding a 5504:

operations to interdict Ba'ath Party HVTs on Highway 1 (Highway 2 and 4 in western Iraq had been secured by British SAS and Australian SAS teams), on 9 April, the combined team seized an airfield near Tikrit.

3506:

alleged that Cheney was continuing "to intentionally mislead the American public by drawing a link between Saddam Hussein and 9/11 in an attempt to make the invasion of Iraq part of the global war on terror."

5670:

flown by an unmarked CIA SAD Air Branch Little Bird on 28 March for further interrogation. Additionally, ODA 523 discovered what may have been chemical weapons samples in a laboratory on the grounds of H-3.

4139:

which was a campaign to plant stories about Iraq's WMDs in the media and boost support for the invasion. MI6 also went on to bribe many of Saddam's closest allies to turn over information and intelligence.

3570:

As evidence supporting U.S. and British charges about Iraqi Weapons of mass destruction and links to terrorism weakened, some supporters of the invasion have increasingly shifted their justification to the

16005: 6287:, Kuwait, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Palau, Panama, the Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Singapore, Slovakia, Solomon Islands, 2702:, which focused on weapons and weapons programs and made no mention of regime change. One month after the passage of the Iraq Liberation Act, the U.S. and UK launched a bombardment campaign of Iraq called 10139: 4228:

Another estimate numbers the Army and Republican Guard at between 280,000 and 350,000 and 50,000 to 80,000, respectively, and the paramilitary between 20,000 and 40,000. There were an estimated thirteen

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and other resolutions calling for the end of Iraq's occupation of Kuwait and withdrawal of Iraqi forces from Kuwaiti territory and (2) "restore international peace and security in the area." Resolution

9249:

Thirteenth quarterly report of the Executive Chairman of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission in accordance with paragraph 12 of Security council resolution 1284 (1999)

2909:, publicly confirmed this reading of the resolution, assuring that Resolution 1441 provided no "automaticity" or "hidden triggers" for an invasion without further consultation of the Security Council. 9744: 24397: 10284: 6178:, who was a member of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, was also held there and released in 2008. All these factors contributed to Iraq's sectarian violence and the formation and spread of terrorist organizations. 10648: 7446: 4109:) paramilitary teams entered Iraq in July 2002 before the 2003 invasion. Once on the ground they prepared for the subsequent arrival of US and British military forces. SAD teams then combined with 3708:

strategy of delay, evasion, and noncompliance and promptly and strictly complies with all relevant Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq." The resolution authorized President Bush to use the

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of the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division executed a raid, later called the "Thunder Run", to test remaining Iraqi defenses, with 29 tanks and 14 Bradley armored fighting vehicles advancing to the

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launched a "Thunder Run", an armored thrust through Najaf's city center, and, with air support, defeated the Iraqi forces after several days of heavy fighting. The city was secured by 4 April.

9917:, 6 February 2003. Retrieved 24 May 2007. (Part 5 on "Iraq's Biological Weapons Program" inc. still photo of Powell with sample anthrax vial from Powell's presentation of 5 February 2003.) Cf. 8722: 7074:

and other resolutions calling for the end of Iraq's occupation of Kuwait and withdrawal of Iraqi forces from Kuwaiti territory and (2) "restore international peace and security in the area."

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Another justification included the alleged connection between the regime of Saddam Hussein and that of terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda that had attacked the United States during the

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Staff Sergeant Brian Plesich, team leader, Tactical Psychological Operations Team 1153, 305th Psychological Operations Company, interview by Lieutenant Colonel Dennis Cahill, 31 May 2003 in

6526:

tanks, the most powerful armored vehicles in the Iraqi army, were both outdated and ill-maintained, and when they were mobilized they were rapidly destroyed, thanks in part to the coalition

6058:

U.S.-led coalition troops promptly began searching for the key members of Saddam Hussein's government. These individuals were identified by a variety of means, most famously through sets of

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or milblogs, were started during the war. These blogs were more often than not largely pro-war and stated various reasons why the soldiers and Marines felt they were doing the right thing.

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The alliance between members of AQI and ex-Ba'athist was also strengthened by many of them finding themselves thrown together in United States detention centers in Iraq such as Camp Bucca.

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Additional justifications used at various times included Iraqi violation of UN resolutions, the Iraqi government's repression of its citizens, and Iraqi violations of the 1991 cease-fire.

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and had dumped oil into the Gulf waters; this was to disguise troop movements and to distract coalition forces. Before the 2003 invasion, Iraqi forces had mined some 400 oil wells around

4143:

SAD operations officers were also successful in convincing key Iraqi army officers to surrender their units once the fighting started and/or not to oppose the invasion force. NATO member

3911:

A U.S. Central Command, Combined Forces Air Component Commander report, indicated that, as of 30 April 2003, 466,985 U.S. personnel were deployed for the invasion of Iraq. This included;

3251:, had expressed frustrations about the difficulties of Syria contacting the United States, and had attempted to use him as an intermediary. Maloof arranged for Hage to meet with civilian 13366: 6134:, dissolving the Iraqi Army and other entities of the former Ba'athist state. Ba'athists were excluded from the newly formed Iraqi government. The first postwar election was won by the 5109:

was the first British obstacle. A joint Polish-British-American force ran into unexpectedly stiff resistance, and it took several days to clear the Iraqi forces out. Farther north, the

7333:

interview with Clinton dated 8 June 1994), and used by the Bush administration for the countries contributing troops in the invasion, of which the U.S. and UK were the primary members.

6025:

The fall of Baghdad saw the outbreak of regional, sectarian violence throughout the country, as Iraqi tribes and cities began to fight each other over old grudges. The Iraqi cities of

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it ended, and that the failure to occupy cities put them at a major disadvantage in achieving security and order throughout the country when local support failed to meet expectations.

2626:

were suspended on 28 February 1991, with a cease-fire negotiated between the UN coalition and Iraq. The U.S. and its allies tried to keep Saddam in check with military actions such as

10866: 10859:"Iraq Invasion Violated International Law, Dutch Inquiry Finds: Investigation into the Netherlands' Support for 2003 War Finds Military Action was Not Justified under UN Resolutions" 4430:

dropped on Iraqi positions by coalition aircraft in 2001 and 2002 was less than in 1999 and 2000 which was during the Clinton administration. However, information obtained by the UK

4205:

before the war was uncertain, but it was believed to have been poorly equipped. The International Institute for Strategic Studies estimated the Iraqi armed forces to number 389,000 (

17376: 15065: 6690:

Marine Sergeant Fernando Padilla-Ramirez was reported missing from his supply unit after an ambush north of Nasiriyah on 28 March. His body was later dragged through the streets of

5043:, where U.S. airborne and armored units with British air support fought an intense battle with Iraqi Regulars, Republican Guard units, and paramilitary forces. It started with U.S. 2913: 2694: 2480: 1060: 1045: 10216: 24146: 11424: 3757:, passed on 29 November 1990. It authorizes "member states co-operating with the Government of Kuwait ... to use all necessary means" to (1) implement Security Council Resolution 3278:. They also wished to meet with high-ranking U.S. officials. On 19 February, Hage faxed Maloof his report of the trip. Maloof reports having brought the proposal to Jaymie Duran. 2252: 14926: 7070:, passed on 29 November 1990. It authorizes "member states co-operating with the Government of Kuwait... to use all necessary means" to (1) implement Security Council Resolution 6597:

Estimates on the number of casualties during the invasion in Iraq vary widely. Estimates on civilian casualties are more variable than those for military personnel. According to

5512:. The 173rd Brigade would eventually take responsibility for Kirkuk days later, becoming involved in the counterinsurgency fight and remain there until redeploying a year later. 5256:

On 18 March 2003, B and D Squadrons of the British 22nd SAS Regiment had now infiltrated Iraq in full strength (D Squadron by air and B Squadron by ground) along with 1 Squadron

4003:

fighters, estimated to number upwards of 70,000. In the latter stages of the invasion, 620 troops of the Iraqi National Congress opposition group were deployed to southern Iraq.

2788:

written by Rumsfeld in November 2001 considers an Iraq war. The rationale for invading Iraq as a response to 9/11 has been widely questioned, as there was no cooperation between

24392: 10994: 10101: 22368: 8003: 6518:

The Iraqi army, armed mainly with older Soviet and Eastern European built equipment, was overall ill-equipped in comparison to the American and British forces. Attacks on U.S.

6078:, and one of his grandsons were killed in a massive fire-fight. Saddam Hussein himself was captured on 13 December 2003 by the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division and members of 5474:

Delta positions and killed a large number of Iraqi infantry gathering in a wadi. The DAPs spotted several Iraqi units and engaged them until they were dangerously low on fuel.

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Similarly, alleged links between Iraq and al-Qaeda were called into question during the lead-up to the war, and were discredited by a 21 October 2004 report from U.S. Senator

6610: 3753:

The United Nations Security Council has passed nearly 60 resolutions on Iraq and Kuwait since Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. The most relevant to this issue is Resolution

3712:"as he determines to be necessary and appropriate" to "defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq; and enforce all relevant 2745:

meeting involved discussion of an invasion. O'Neill later backtracked, saying that these discussions were part of a continuation of foreign policy first put into place by the

12294: 9705: 20716: 13514: 6969:

Opponents of the military intervention in Iraq have attacked the decision to invade Iraq along a number of lines, including the human cost of war, calling into question the

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found that 48% of Americans believe Saddam played a role in the 9/11 attacks, the group concluded that "voters, once deceived, tend to stay that way despite all evidence."

6652:

support this scenario and it is generally accepted that the soldiers were killed in action. Five live prisoners of war were also interviewed on the air, a violation of the

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was killed by enemy fire, and two Marine engineers drowned in the Saddam Canal. The bridges were secured and the Second Marine division set up a perimeter around the city.

24361: 23313: 21425: 20139: 17613: 7500: 7466: 7066:

United Nations Security Council has passed nearly 60 resolutions on Iraq and Kuwait since Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. The most relevant to this issue is Resolution

4490:, designated as Task Force 14, crossed the border from Jordan to conduct a ground assault on a suspected chemical munitions site at a water-treatment plant in the city of 1423: 20647: 16231: 5121:

cleared the 'old quarter' of the city that was inaccessible to vehicles. Entering Basra was achieved after two weeks of fierce fighting, including a tank battle when the

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by Fedayeen militiamen were repulsed. The Iraqis' artillery proved largely ineffective, and they were unable to mobilize their air force to attempt a defense. The Iraqi

2733:

campaign platform in the 2000 election called for "full implementation" of the Iraq Liberation Act as "a starting point" in a plan to "remove" Saddam. After leaving the

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Johnson, I.M. "The impact on libraries and archives in Iraq of war and looting in 2003 – a preliminary assessment of the damage and subsequent reconstruction efforts".

9004: 8068: 24196: 24191: 19966: 10457: 9464: 2884:

While there had been some earlier talk of action against Iraq, the Bush administration waited until September 2002 to call for action, with White House Chief of Staff

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article, "I now regret that I did not more openly challenge those who were determined to invade a country whose actions were peripheral to the real threat—al-Qaeda."

6955:

featured almost twice as much information on the political background of the war. Al Jazeera also showed scenes of civilian casualties rarely seen in the U.S. media.

3270:. He was offered top priority to U.S. firms in oil and mining rights, UN-supervised elections, U.S. inspections (with up to 5,000 inspectors), to have al-Qaeda agent 24136: 8345:"UN INSPECTORS FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF PROHIBITED WEAPONS PROGRAMMES AS OF 18 MARCH WITHDRAWAL, HANS BLIX TELLS SECURITY COUNCIL | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases" 1124: 7561:

The conflict occasionally spilled over into Kuwait due to the Iraqi military firing missiles across the international border to attack American and Kuwaiti targets.

3788:

At the same time, Bush Administration officials advanced a parallel legal argument using the earlier resolutions, which authorized force in response to Iraq's 1990

24402: 16803: 10910: 6397:

and Naval Special Clearance Team ONE of the U.S. Navy and reopened, Umm Qasr played an important role in the shipment of humanitarian supplies to Iraqi civilians.

5607:

Intelligence indicated that chemical and biological weapons stocks may have been located at a complex known as al Qadisiyah Research Centre along the shore of the

4690:

Before the invasion, many observers had expected a longer campaign of aerial bombing before any ground action, taking as examples the 1991 Persian Gulf War or the

1450: 20584: 16002: 15770: 14436: 9862: 9029: 3330:

signal the regime has changed." Citing reports from certain intelligence sources, Bush stated on 6 March 2003 that he believed that Saddam was not complying with

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6x6 Special Operations Vehicles and several armed Toyota Hilux pick up trucks. As part of Task Force 20, their formal role was to conduct selected high-priority

3154: 3135: 2936: 2108: 14741: 9651: 8490: 2471:

had declared it had found no evidence of the existence of WMDs just before the start of the invasion. Others place a much greater emphasis on the impact of the

24321: 24091: 20926: 20736: 20268: 16346: 16052: 13726: 11973: 10953: 9159: 8417: 4953:

entered Nasiriyah in force, facing heavy resistance as they moved to secure two major bridges in the city. Several marines were killed during a firefight with

4474:

reconnaissance aircraft with fighter cover over Iraq, painted in UN colours. If Saddam fired on them, he would be in breach." On 17 March 2003, U.S. President

3992:

Approximately 148,000 soldiers from the United States, 50,000 British soldiers, 2,000 Australian soldiers and 194 Polish soldiers from the special forces unit

2674:

in the south from aerial attacks by the Iraqi government; and ongoing inspections. Iraqi military helicopters and planes regularly contested the no-fly zones.

2646:(BWC) of 1972. Details of the BW program—along with a chemical weapons program—surfaced after the Gulf War (1990–91) following investigations conducted by the 15468: 9832: 9736: 9580: 7149:

world, where the U.S. has sought to make terrorism the defining international security paradigm. Bush often described the Iraq War as a "central front in the

6894:

network, among many other independent networks including many journalists from the invading countries, provided reports on the Iraq war. In the United States

4825:. There they met with heavy resistance by Iraqi troops. A total of 14 coalition troops and 30–40 Iraqi troops were killed, and 450 Iraqis taken prisoner. The 24366: 24181: 24116: 20726: 18170: 17910: 17132: 10072: 4627: 16682:

Petraeus, D., Collins, J., White, N. (2017) Reflections by General David Petraeus, USA (ret.) on the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq (Vol. 1, pp. 150–167)

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and air bases. In one case two armored platoons were used to convince Iraqi leadership that an entire armored battalion was entrenched in the west of Iraq.

2963:

soldiers, were the first U.S. forces to enter Iraq, in July 2002, before the main invasion. Once on the ground, they prepared for the subsequent arrival of

24472: 24407: 24241: 24176: 18225: 18210: 17727: 13648: 12425: 9550: 8898: 2245: 16958: 14555: 10644: 8793: 7380:", Rumsfeld's term for European governments not supporting the war: "You're thinking of Europe as Germany and France. I don't. I think that's old Europe." 1129: 24552: 24477: 24211: 22242: 21454: 20460: 19089: 17925: 15216: 13163: 11799: 8607: 7410:, said at a campaign rally: "What we need now is not just a regime change in Saddam Hussein and Iraq, but we need a regime change in the United States." 6664:

that she was raped by her captors after her capture, based on medical reports and the pattern of her injuries, though this is not supported by Ms Lynch.

5578:

for a second Delta squadron from Fort Bragg to be dispatched with a further Ranger battalion, along with M1A1 Abrams tanks from C Company, 2nd Battalion

5146:

of the British Army rapidly set up and repaired dockyard facilities to allow humanitarian aid to begin to arrive from ships arriving in the port city of

4038:

issued an order to naval commanders to not do anything in support of the American-led operation, and it is not known whether this order was ever broken.

2425: 2319: 2217: 13700: 10674: 8377: 6994:

aftermath of the invasion, critics cast doubt on the evidence supporting this rationale. Concerning Iraq's weapons programs, prominent critics included

3704:, the resolution reiterated that it should be the policy of the United States to remove the Saddam Hussein regime and promote a democratic replacement. 23447: 22285: 21724: 19954: 19024: 9520: 6909:

have released gag orders to Fresh and Rotter news platforms preventing them releasing any information about events and action related to the invasion.

14021: 8293: 7973: 6295:, and Uzbekistan. BBC News said 15 other countries were "providing assistance, such as over-flight rights, but which do not want to declare support." 3023:, President Bush said "we know that Iraq, in the late 1990s, had several mobile biological weapons labs". On 5 February 2003, U.S. Secretary of State 22447: 20454: 20431: 19730: 16987: 15297: 14493: 9111: 8692: 6534:

operated with impunity throughout the country, pinpointing heavily defended resistance targets and destroying them before ground troops arrived. The

1868: 16072: 15494: 15141: 15099: 15025: 11863: 11831: 10838: 10493: 9904: 9490: 9051: 8973: 8735: 7875: 7849: 5488:

On 6 April 2003, ODA 391 and ODA 392 from the 3rd SFG and ODA 044 from 10th SFG with about 150 Kurdish fighters were the main force involved in the

5433:

instead took ten. On 22 March 2003, the majority of 2nd and 3rd Battalions 10th SFG, from Task Force Viking flew from their forward staging area in

5337:

suspected chemical and biological weapons site; the force was soon pinned down by DShK heavy machine-gun fire from the surrounding hills. A pair of

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attached to the ODAs vectored in US Navy F/A-18s which dropped six 500 lb JDAMs that shut down any further resistance. During the night, four

4124:, an ally of Al Qaeda, in a battle in the northeast corner of Iraq. The U.S. side was carried out by Paramilitary Officers from SAD and the Army's 3402: 3401:

for nuclear bombs. Powell, in his address to the UN Security Council just before the war, referred to the aluminum tubes. A report released by the

15636: 9798: 7291:" to refer to Fedayeen paramilitary forces. Members of the Saddam Hussein government were called by disparaging nicknames – e.g., "Chemical Ali" ( 5720:

After Sargat was taken, Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 10th SFG and CIA paramilitary officers along with their Kurdish allies pushed south towards

3364:

during a presentation to the United Nations Security Council on 5 February 2003 (still photograph captured from a video clip, The White House/CNN)

24547: 24387: 20942: 16580: 16095: 15875: 15362: 10371: 9775: 7229:

apologized for his 'mistakes' over Iraq War and admitted there were 'elements of truth' to the view that the invasion helped promote the rise of

7123:

attacks such as "Jacques Chirac has become the shame of Europe". Actually both newspapers expressed the opinion of their owner, U.S. billionaire

3770: 2238: 15520: 15340: 15198: 14634: 14151: 11142: 10190: 7612: 7047:

I believe it is against Britain's interests to create a precedent for unilateral military action." In addition, senior government legal advisor

4171:, which never took place. This greatly reduced the defensive capacity in the rest of Iraq and facilitated the actual attacks via Kuwait and the 23137: 19698: 17895: 17764: 16639: 16151: 15815: 15562: 10814: 9884: 9233: 7071: 7067: 6284: 6131: 3763: 3758: 3754: 3604: 2699: 1858: 882: 15592: 14178: 13441: 10935: 10162: 10002: 9087: 8552: 8529: 23778: 23773: 23768: 23763: 23758: 23753: 23634: 16198: 14959: 14689: 13856: 13826: 13374: 11119: 10783: 10053: 6427:

during the invasion. A total of 46,000 troops of all the British services were committed to the operation at its start, including some 5,000

5396:

construction. Estimates of Ansar al-Islam dead number over 300, many of them foreign fighters, while only 22 Peshmerga fighters were killed.

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Yamada, Seiji; Fawzi, Mary C. Smith; Maskarinec, Gregory G.; Farmer, Paul E. (2006). "Casualties: narrative and images of the war on Iraq".

14354: 11601: 10858: 9130: 7637: 6503:, U.S. Army Chief of Staff, recommended "several hundred thousand" troops be used to maintain post-war order, but then Secretary of Defense 4614:

nine women and one child. Later sources indicated that Saddam Hussein had not visited the farm since 1995, while others claimed that Saddam

3766:

has not been rescinded or nullified by succeeding resolutions and Iraq was not alleged after 1991 to invade Kuwait or to threaten to do so.

3551:

suggested in his presentation to the United Nations that UAVs were transported out of Iraq and could be launched against the United States.

3368:

The Bush administration's overall rationale for the invasion of Iraq was presented in detail by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to the

3119:, motivated by Spain's decision to participate in the Iraq war, prompting some Spaniards to accuse the Prime Minister of being responsible. 24522: 22714: 22575: 19309: 17606: 17584: 12179: 12113: 5093: 3457:

Later, Cheney called Iraq the "geographic base of the terrorists who had us under assault now for many years, but most especially on 9/11."

3323: 3043: 2776:'s culpability, and by mid-afternoon ordered the Pentagon to prepare plans for attacking Iraq. According to aides who were with him in the 1489: 1443: 16997: 16473: 14406: 12153: 11894: 11682: 11378: 10340: 9682: 8815: 8634: 6694:

and hung in the town square, and later taken down and buried by sympathetic locals. The corpse was discovered by U.S. forces on 10 April.

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been at the compound that morning, but had left before the strike, which Bush had ordered delayed until the 48-hour deadline had expired.

23299: 19959: 19019: 17321: 16116: 15978: 14581: 14060: 13280: 13241: 12781: 12456: 11398: 11345: 10257:"Iraq's 'hidden' chemical weapons: US 'covered up' discovery of chemical weapons after 2003 invasion – with many are now in Isis's hands" 10206: 5586: 5372: 5240: 4694:. In practice, U.S. plans envisioned simultaneous air and ground assaults to incapacitate the Iraqi forces quickly which resulted in the 2989:

against Saddam and his generals. Although the strike against Saddam was unsuccessful in killing him, it effectively ended his ability to

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President George W. Bush addresses the nation from the Oval Office, 19 March 2003, to announce the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

3733:, a group of 31 leading Canadian law professors, and the U.S.-based Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy, have denounced this rationale. 2630:, which was conducted by Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) with the mission of monitoring and controlling airspace south of the 24532: 23133: 22341: 20386: 17754: 16117:"Statement of General Anthony C. Zinni, Commander in Chief, US Central Command, before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Armed Services" 14933: 14214: 13555: 12599: 8868: 8116: 7100: 4986: 3326:, as well as Iraq's continued violations of UN Security Council resolutions, amounted to a threat to the U.S. and the world community. 1639: 15238: 14384: 13529: 12139: 10748: 6738:"Two great libraries, with priceless ancient collections"—the Awqaf Library (Library of the Ministry of Religious Endowments) and the 5528:

flights. The 26 MEU (SOC) maintained security of the Mosul airfield and surrounding area until relief by the 101st Airborne Division.

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that attracted between six and ten million people in more than 800 cities, the largest such protest in human history according to the

24527: 24517: 21342: 20746: 20343: 19029: 17801: 10581: 10545: 9911:... a Transcript of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's Presentation to the U.N. Security Council on the U.S. Case Against Iraq". 9576: 7995: 7398:

Many slogans and terms coined came to be used by Bush's political opponents, or those opposed to the war. For example, in April 2003

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A September 2003 poll revealed that seventy percent of Americans believed Saddam Hussein was involved in the attacks of 9/11. 80% of

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Many Iraqis celebrated the downfall of Saddam by vandalizing the many portraits and statues of him together with other pieces of his

4902:—a moderate-sized, Shi'ite-dominated city with important strategic significance as a major road junction and its proximity to nearby 4125: 3469:, observed in March 2003 that "he administration has succeeded in creating a sense that there is some connection ". This was after a 3462: 2960: 2421: 1575: 108: 16711: 11765: 11485: 8928: 24507: 21714: 18142: 17759: 17720: 17618: 15751: 13454:

n the first six weeks, coalition air forces flew more than 41,000 sorties and the USAF accounted for more than 24,000 of the total.

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Willing to face Death: A History of Kurdish Military Forces – the Peshmerga – from the Ottoman Empire to Present-Day Iraq (page 67)

7483: 7407: 5628: 5573:, securing the site as a staging area for operations in the west. Delta Force recce operators drove through Iraqi lines around the 5545: 4442:

The 5 September attacks included a 100+ aircraft attack on the main air defense site in western Iraq. According to an editorial in

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contained a computer-generated image of a "mobile biological weapons laboratory". However, this information was based on claims of

2726: 2526:, between 3 January and 12 April 2003, 36 million people across the globe took part in almost 3,000 protests against the Iraq war. 2324: 14463: 11027: 8184: 8050: 5594:

rocket system saw its first combat deployment at the dam – firing counter-battery missions, 3 Rangers were killed on 3 April by a

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was passed by Congress with Republicans voting 98% in favor in the Senate, and 97% in favor in the House. Democrats supported the

2752:

Despite the Bush administration's stated interest in invading Iraq, little formal movement towards an invasion occurred until the

24512: 24336: 23437: 23047: 22531: 22518: 22503: 22469: 22275: 22235: 20231: 20149: 18772: 18137: 17715: 17407: 16826: 14927:"Video and Other Material and Data acquired by Greenpeace International at and around the Iraq Tuwaitha Nuclear Site During 2003" 14846: 11282: 11259: 11094: 10967: 10722: 10404: 8764: 6004:

For an oppressed people this final act in the fading daylight, the wrenching down of this ghastly symbol of the regime, is their

5524:(Special Operations Capable), serving as Landing Force Sixth Fleet, deployed in April to Erbil and subsequently Mosul via Marine 5380:

completed, the 3rd Battalion and their Peshmerga returned to the green line to assist the push on Kirkuk and Mosul. A specialist

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to refer to the countries who supported, militarily or verbally, the military action in Iraq and subsequent military presence in

3747: 3658: 2808: 2742: 2500: 1685: 1436: 842: 144: 22614: 22464: 19209: 17316: 15844: 14103: 11458: 11309: 10523: 9182: 9166:

Remarks by the President in Address to the United Nations General Assembly, New York City", official transcript, press release,

7916: 7821: 5933:. They met significant resistance, but were successful in reaching the airport, and eventually secured it after heavy fighting. 2549:

and the surrounding petroleum fields, the main invasion army moved into southern Iraq, occupying the region and engaging in the

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from 1922 on. If we are going to help the Iraqi people build a new nation, we don't do it by letting their past be destroyed."

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were ordered to Mosul to relieve the 10th SFG and their Peshmerga allies. Further reinforcing operations in Northern Iraq, the

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after fierce fighting to capture the ridges overlooking the approaches to the city. The earlier capture of the nearby city of

3832:. He charged Cheney with manipulating the evidence of Iraq's weapons program, deceiving the public about Iraq's connection to 2920:(IAEA). Saddam accepted the resolution on 13 November and inspectors returned to Iraq under the direction of UNMOVIC chairman 24482: 24311: 22373: 22363: 21030: 20330: 20070: 20058: 19228: 18215: 17915: 17640: 17311: 17250: 17228: 16898: 16839: 16749: 16665: 16647: 16618: 16590: 16566: 16514: 15713: 15699: 15397: 15264: 14786: 14726: 14293: 14054: 13986: 13917: 13497: 13470: 13352: 13331: 13310: 13274: 13235: 13196: 13127: 13106: 13085: 13064: 13043: 13022: 12986: 12937: 12916: 12895: 12874: 12853: 12832: 12811: 12775: 12748: 12727: 12655: 12631: 12586: 12565: 12544: 12523: 12489: 12057: 12030: 11952: 11236: 11216: 10467: 10434: 10024: 9972: 9433: 9343: 9069: 8996: 8469: 8065: 7949: 7686: 7505: 7495: 7174: 6292: 5878: 5207: 5110: 4770:

during the closing hours of 19 March to secure the oil fields there; the amphibious assault was supported by warships of the

4691: 4356: 4067: 3275: 2464: 21008: 11425:"Labour claims its actions are lawful while it bombs Iraq, starves its people and sells arms to corrupt states, John Pilger" 9460: 8841: 7788: 7417:

talked about "Operation Iraqi liberation" in a 2003 press briefing, and "Operation Iraqi Liberation (OIL)" was also used by

24061: 23238: 23018: 22536: 21466: 21373: 20721: 20411: 19292: 18909: 17880: 17818: 17427: 17274: 16482: 16172:

Tony Blair apologises for 'mistakes' over Iraq War and admits 'elements of truth' to view that invasion helped rise of Isis

14824: 10622: 7230: 6798: 6276: 5815: 5811: 5675: 5616: 5566: 5562: 5064: 4993:, pushed through Nasiriyah and established a perimeter 15 km (9.3 miles) north of the city. Iraqi reinforcements from 4327: 3466: 3343: 3319: 2460: 1693: 1460: 1293: 12210: 8453:

An exception was Denmark, where even the popular opinion supported the invasion and Denmark as a member of the coalition.

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times as likely to see a pro-war source as one who was anti-war; with U.S. guests alone, the ratio increases to 25 to 1."

5839:

forearmed vehicles and GMV trucks while the hostage rescue element landed directly on the objective in MH-6 Little Birds.

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International coverage of the war differed from coverage in the U.S. in a number of ways. The Arab-language news channel

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has been critical of the reasons for the 2003 invasion and the alleged crimes committed by the U.S. authorities in Iraq.

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Resolution 1441 gave Iraq "a final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations" and set up inspections by the

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rescue mission. Launching from the recently captured airfield at Tallil, the rescue force consisted of 290 Rangers from

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out, preventing the ecological damage and loss of oil production capacity that had occurred at the end of the Gulf War.

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poll found that 61 percent of Americans surveyed stated that the U.S did not make the right decision by invading Iraq.

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poll showed that 45% of Americans believed Saddam Hussein was "personally involved" in the 11 September atrocities. As

3414: 3274:(in Iraqi custody since 1994) handed over as a sign of good faith, and to give "full support for any U.S. plan" in the 2985:

SAD teams also conducted missions behind enemy lines to identify leadership targets. These missions led to the initial

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on the Presidential Palace in Baghdad on 20 March 2003. The following day, coalition forces launched an incursion into

1975: 1616: 875: 19154: 16373: 13410: 11516: 10700: 9918: 8027: 7245:

poll, the day after the invasion, 76 percent of Americans supported the military action against Iraq. In a March 2003

3817:, Moreno Ocampo encouraged Iraq to sign up with the court so that it could bring cases related to alleged war crimes. 2780:

on that day, Rumsfeld asked for: "best info fast. Judge whether good enough hit Saddam Hussein at same time. Not only

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A combat camera video shows the 1 April 2003 footage of PFC Jessica Lynch on a stretcher during her rescue from Iraq.

5706: 5366:. Unable to call in airstrikes due to the close proximity of the Peshmerga, a Green Beret sergeant used a dismounted 4957:

in the urban fighting. At the Saddam Canal, another 18 marines were killed in heavy fighting with Iraqi soldiers. An

3709: 3697: 3638: 3220: 3050: 2964: 2647: 2642:(BW) program in Iraq had begun in the early 1980s with inadvertent help from the U.S. and Europe in violation of the 2071: 1960: 1698: 1555: 1550: 1372: 1088: 39: 16430: 16049: 15464: 13737: 12689: 12417: 9828: 9572: 9156: 7702: 6715:

certain number of the many sites that ideally needed protection, and so, apparently, some "hard choices" were made.

4326:, a magazine published by the US Army, published reports of the use of white phosphorus in the battle for Fallujah. 2495:. The discoveries of these chemical weapons did not support the government's invasion rationale. In September 2004, 23452: 22905: 22421: 21851: 21836: 21432: 21420: 20436: 19804: 19779: 19637: 19511: 19503: 19360: 19324: 19178: 19118: 18747: 18697: 18122: 17737: 17670: 17548: 17543: 17289: 13795: 9614: 7451: 7403: 7166: 7054: 6202: 5972: 4014:

who crewed American planes on missions in Iraq to train with the platforms, and eleven Canadian aircrew who manned

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A study found that in the lead up to the Iraq War, most U.S. sources were overwhelmingly in favor of the invasion.

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bridge, forcing the Iraqi army and Fedayeen to flee toward Baghdad while being harassed by Marine Corps aircraft.

2940:

found in combat. By February 2003, 64% of Americans supported taking military action to remove Saddam from power.

2487:, shells or aviation bombs were discovered during the Iraq War, but these had been built and abandoned earlier in 24537: 24497: 23992: 23179: 22426: 22416: 21709: 21695: 21447: 21097: 20910: 20895: 20741: 20416: 20401: 20366: 20349: 19850: 19794: 19784: 19424: 19380: 19124: 19094: 18982: 18074: 17982: 17784: 17650: 17596: 17570: 15916: 15896: 14240: 12272: 8670: 7510: 7062: 7034: 6723: 6059: 5890: 5341: 4635: 4503:(the last time the vehicles were used before their retirement), were flown 120 km (75 miles) into Iraq in 6 4055: 3726: 3713: 3544: 3524: 3438: 3369: 3028: 3020: 2890: 2437: 2417: 2358: 2197: 2155: 2016: 1965: 1927: 1611: 1560: 1396: 1250: 703: 17732: 14547: 9542: 8902: 24462: 24007: 23997: 23897: 23806: 22998: 22920: 21313: 20731: 20376: 20176: 20099: 20075: 19927: 19855: 19723: 19603: 19546: 19536: 19531: 19107: 18587: 18004: 17997: 17555: 17412: 17383: 17294: 15669: 12397: 11924: 11651: 11146: 10907: 6496: 6390: 5521: 4850: 4814: 4741:, 2 April 2003. The dark streaks are smoke from oil well fires set in an attempt to hinder attacking air forces 3196: 3190: 3099: 3064: 3054: 2051: 1998: 1985: 1909: 1785: 1762: 1739: 1719: 1585: 1403: 1081: 23166: 16377: 13159: 12099: 11995: 11791: 11631: 8611: 7727: 5585:

On 1 April, C squadron, Delta Force and 3/75th Ranger Regiment conducted a night-time ground assault in their

4631: 4411:. These zones, and the attacks to enforce them, were described as illegal by the former UN Secretary General, 23882: 23867: 23816: 23599: 23419: 22672: 22563: 22280: 22251: 20878: 20836: 20678: 20448: 20359: 19937: 19867: 19860: 19718: 19598: 19563: 19475: 19462: 18551: 17808: 17700: 17591: 17484: 17216: 17025: 16904: 16788: 16725: 16558: 16309: 11254: 10670: 10399: 8369: 7461: 7330: 7182: 5831: 5384:

team was brought in to document the find at Sargat, the team recovered traces of several chemicals including

5163:

The efforts of the British Army facilitated the re-establishment of the rail lines from the port to Baghdad.

5130: 4790:

crashed in southern Iraq reportedly due to engine failure, and a S-3B Viking plunged off the deck of the USS

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and were known as Task Force 7 under Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-West (Task Force Dagger).

4794:

after a malfunction and an AV-8B Harrier jump jet went into the Gulf while it was trying to land on the USS

3138:

and military moves. In his 17 March 2003 address to the nation, Bush demanded that Saddam and his two sons,

2856:

on 12 September 2002 to outline the complaints of the United States government against the Iraqi government.

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reported that on 28 March, Fedayeen forces opened fire on thousands of civilian refugees fleeing the city.

6463:

Aircraft of the USAF 379th Air Expeditionary Wing and UK and Australian counterparts stationed together at

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U.S. special forces had also been involved in the extreme south of Iraq, attempting to occupy key roads to

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in Jordan, including vehicle-mounted patrols from the British and Australian components transported by the

4094: 4089: 3808: 2309: 1980: 1970: 1893: 1828: 1818: 1729: 1540: 1384: 1204: 1112: 297: 23161: 20590: 16984: 16760:

by Christoph Mikulaschek and Jacob Shapiro (2018). Journal of Conflict Resolution 62(1): p. 174–202.

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period after the invasion, on 22 July 2003 during a raid by the U.S. 101st Airborne Division and men from

2420:(CPA) was established as the first of several successive transitional governments leading up to the first 23951: 23719: 23619: 23594: 23584: 23511: 23273: 23052: 23022: 22967: 22962: 22513: 22008: 21773: 21736: 21668: 21437: 20442: 19840: 19789: 18425: 18349: 18333: 18200: 18014: 17675: 17580: 17191: 16863: 16845: 16771: 15490: 15137: 15113: 15095: 15021: 12047: 12020: 11969: 10835: 10489: 9901: 9486: 7882: 7842: 7456: 6377:

was the first military confrontation in the Iraq War, with its objective the capture of the port. Polish

6239: 6225: 6187: 6154:. The US military established prison camps where disgruntled Iraqis, former Ba'athists and Jihadist met. 5690:

The destroyed remains of Iraqi tanks and other armored vehicles litter an Iraqi military complex west of

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camp and the surrounding sites, the terrorist group – numbering around 700 – had inhabited a valley near

5322: 5160:

Eleven British soldiers were killed, while 395–515 Iraqi soldiers, irregulars, and Fedayeen were killed.

4967: 4667: 4266: 4257: 4121: 4102: 3792:. Under this reasoning, by failing to disarm and submit to weapons inspections, Iraq was in violation of 3701: 3200: 3161:, as the number of government MPs who rebelled against the vote was the greatest since the repeal of the 2975: 2956: 2952: 2789: 2606: 2413: 2304: 2212: 2150: 2046: 1947: 1155: 15936: 10601: 5686: 2803:". This announcement was accompanied by the doctrine of "pre-emptive" military action, later termed the 24557: 24492: 23322: 23251: 22986: 22974: 22295: 22270: 22186: 21861: 21841: 21683: 21673: 21663: 21363: 21353: 21132: 20607: 20320: 20305: 20092: 20043: 19576: 19101: 18566: 18455: 18262: 17847: 17397: 17266: 17122: 17008:

PBS documentary on Dick Cheney's remaking of the Executive and infighting leading up to the war in Iraq

16690: 15867: 15628: 15603: 14177:

Lacey, Jim; Bennett, Brian; Ware, Michael; Perry, Alex; Robinson, Simon; Gupta, Sanjay (7 April 2003).

14081:"During Operation Iraqi Freedom, as many as 40 Abrams tanks were damaged by RPGs. Most were repaired." 10363: 9806: 9096: 7146: 6243: 5425: 5122: 4846: 4810: 4299: 4031: 3936: 3666: 3616: 3393:

In September 2002, the Bush administration said attempts by Iraq to acquire thousands of high-strength

3305: 3112: 2820: 2262: 2175: 1734: 1310: 1236: 285: 132: 117: 15190: 9888: 7604: 7365:", a bomb developed and produced to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. Its name echoed Saddam's phrase " 7103:

and the United Kingdom. A call for a boycott on French wine was launched in the United States and the

24271: 24226: 23956: 23084: 22991: 22400: 21813: 21658: 21228: 21023: 20999: 20888: 20688: 20569: 20310: 20196: 20053: 19932: 19887: 19708: 19166: 18961: 18847: 18802: 18792: 18777: 18741: 18592: 18531: 18511: 18313: 18308: 18298: 18272: 18257: 18250: 18205: 18195: 18019: 17742: 17565: 15528: 15332: 11150: 10186: 9767: 9513:"Azores: el día que Aznar puso a España al frente de la invasión de Irak por unas armas inexistentes" 9266: 8951: 7092: 6964: 6644: 5953: 5806: 5413: 5318: 4666:, at 05:34 local time, explosions were heard in Baghdad. Special operations commandos from the CIA's 4564: 4560: 4393: 4319: 4287: 3796:

Resolutions 660 and 678, and the U.S. could legally compel Iraq's compliance through military means.

3158: 3130:

In March 2003, the United States, United Kingdom, Poland, Australia, Spain, Denmark, and Italy began

2880:

at the G8 Summit at Evian, France. Chirac opposed the invasion; the other three leaders supported it.

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At the start of the war in March 2003, as many as 775 reporters and photographers were traveling as

6495:

however, due to the requirement for a much larger force to combat the irregular Iraqi forces in the

6192: 5540:

A squad leader with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) (15th MEU (SOC))

4478:

gave Saddam Hussein 48 hours to leave the country, along with his sons Uday and Qusay, or face war.

3773:

was most prominent during the run-up to the war and formed the main backdrop for Secretary of State

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CNN.com/Inside Politics (2002-10-11). "Senate approves Iraq war resolution". Retrieved 6 June 2005.

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U.S. President George W. Bush meets with his top advisors on 19 March 2003 just before the invasion

2811:

officials who asserted that a highly secretive relationship existed between Saddam and the radical

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All attacks listed in this group were either committed by insurgents, or have unknown perpetrators

15974: 14693: 13822: 12448: 10888: 10775: 9737:"THE STRUGGLE FOR IRAQ: DIPLOMACY; Iraq Said to Have Tried to Reach Last-Minute Deal to Avert War" 7641: 7113:

that France had forgotten. It was followed a week later, on 20 February, by the British newspaper

6771:, the Iraqi site most scrutinized by UN inspectors since 1991, was left unguarded and was looted. 6344:

west of Baghdad. The base would later become the second largest coalition facility post-invasion.

4655: 4504: 3696:

58% and 39% in the Senate and House respectively. The resolution asserts the authorization by the

3353: 2440:

were involved in its aftermath. In preparation for the invasion, 100,000 U.S. troops assembled in

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20 heures le journal : émission du 20 février 2003 (National Audiovisual Institute archives)

14155: 11609: 9134: 7478: 7315: 7300: 7296: 7209: 7007: 6906: 6719: 6653: 6598: 6423:

and commanded British forces in the area, securing areas in southern Iraq, including the city of

6138:, an electoral coalition composed of mainly Shi’ite groups, which proceeded to ostracize Sunnis. 5990:. One widely publicized event was the dramatic toppling of a large statue of Saddam in Baghdad's 5894: 5771: 5442: 5330: 5314: 5202: 5060: 5003: 4642:

equipped MH-6M to identify targets for the AH-6s (each Black swarm flight was assigned a pair of

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at the time, called the invasion illegal under international law and said it was a breach of the

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Based on analysis submitted to the Iraq Inquiry. See: Jones, Brian (2009) 'Dossier demolished',

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The United States launched its invasion of Iraq as an effective operational continuation of the

88: 24467: 24281: 24276: 24156: 23917: 23574: 23569: 23156: 23034: 22759: 22742: 22709: 21831: 21690: 21560: 21535: 21405: 21157: 19877: 19674: 19487: 19467: 19441: 19406: 19184: 18977: 18924: 18919: 18914: 18904: 18878: 18837: 18807: 18787: 18702: 18672: 18662: 18652: 18561: 18501: 18435: 18394: 18354: 18240: 18235: 18040: 17665: 17211: 17186: 17153: 17047: 16494: 16023: 14995: 13848: 12214: 12157: 10619:"107th Congress-2nd Session 455th Roll Call Vote of by members of the House of Representatives" 9678: 9287: 8644: 8141: 7678: 6752: 6748: 6633: 6617: 6175: 5517: 5489: 5461:

assault, preventing the unit's involvement in combat against Iraqi forces during the invasion.

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On 19 March 2003 at 21:00, the first strike of the operation was carried out by members of the

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against 55 top Iraqi officials, in light of reports that Saddam Hussein was visiting his sons,

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In the early morning of 19 March 2003, U.S. forces abandoned the plan for initial, non-nuclear

4431: 4315: 4269:. Ansar al-Islam was driven out of Iraq in late March by a joint American-Kurdish force during 4190: 4063: 3837: 3612: 3443: 2785: 2746: 2718: 2558: 2515: 2026: 1848: 1752: 1652: 1629: 1590: 1509: 1391: 1339: 1303: 1298: 1288: 1209: 1194: 1172: 1055: 1004: 994: 980: 556: 22925: 22702: 22631: 16123: 14577: 14516: 14319: 14262: 14044: 13487: 13460: 13395:

Anton Antonowicz, "Toppling Saddam's Statue Is The Final Triumph For These Oppressed People",

13264: 13225: 12765: 11402: 9543:"Bin Laden: "El 11-M es el castigo a España por sus acciones en Irak, Afganistán y Palestina"" 5075:. On 31 March the 101st made a reconnaissance-in-force into Najaf. On 1 April elements of the 3780: 24572: 24296: 24251: 24221: 23977: 23695: 23547: 23398: 23189: 23072: 23062: 22898: 22626: 22196: 21935: 21803: 21288: 21267: 21187: 21147: 21038: 19811: 19745: 19703: 19588: 19416: 19258: 19130: 18972: 18667: 18541: 18516: 18486: 18009: 17987: 17705: 17326: 17299: 16603:

Iraqi Perspectives Project: A View of Operation Iraqi Freedom from Saddam's Senior Leadership

14967: 13186: 13144: 12976: 12645: 11570: 11539: 11115: 7377: 7366: 7084: 6781:, reported that a helicopter landing pad was constructed in the heart of the ancient city of 6698: 6657: 6432: 6308: 6135: 6109:. About a week later the Marines were relieved in place by the Army's 4th Infantry Division. 5558: 5189:

The Karbala Gap was a 20–25-mile wide strip of land with the Euphrates River to the east and

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On 23 March, a convoy from the 3rd Infantry Division, including the female American soldiers

4779: 4500: 4412: 4136: 4019: 3793: 3087: 3076: 3036: 2370: 1932: 1888: 1863: 1747: 1603: 1514: 1377: 1315: 999: 16407: 15096:"Reporters, commentators visit Berkeley to conduct in-depth postmortem of Iraq war coverage" 14210: 12606: 11052: 8876: 8441: 7670: 7394:", the strategy of reducing an enemy's will to fight through displays of overwhelming force. 7145:

Both supporters and opponents of the Iraq War widely viewed it within the context of a post–

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threw the defending army into chaos and prevented an effective resistance. On 26 March, the

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viewers were found to hold at least one such belief about the invasion, compared to 23% of

6832: 6632:-marked ambulance attacked American soldiers outside Nasiriyah, wounding three. During the 6480: 6155: 6126:

After the invasion, several factors contributed to the destabilization of Iraq. On 23 May,

5948: 5285: 5143: 4548: 4389: 4262: 4039: 3813: 3520: 3430: 3394: 3311: 3256: 2753: 2714: 2703: 2472: 2334: 2285: 2170: 2143: 2056: 2031: 1838: 1823: 1775: 1565: 1532: 1100: 23223: 22769: 22729: 20114: 17011: 10578: 10542: 8577: 8117:"Wages of War – Appendix 1. Survey of reported Iraqi combatant fatalities in the 2003 war" 6767:

led to delays in the post-invasion assessment and protection of Iraqi nuclear facilities.

5117:, on 6 April, coming under constant attack by regulars and Fedayeen, while 3rd Battalion, 4634:(Direct Action Penetrators) and four 'Black Swarm' flights – each consisting of a pair of 4294:

rounds were fired during the invasion, many in or near populated areas of Iraq, including

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pilot was shot down while flying over Iraq, but this did not happen. Secretary of Defense

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said that an attack on Iraq had been planned since Bush's inauguration and that the first

8: 24376: 24301: 24266: 24201: 24131: 24111: 24047: 23748: 23660: 23460: 22863: 22290: 21972: 21930: 21856: 21731: 21653: 21182: 21152: 21137: 20673: 20542: 20524: 20508: 19972: 19902: 19872: 19740: 19669: 19664: 19608: 19581: 19436: 19355: 19340: 19314: 19246: 19036: 18782: 18657: 18476: 18420: 18127: 17655: 17494: 17462: 17206: 16708: 16458: 13596: 12267: 11821: 11757: 9646: 9425: 9371: 8924: 7362: 7344: 7337: 7292: 6836: 6778: 6648: 6468: 6419:

participated in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. The 1st Armoured Division was deployed to the

6063: 5987: 5926: 5799: 5650: 5579: 5278: 4958: 4950: 4885: 4596: 4573: 4521: 4487: 4234: 4023: 3930: 3448: 3204: 3039:, an Iraqi emigrant living in Germany who later admitted that his claims had been false. 3015:

60,000–200,000 protesters of various ages demonstrated in San Francisco, 15 February 2003

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facility at Sargat. Sargat was the only facility of its type discovered in the Iraq war.

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The Iraq Crisis and the United Nations. Power Politics vs. the International Rule of Law

16254:"Surveys reveal how we remember opposing the Iraq war – but at the time we supported it" 15743: 11479: 9706:"A REGION INFLAMED: BACK CHANNELS; U.S. Opens Firearms Charge Against Iraq-U.S. Contact" 8816:"Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 (Enrolled as Agreed to or Passed by Both House and Senate)" 7233:. In the opinion of Hayder al-Khoei, Iraq was already "destined for chaos" before 2003. 6846:

stated the network news disproportionately focused on pro-war sources and left out many

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to the west. This strip of land was recognized by Iraqi commanders as a key approach to

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that the greatest danger was not from Tomahawk missiles but from looting." Noting that

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moved westward and then northward through the western desert toward Baghdad, while the

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The invasion itself was swift, leading to the collapse of the Iraqi government and the

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governments that the invasion was fully legal because authorization was implied by the

3576: 3331: 3271: 2974:. This joint team (called the Northern Iraq Liaison Element (NILE)) combined to defeat 2663: 2639: 2433: 2041: 1813: 1598: 1243: 1199: 1143: 970: 680: 21945: 20986: 14854: 12074: 11286: 11249: 11091: 10971: 10726: 10394: 8760: 7752: 7278: 6181: 6112:

Coalition aircraft flew over 41,000 sorties, of which over 9,000 were tanker sorties.

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fought exclusively by 3rd Battalion, 10th SFG and Kurdish peshmerga against the Iraqi

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from 1992 to 2003, specifically through a series of meetings reportedly involving the

24431: 24246: 24166: 24161: 24070: 23938: 23906: 23629: 23542: 23527: 23351: 23291: 23184: 23003: 22979: 22915: 22828: 22719: 22431: 22358: 22172: 22123: 22088: 21925: 21866: 21768: 21678: 21648: 21643: 21510: 21505: 21489: 21378: 21318: 21238: 21233: 21142: 20981: 20325: 20236: 19735: 19593: 19160: 18929: 18842: 18521: 18450: 18364: 18069: 17870: 17467: 17179: 17127: 17040: 17002: 16934: 16894: 16875: 16853: 16835: 16816: 16793: 16745: 16661: 16655: 16643: 16614: 16586: 16562: 16552: 16486: 15836: 15695: 15664: 15588: 15550: 15516: 15438: 15430: 15022:"Reporters, commentators conduct an in-depth postmortem of Iraq war's media coverage" 14766: 14722: 14095: 14050: 13982: 13493: 13466: 13348: 13327: 13306: 13270: 13231: 13192: 13123: 13102: 13081: 13060: 13039: 13018: 12982: 12933: 12912: 12891: 12870: 12849: 12828: 12807: 12771: 12744: 12723: 12651: 12627: 12582: 12561: 12540: 12519: 12485: 12400: 12393: 12364: 12053: 12026: 11948: 11927: 11920: 11654: 11647: 11450: 11232: 11212: 10519: 9429: 9339: 9333: 9179: 9065: 8269: 8190: 7945: 7908: 7816: 7682: 7671: 7204: 6948: 6931: 6887: 6828:

to issue a public statement admitting it was not as rigorous as it should have been.

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Also on 23 March, a British Army engineering unit made a wrong turn near the town of

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were sent to Kuwait for the invasion. The invasion force was also supported by Iraqi

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and the Congress for the President to fight anti-United States terrorism. Citing the

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U.S. Senate results to authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against Iraq.

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Shadow Warriors: The Untold Story of Traitors, Saboteurs, and the Party of Surrender

15960: 15924: 15904: 15450: 12950: 11173: 9380: 8091:"The Wages of War: Iraqi Combatant and Noncombatant Fatalities in the 2003 Conflict" 5284:

In northern Iraq in early March, a small reconnaissance team from M Squadron of the

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President George Bush, surrounded by leaders of the House and Senate, announces the

3543:(UAV) drones that could be launched from ships off the US' Atlantic coast to attack 2807:. Allegations of a connection between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda were made by some 135:, escort Iraqi prisoners of war to a holding area in the desert; American convoy of 24002: 23844: 23532: 23368: 23358: 23148: 23008: 22947: 22880: 22858: 22838: 22697: 22677: 22546: 22015: 21950: 21940: 21614: 21595: 21590: 21585: 21525: 21500: 20636: 20104: 19136: 18883: 18471: 18445: 18369: 18079: 17992: 17012:

1999 Desert Crossing War Game to Plan Invasion of Iraq and to Unseat Saddam Hussein

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Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq

12361:

Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq

12246: 11826: 10462: 9057: 8731: 8639: 7347:", United States practice of assigning civilian journalists to U.S. military units. 7318:

speech on 29 January 2002 to refer to the countries of Iran, Iraq, and North Korea.

7242: 7018: 7003: 6755:, a specialist in Ottoman history, said, "Imagine if we could not go back and read 6728: 6672:

due to her injuries, Lynch herself has denied any mistreatment while in captivity.

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The Bush administration asserted that the Saddam government had sought to purchase

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denies that either Wolfowitz or Rumsfeld, Duran's bosses, were aware of the plan.

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In December 2002, a representative of the head of Iraqi Intelligence, the General

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11,000 (4,895–6,370 observed and reported) (Project on Defense Alternatives study)

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The United States and Persian Gulf Security: The Foundations of the War on Terror

16183: 16178: 16155: 16099: 16076: 16056: 16009: 15943: 15819: 15774: 15755: 15401: 15367: 15319: 15312: 15301: 14760: 14742:"Iraq: 20 years since the US-led coalition invaded Iraq, impunity reigns supreme" 14460:"Status changed for soldier killed in Iraq: Investigation shows POW was murdered" 14183: 11098: 10914: 10842: 10605: 10585: 10549: 10527: 10108: 10076: 9929: 9925: 9908: 9186: 9167: 9163: 9091: 9061: 9033: 8845: 8473: 8166: 8072: 8054: 8031: 7939: 7825: 7575: 7522: 7257: 7196: 6531: 6512: 6504: 6484: 6476: 6444: 6341: 6312: 6288: 6218: 5930: 5898: 5844: 5470: 5429: 5376: 5139: 5068: 4906:. It was also situated near a number of strategically important bridges over the 4869: 4589: 4544: 4436: 4323: 4238: 4218: 4214: 3821: 3689: 3248: 3001: 2932: 2902: 2781: 2765: 2484: 2449: 1281: 1276: 723: 397: 16884: 16012:, French news national edition, France 2 French public channel, 20 February 2003 15426: 14820: 7006:

investigated the contention that Iraq had sought uranium for nuclear weapons in

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used to justify the war, arguing for continued diplomacy, challenging the war's

6234:

in Iraq. We are bringing order to parts of that country that remain dangerous."

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for information on how to properly incorporate it into this article's main text.

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woman killed in combat in a foreign war. On the same day, U.S. Marines from the

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halted, leading the SAS to call in an air strike which silenced the opposition.

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Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq

3413:. On 7 March 2003, the U.S. submitted intelligence documents as evidence to the 3266:

Later that month, Hage met with General Habbush and Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister

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13,500–45,000 (extrapolated from fatality rates of units serving around Baghdad)

709: 699: 139:

in northern Iraq during a sandstorm; Iraqi civilians cheer as American soldiers

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Rebuilding America's Defenses: Strategy, Forces and Resources For a New Century

15465:"President's Remarks at the United Nations General Assembly, 12 September 2002" 12295:"IRAQIS BASH CHOPPERS One U.S. copter downed, crew captured by Saddam's guards" 11383: 9419: 8024: 7222: 7214: 7128: 7127:, a military intervention supporter and a George W. Bush partisan as argued by 7124: 6977:, suggesting that the U.S. had other more pressing security priorities, (i.e., 6952: 6929:

collected independent interviews with soldiers while producing his documentary

6926: 6871: 6786: 6774: 6508: 6171: 6127: 6079: 5608: 5218: 5072: 4647: 4533: 4475: 4416: 4242: 4114: 4082: 4058:, which comprised 35,000 American soldiers in ten brigades spread across Iraq. 3873: 3528: 3471: 3095: 3072: 2968: 2869: 2865: 2860: 2849: 2827: 2655: 2538: 2488: 2409: 2329: 2314: 2182: 781: 487: 452: 447: 436: 425: 375: 233: 15415:

International Journal of Health Services: Planning, Administration, Evaluation

14878: 14605:"Soldier killed in convoy ambush 'was alive for four hours surrounded by mob'" 14125: 12218: 11735: 10618: 7781: 5097:

British soldiers engage Iraqi Army positions with their 81mm Mortars south of

4245:

units. The Iraqi Air Force and Navy played a negligible role in the conflict.

3342:

The main allegations were: that Saddam possessed or was attempting to produce

3011: 30:"Invasion of Iraq" redirects here. For the American-led invasion in 1991, see 24456: 24425: 23987: 23690: 23344: 22166: 22118: 22108: 22073: 22025: 22002: 21977: 21741: 21570: 21565: 21442: 21243: 21092: 20932: 20579: 20574: 20557: 20552: 20547: 20537: 19992: 19986: 17972: 17354: 17235: 16938: 16929: 16912: 16490: 15434: 15293: 14791: 14237:"Raytheon Company: Special Interest Stories: The Battle of Debecka Pass Iraq" 13886: 12132:"Coroner condemns 'glaring failures' that led to US missile killing RAF crew" 11178: 10233:"U.S. Covered Up Evidence of Long-Abandoned Chemical Weapons Program in Iraq" 10211: 9207: 8726: 8210: 7532: 7414: 7391: 7384: 7351: 7178: 7150: 7140: 7110: 7105: 6914: 6895: 6876: 6661: 6563: 6527: 6500: 6488: 6436: 6386: 6333: 6159: 6105:, the last major outpost in central Iraq, with an attack led by the Marines' 6075: 6067: 5991: 5976: 5802: 5764: 5666: 5358: 5305: 5049: 4962: 4930: 4922: 4838: 4695: 4556: 4529: 4444: 4051: 4043: 3743: 3286: 3252: 3244: 3212: 3143: 3103: 3080: 2804: 2800: 2611: 794: 771: 499: 474: 414: 403: 392: 381: 370: 220: 71: 22220: 22207: 11310:"US fired depleted uranium at civilian areas in 2003 Iraq war, report finds" 6546:, functioned well in the rapid advance across the country. Despite the many 5024: 4148:

defend against the Kurds rather than moving to contest the coalition force.

23821: 23665: 23609: 23403: 23111: 22868: 22609: 21992: 21758: 21555: 21263: 21258: 21248: 21082: 20804: 20799: 20794: 20789: 20784: 20779: 20774: 20769: 20764: 20501: 20241: 20154: 17489: 16872: 16734: 15442: 11508: 10893: 10696: 9415: 8696: 8582: 8146: 7418: 7355: 7326: 7311: 7154: 7133: 7096: 7088: 6995: 6629: 6624: 6570: 6543: 6440: 6420: 6254: 6071: 6051: 5996: 5913: 5848: 5733: 5641: 5570: 5500: 5389: 5265: 5261: 5190: 5044: 4903: 4873: 4826: 4708: 4607: 4525: 4495: 4471: 4452: 4331: 4172: 4152: 4027: 3959: 3942: 3774: 3738: 3556: 3548: 3357: 3279: 3216: 3139: 3024: 2615: 2542: 2467:, and to free the Iraqi people", even though the UN inspection team led by 2400:. Twenty-two days after the first day of the invasion, the capital city of 956: 951: 946: 941: 936: 931: 926: 921: 916: 510: 419: 408: 15156: 15039: 14690:"Defenselink News Release: Dod Announces Change In Marine Casualty Status" 12337: 10645:"107th Congress-2nd Session 237th Roll Call Vote by members of the Senate" 7249:

poll, 54 percent of Britons had approved of military action against Iraq.

6751:

and that relatively little attention had been paid to this local history,

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among government and residential buildings, on the evening of 26 March, a

5404: 4727: 4407:, the U.S. and UK had been attacked by Iraqi air defenses while enforcing 2408:. This early stage of the war formally ended on 1 May when U.S. President 24435: 24024: 23651: 23013: 22308: 22176: 22138: 21987: 21823: 21748: 21545: 21107: 20905: 20274: 17875: 17017: 16868: 16831: 16777: 14903: 14821:"Archaeologists review loss of valuable artifacts one year after looting" 14714: 12697: 11822:"At Saddam's Bombed Palace: New Details About The First Strike On Saddam" 11204: 10306: 10088: 9206:. Embassy of the United States in Manila. 8 November 2002. Archived from 7537: 7447:

Governmental positions on the Iraq War prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq

7438: 7288: 6982: 6978: 6899: 6691: 6637: 6272: 6230: 6005: 5994:. This attracted considerable media coverage at the time. As the British 5893:

led the defence of the city. The rest of the defenders were a mixture of

5574: 5367: 5269: 5232: 4775: 3985: 3829: 3000:

member Turkey refused to allow the U.S. forces across its territory into

2885: 2651: 2230: 463: 386: 34:. For the conflict triggered by this international invasion in 2003, see 22317: 17028:. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. 15 August 2016. 16765: 16756: 16687:

Daily Life of U.S. Soldiers from the American Revolution to the Iraq War

16601: 14042: 11571:"British bombing raids were illegal, says Foreign Office – Times Online" 11053:"Governor General announces awarding of Meritorious Service Decorations" 9932:

video clip of full presentation, 5 February 2003. Retrieved 24 May 2007.

6332:

personnel, including a special forces task group, three warships and 14

5904: 4786:

they returned to their air base in Kuwait. On 1 April, an F-14 from USS

4674: 3031:, continuing U.S. efforts to gain UN authorization for an invasion. His 23502: 23391: 23381: 22498: 22493: 21253: 20990: 20873: 20159: 19234: 18058: 17710: 17032: 16812:

Cobra II : The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq

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resigned, stating her legal opinion that an invasion would be illegal.

7039: 7014: 6923: 6863: 6839:. So we are going to attempt to dominate the information environment." 6428: 6358: 6221: 6167: 5363: 5113:("The Desert Rats"), fought their way into Iraq's second-largest city, 4771: 4559:' on the compound. Complementing the aerial bombardment were nearly 40 4508: 4456: 4210: 4206: 4160: 4106: 4066:

into northern Iraq, a number significantly less than the 15,000-strong

3881: 3877: 3690:

Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002

3503: 3382: 3267: 3174: 3091: 3068: 2986: 2873: 2721:

in Saudi Arabia for a patrol as part of Operation Southern Watch, 2000.

2709: 2574: 2510:

On 15 February 2003, a month before the invasion, there were worldwide

2496: 2456: 591: 441: 430: 23457:

General Command of the Armed Forces, Resistance and Liberation in Iraq

22329: 16329:"20 years on, most Americans say Iraq invasion was the wrong decision" 16199:"Iraq was destined for chaos – with or without Britain's intervention" 14320:"Human Rights Watch Iraqi abuse of Red Cross and Red Crescent emblems" 14126:"Iraq Body Count: A Dossier of Civilian Casualties in Iraq, 2003–2005" 12696:. United States Army Command and General Staff College. Archived from 10187:"Report: United States kept secret its chemical weapons finds in Iraq" 7099:

exploiting the classic Francophobic clichés immediately ensued in the

6238:

was marked by a long and violent conflict between U.S.-led forces and

5048:

this time after a pre-mission artillery barrage and with support from

2553:

on 23 March. Massive air strikes across the country and against Iraqi

719: 23961: 23714: 23614: 23521: 22063: 22035: 21982: 21520: 21212: 21172: 20947: 20915: 20619: 20144: 19240: 18063: 18029: 16554:

Basrah, Baghdad, and Beyond: U.S. Marine Corps in the Second Iraq War

15584: 13412:

Col. Gregory Fontenot, Lt. Col. E.J. Degen, and Lt. Col. David Tohn:

12763: 11789: 10520:"New Information on Iraq's Possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction" 8186:

Wars of Modern Babylon: A History of the Iraqi Army from 1921 to 2003

7119:

publishing a special issue entitled "Chirac is a worm" and including

6891: 6676: 6539: 6459: 6381:

troops supported the amphibious assault on Umm Qasr with the British

6030: 5865: 5698: 5691: 5637: 5478: 5434: 5177: 4934: 4907: 4899: 4865: 4734: 4586: 4461: 4369: 4361: 4117: 4000: 3918: 3292: 3247:. He reported that Mohammed Nassif, a close aide to Syrian president 3162: 2971: 2921: 2772:(NSA) intercept data available by midday of the 11th that pointed to 2638:

in 1996) as well as using economic sanctions. It was revealed that a

2530: 2468: 2445: 860: 458: 246: 24039: 15555:"The Status of Nuclear Inspections in Iraq: 14 February 2003 Update" 10207:"Twelve Years Later, US Media Still Can't Get Iraqi WMD Story Right" 7033:

One of the main questions in the lead-up to the war was whether the

5649:

March 2003, the surrounding ODAs supported by Task Force 7 (British

5006:

continued its attack north in support of the 3rd Infantry Division.

3165:

in 1846. Three government ministers resigned in protest at the war,

2959:(SAD) teams, consisting of the paramilitary operations officers and 2444:

by 18 February. The coalition forces also received support from the

2086: 23256: 21580: 21410: 21393: 21167: 21162: 17169: 17063: 16811: 16544: 16059:. White House Press Release, 28 June 2005. Retrieved 17 April 2007. 13462:

The Unseen War: Allied Air Power and the Takedown of Saddam Hussein

12418:"Battle through, around Karbala Gap likely to be 'hell of a fight'" 11712: 10611: 9913: 9190: 7370: 7021:, manipulated evidence to support links between al-Qaeda and Iraq. 6855: 6847: 6777:, professor of Ancient Near Eastern Art History and Archaeology at 6530:. The U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps and Naval Aviation, and British 6121: 5936: 5836: 5662: 5595: 5290: 5153:

After a rapid initial advance, the first major pause occurred near

5147: 5106: 5067:, attacked Iraqi forces in the southern part of the city, near the 4954: 4822: 4716: 4404: 4347:

unexploded ordnance, still posed a threat to civilians as of 2022.

4230: 3833: 3824:

held a press conference on the evening of 24 April 2007, revealing

2816: 2812: 2773: 2729:, the U.S. moved towards a more aggressive policy toward Iraq. The 2677: 2623: 2581:

occupation of Kirkuk on 10 April, and the attack on and capture of

2492: 2424:

in January 2005. U.S. military forces later remained in Iraq until

2404:

was captured by coalition forces on 9 April after the six-day-long

2389: 2187: 2133: 892: 75: 35: 31: 16893:

Studies in International Relations, XXVIII. Vienna: I.P.O., 2004,

16776:, "Exporting Democracy: Lessons from Iraq," a symposium featuring 16456:

Allen, Mike and Juliet Eilperin. Monday, 26 August 2002. Page A01

15138:"Postmortem: Iraq war media coverage dazzled but it also obscured" 12503:

WARBOATS 55 Years of Naval Special Warfare Combatant Craft History

12198:

WARBOATS 55 Years of Naval Special Warfare Combatant Craft History

6146:

out of several areas, even emptying entire Sunni neighborhoods in

5791: 5210:

would be mounting a major assault into northern Iraq from Turkey.

4724:

pose a significant challenge for U.S. forces throughout Iraq War.

4070:

that the U.S. originally planned to deploy to the northern front.

3888:

In November 2002, President George W. Bush, visiting Europe for a

3559:

denied outright that Iraq possessed any offensive UAV capability.

3296:, "The message was 'Tell them that we will see them in Baghdad.′" 3181:

had advised that the war was legal under previous UN Resolutions.

2537:

from their massing point close to the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border. While

97: 23854: 22384: 22040: 21997: 21177: 21122: 16702:

The Regime Change Consensus: Iraq in American Politics, 1990–2003

12180:"The following was received from a PJ in Operation Iraqi Freedom" 11379:"In Iraq, the Bitter Legacy of War Still Lies Hidden Underground" 7177:

and Central Asia. In an October 2002 speech, Retired Marine Gen.

6936: 6782: 6711: 6683: 6669: 6147: 5917: 5886: 5726: 5714: 5654: 5633: 5326: 5194: 5154: 4938: 4738: 4720: 4603: 4570: 4537: 4295: 4183: 3361: 3347: 3122: 2914:

United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission

2845: 2455:

According to U.S. President George W. Bush and UK Prime Minister

2401: 148: 11346:"Timeline: Use of controversial cluster bombs in past conflicts" 8997:"'Building momentum for regime change': Rumsfeld's secret memos" 8159: 7881:. Center for Strategic and International Studies. Archived from 7638:"Deploying the Free Iraqi Forces – U.S. News & World Report" 7157:, the Pentagon's former top operations officer, wrote in a 2006 6555:

that was hit by another Challenger 2, killing two crew members.

5392:, atropine injectors and Arabic manuals on chemical weapons and 4977:

A U.S. soldier stands guard duty near a burning oil well in the

4864:

missile at the American Battlefield Update Assessment center in

4507:

in 3 waves. Following their insertion, D squadron established a

4486:

On the night of 17 March 2003, the majority of B and D squadron

4381:

Routes and major battles fought by invasion force and afterwards

3671: 21920: 21575: 17201: 15333:"Dealing with Saddam Hussein – Why war would be justified" 14486:"U.S. military: Iraqis captured, murdered soldier in the 507th" 14043:

Thomas C. Bruneau; Florina Cristiana Matei (12 November 2012).

13578:"Why the 2007 surge in Iraq actually failed – The Boston Globe" 11708:"Ex-CIA officer on the strike that could have averted Iraq War" 10807:"War critics astonished as US hawk admits invasion was illegal" 9885:"Halabja, the massacre the West tried to ignore – Times Online" 9573:"President Says Saddam Hussein Must Leave Iraq Within 48 Hours" 8271:

The Generals' War: The Inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf

7246: 7077: 6559: 6275:, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, 6143: 6102: 6026: 5967: 5819: 5721: 5612: 5591: 5525: 5496: 5134: 5071:

and captured Najaf's airfield. Four Americans were killed by a

4704: 4552: 4481: 4377: 4311: 4168: 4144: 3525:

Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution

3502:

in the 11 Sept. attacks." A year later, presidential candidate

3240: 3108: 2685:

In October 1998, removing the Iraqi government became official

2582: 2566: 2514:, including a rally of three million people in Rome, which the 2441: 2393: 259: 181: 136: 61: 13223: 13160:"US Special Forces in Iraq Long Before War Began – 2003-04-29" 12953:. 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, United States Marine Corps. 12323:"On Point - The United States Army in Operation Iraqi Freedom" 11480:

House of Commons Department of the Official Report (Hansard).

10598: 10281:"Pentagon Reportedly Hushed Up Chemical Weapons Finds In Iraq" 7876:"If We Fight Iraq: Iraq and The Conventional Military Balance" 7703:"CNN.com – U.S.: Patriots down Iraqi missiles – Mar. 20, 2003" 7306:

Terminology introduced or popularized during the war include:

6611:

The International Criminal Court and the 2003 invasion of Iraq

6249: 6046:

US Marines being welcomed while entering Baghdad in April 2003

4248:

During the invasion, foreign volunteers traveled to Iraq from

3836:, and threatening aggression against Iran in violation of the 3750:, conceded that the invasion was illegal but still justified. 23705: 22133: 21117: 12592: 9000: 7668: 7261: 6912:

On the other side, among media not opposing to the invasion,

6424: 6394: 6315: 6095: 5710: 5482: 5477:

Task Force Viking launched an operation to seize the town of

5438: 5385: 5114: 5098: 5040: 5033: 4853:

moved along Highway 1 through the center of the country, and

4755: 4683: 4679: 4643: 4249: 3828:

and the three articles of impeachment against Vice President

2667: 2570: 2546: 13266:

Special Forces in Action: Elite Forces Operations, 1991–2011

13143:. U.S. Army Special Forces Groups (Airborne). Archived from 12100:"CNN.com – UK: Iraq torches seven oil wells – Mar. 21, 2003" 10804: 10163:"The Secret Casualties of Iraq's Abandoned Chemical Weapons" 9855:"BBC ON THIS DAY; 1988: Thousands die in Halabja gas attack" 9306: 9304: 9302: 9300: 9298: 9296: 9157:"President's Remarks at the United Nations General Assembly: 8553:"The Secret Casualties of Iraq's Abandoned Chemical Weapons" 7501:

List of aviation accidents and incidents during the Iraq War

7467:

Popular opinion in the United States on the invasion of Iraq

6660:

in 2004. It was alleged in the authorized biography of Pfc.

6447:

airmen. The British special forces deployment was codenamed

5185:

tank abandoned after facing the final US thrust into Baghdad

4837:

also secured the oil fields in southern Iraq in places like

3146:, surrender and leave Iraq, giving them a 48-hour deadline. 23337: 21328: 21305: 21048: 21042: 16757:

Lessons on Political Violence from America's Post–9/11 Wars

16224:"Seventy-Two Percent of Americans Support War Against Iraq" 16187:, Richard Osley, 25 October 2015 Retrieved 28 October 2015. 16050:"President Addresses Nation, Discusses Iraq, War on Terror" 15632: 15599: 15558: 15524: 15412: 13414:

On Point: The United States Army in Operation Iraqi Freedom

12767:

On Point: The United States Army in Operation Iraqi Freedom

12007:

Operation Hotel California: The Clandestine War inside Iraq

11602:"Bush 'plotted to lure Saddam into war with fake UN plane'" 9376: 9367:"Charles Faddis 'Operation Hotel California' (Lyons Press)" 9361: 9359: 9357: 9355: 9335:

Operation Hotel California: The Clandestine War inside Iraq

7605:"U.S. Airlifts Iraqi Exile Force For Duties Near Nasiriyah" 7256:

On the 20th anniversary of the invasion, in March 2023, an

7170: 6890:

also played a prominent role in covering the invasion. The

6697:

On 20 March 2023, on the 20th anniversary of the invasion,

6523: 6378: 6363: 6139: 6014:

On Point: The United States Army in Operation Iraqi Freedom

5294: 5029: 4942: 4917:

A U.S. amphibious fighting vehicle destroyed near Nasiriyah

4913: 4861: 4818: 4731: 4290:

by American forces, it is estimated that more than 300,000

4187: 3997: 3993: 3953: 3889: 2997: 2671: 728: 16913:"Learning to redress preemptive deceit: The "Iraq Dossier" 16789:

Masters of Chaos: The Secret History of the Special Forces

16310:"On 10th Anniversary, 53% in U.S. See Iraq War as Mistake" 15154: 12075:"Boots & Coots tames Iraq's oil well fires during war" 9262: 9204:"U.S. Wants Peaceful Disarmament of Iraq, Says Negroponte" 9040:, Friday, 6 April 2007; Page A01. Retrieved 23 April 2007. 8626: 8578:"Iraq war was illegal and breached UN charter, says Annan" 8362: 8319:"President Discusses Beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom" 7818:

The War in Iraq. ADF Operations in the Middle East in 2003

7141:

Distraction from the war on terrorism and other priorities

3884:

in March 2003, during the build-up to the invasion of Iraq

22369:

Bolesław I's intervention in the Kievan succession crisis

16401:"Kerry Angers GOP in Calling For 'Regime Change' in U.S." 15118: 13458: 12759: 12757: 11858: 11790:

Gordon, Michael R.; Trainor, Bernard E. (12 March 2006).

11678: 10608:

Human Rights Watch. January 2004. Retrieved 6 April 2007.

10132:"Powell Admits No Hard Proof in Linking Iraq to Al Qaeda" 9293: 8401:

Constructing America's Freedom Agenda for the Middle East

8025:"Iraq Coalition Casualties: Fatalities by Year and Month" 7843:"Surrogate Warfare: The Role of U.S. Army Special Forces" 7753:"Iraq launches Scud missiles | World news | The Guardian" 7728:"CNN.com – Missile hits Kuwait City mall – Mar. 28, 2003" 7218: 6867: 6859: 6740:

National Library of Iraq and National Centre for Archives

6182:

Bush declares "End of major combat operations" (May 2003)

5873:

abandoned after facing the final U.S. thrust into Baghdad

5709:(Green Berets) conducted reconnaissance in the cities of 5661:, around 80 assorted anti aircraft cannon guns including 5010:

fighting in and around the bridge near the town of Kufl.

4994: 4868:, Kuwait. The missile was intercepted and shot down by a 4663: 3976: 3490: 3476: 3153:

held a debate on going to war on 18 March 2003 where the

141:

topple Saddam Hussein's statue in Baghdad's Firdos Square

16162:, 15 August 2002. Retrieved 17 April 2007. By A.k. Singh 15593:"Transcript of Hans Blix Feb. 9, 2003, press conference" 14578:"House panel to probe reports on Tillman, Jessica Lynch" 13885:. United States Air Force. 13 March 2006. Archived from 12978:

After Saddam: Prewar Planning and the Occupation of Iraq

12690:"Surrogate Warfare: The Role of U.S. Army SpecialForces" 11484:. Parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk. Archived from 11028:"WESTON: Canada offered to aid Iraq invasion: WikiLeaks" 9352: 8416:. Georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. 31 January 2003. 5912:

tanks and their crews pose for a photo in front of the "

4459:, designed to 'put pressure on the Iraqi regime' or, as 3243:, had been recruited by the department to assist in the 1458: 15744:"Pentagon official distorted intelligence, report says" 15521:"Mission Possible: Nuclear Weapons Inspections in Iraq" 12476: 12474: 12384: 12382: 12380: 12239: 11764:. United States Department of Interior. 23 April 2013. 10364:"Bush Defends Assertions of Iraq-Al Qaeda Relationship" 8455:

Joint Declaration by Russia, Germany and France on Iraq

8243:"Political Circus: 'Mission Accomplished' finds a home" 7274:

Public relations preparations for 2003 invasion of Iraq

6393:. After the waterway was de-mined by a Detachment from 6366:

troops immediately after the port's capture during the

5201:. The Iraqi high command had originally positioned two 4860:

During the first week of the war, Iraqi forces fired a

4809:'s Special Boat Team 22, Task Unit Two, as well as the 4515: 4494:. It had been reported that the site might have been a 3285:

On 21 February, Maloof informed Duran in an email that

23321: 20927:

The Iraq War: A Historiography of Knowledge Changelogs

20648:"The wrong war, at the wrong place, at the wrong time" 16849:

by Williamson Murray and Robert H. Scales, Jr. (2003)

14294:"Saddam Hussein's Violations of the Geneva Convention" 14014:"Top U.S. general resists calls for pullout from Iraq" 13979: