The
United States government put forth allegations that Saddam Hussein was harboring
weapons of mass destruction and had ties to Al Qaeda.
As
time would tell neither of these reasons for going to war were true.
The
Iraq War also known as Operation Iraqi Freedom, is a military
engagement encompassing the invasion and occupation of Saddam Hussein's
Ba'athist Iraq by a U.S.-led coalition, ongoing warfare between an
insurgency and coalition troops plus the New Iraqi Army . In the midst of the
fighting between the insurgency and the coalition troops, sectarian violence
has erupted between the majority Shia and the minority Sunni.
Background
On War
Following Kuwait's liberation, the UN Security
Council (UNSC) required Iraq to scrap all weapons of mass destruction and
long-range missiles and to allow UN verification inspections.
At
around 0230 GMT March
20 2003, shortly after the 48-hour deadline for Saddam to quit Iraq
expires, America launches its first series of air strikes on Baghdad. George
Bush says the US has begun attacks against 'targets of military opportunity'.
Saddam Hussein gives a televised address to the Iraqi people at around 0530
GMT, calling the attack a 'shameful crime' and vowing to win the war. China,
France and Russia denounce the US-led action.
At
around 1805 GMT, US planes begin a heavy bombardment of military targets in
central Baghdad. Later on, British marines invade the Faw peninsula in the
south of the country.
The
invasion led to the quick defeat of the Iraqi army and flight of President
Saddam Hussein, his capture in December, 2003, and his execution in December,
2006.
The
U.S.-led coalition occupied Iraq and attempted to establish a new democratic
government. But shortly after the initial invasion, violence against coalition
forces and among various sectarian groups led to asymmetric warfare with the
Iraqi insurgency, civil war between many Sunni and Shia Iraqis, and al-Qaeda
operations in Iraq.
The
financial cost of the war has been more than $491 billion to the U.S.,and over
4.5 billion pounds to the UK.
Operation
Iraqi Freedom ended on August 19, 2010 with approximately 50,000 U.S. troops
remaining as training troops. They are scheduled to leave by August 31, 2011,
ahead of their required departure of December 31, 2011.
A
U.S. Marine with 3rd Platoon, Bravo Company, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion,
in support of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations
Capable) provides security during a patrol in Rutbah, Iraq, on Jan. 10,
2007. DoD photo by Lance Cpl. Timothy Parish, U.S. Marine Corps.
02/02/07 - Iraqi and
U.S. Army Soldiers walk to the next house during an operation in Qubbah, Iraq,
Feb. 2, 2007. The operation, planned by Iraqi army soldiers assigned to 1st
Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, is being conducted to find
weapons caches, personnel of high interest and gather intelligence. The U.S.
Army Soldiers are from Delta Company, 2nd Platoon, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry
Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks,
Hawaii. (U.S. Air Force photo byMaster Sgt. Andy Dunaway)
DIYALA PROVINCE,
Iraq (December 27, 2007) - A U.S. Army dog handler and his dog crest the roof of
a building they are clearing in Galahbia in the Diyala Province, Iraq, on Dec.
23, 2007. The handler and dog are working with the 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry
Regiment. Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Sean Mulligan, U.S. Navy.
Battle
for Fallujah National Geographic
Leading
Up To War
in Iraq Basic Timeline
January 30 2002
In the first state of the union address after the September 11 attacks on
America, US president George Bush says Iraq is part of an 'axis of evil'.
July 5 2002 Talks
in Vienna between the United Nations and Iraq break down without agreement.
August 1 2002 Iraq
invites UN chief weapons inspector to Baghdad.
September 12 2002
President Bush addresses UN to put the case for war against Iraq.
September 16 2002
Iraq accepts 'unconditional' return of UN inspectors.
November 8 2002 UN
security council votes unanimously to back a US-British resolution requiring
Iraq to reinstate weapons inspectors after a four year absence.
November 13 2002 President
Saddam sends a letter to the UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan, accepting the UN
resolution.
November 18 2002 United
Nations weapons inspectors arrive in Baghdad to re-launch the search for
weapons of mass destruction.
November 27 2002 The
weapons inspectors start inspections, visiting two sites, and thank the Iraqis
for their cooperation but do not comment on findings.
December
7 2002 Iraqi officials
in Baghdad present the UN with a 12,000 page dossier disclosing Iraq's
programmes for weapons of mass destruction, as demanded by UN resolution 1441.
General
Hasam Amin of Iraq's national monitoring directorate says the dossier shows
'that Iraq is empty of weapons of mass destruction. I reiterate Iraq has no
weapons of mass destruction. This declaration has some activities that are
dual-use'.
The
contents of the Iraqi dossier are met with widespread scepticism in Washington
and London, prompting fears that Iraq is now set on a collision course with
the US, which claims to have intelligence that Iraq retains banned weapons and
is expected to hotly dispute Iraq's declaration.
In
a surprise move, Saddam Hussein uses a televised address to apologise to the
people of Kuwait for invading their country in 1990.
December
17 2002 Colin Powell, the US secretary of state,
hints that the White House will reject the Iraqi weapons declaration, saying
there were problems with the 12,000-page document.
December
22 2002 Baghdad invites the CIA to enter the country
and track down its alleged weapons of mass destruction.
December
31 2002 A UN inspection team member in Iraq admits
to finding "zilch" evidence of weapons of mass destruction and says
that the teams have been provided with little guidance from western
intelligence agencies.
January
9 2003 Hans Blix says UN weapons inspectors have not
found any "smoking guns" in their search for weapons of mass
destruction in Iraq, but acknowledges that Iraq's 12,000 page weapons
declaration was incomplete.
February
5 2003 Colin Powell uses satellite photographs,
tapes of intercepted conversations and newly opened CIA files to make the
United States case against Iraq in a determined attempt to win over
international opinion.
February
14 2003 Hans Blix gives his latest report on Iraqi
compliance with resolution 1441 to the UN security council, surprising the
members with a more upbeat assessment of the pace of Iraq's disarmament than
had been expected. The report, which lists examples of Iraqi compliance with
the inspectors, thus failing to provide any clear casus belli, throws into
confusion British and American plans to draft a new resolution mandating
military action. It severely embarrasses Colin Powell by questioning the US
intelligence on Iraqi munitions that he presented to the council earlier in
the month.
March
6 2003 In a nationwide television address, the US
president, George Bush, indicates that war is very close.
March
18 2003 In a televised address at 0100GMT, Mr. Bush
gives Saddam Hussein 48 hours to leave Iraq or face invasion.
March
20 2003 War begins.
At
around 0230 GMT, shortly after the 48-hour deadline for Saddam to quit Iraq
expires, America launches its first series of air strikes on Baghdad. George
Bush says the US has begun attacks against 'targets of military opportunity'.
Saddam Hussein gives a televised address to the Iraqi people at around 0530
GMT, calling the attack a 'shameful crime' and vowing to win the war. China,
France and Russia denounce the US-led action.
At
around 1805 GMT, US planes begin a heavy bombardment of military targets in
central Baghdad. Later on, British marines invade the Faw peninsula in the
south of the country.
United
States Soldiers Caskets in route to Dover, DE
Post-Saddam
Iraq:The War Game
"Desert
Crossing" 1999
In
late April 1999, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), led by
Marine General Anthony Zinni (ret.), conducted a series of war games known
as Desert Crossing in order to assess potential outcomes of an invasion of
Iraq aimed at unseating Saddam Hussein.
It
was anticipated that an invasion of Iraq would require 400,000 troops, and
even then chaos might ensue. In its "Desert Crossing" games, 70
military, diplomatic and intelligence officials assumed the high troop
levels would be needed to keep order, seal borders and take care of other
security needs.
The
results of Desert Crossing, however, drew pessimistic conclusions
regarding the immediate possible outcomes of such action. Some of these
conclusions are interestingly similar to the events which actually
occurred after Saddam was overthrown.
The
war games looked at "worst case" and "most likely" scenarios after a war
that removed then-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from power. Some are similar to
what actually occurred after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
The
documents came to light Saturday November 4,2006 through a Freedom of
Information Act request by the George Washington University's National
Security Archive, an independent research institute and library. Here are some
of the highlights of the report:
* "A change in regimes does not guarantee stability," the 1999 seminar
briefings said. "A number of factors including aggressive neighbors,
fragmentation along religious and/or ethnic lines, and chaos created by rival
forces bidding for power could adversely affect regional stability."
* "Even when civil order is restored and borders are secured, the replacement
regime could be problematic - especially if perceived as weak, a puppet, or
out-of-step with prevailing regional governments."
* "Iran's anti-Americanism could be enflamed by a
U.S.-led intervention in Iraq," the briefings read. "The influx of U.S. and
other western forces into Iraq would exacerbate worries in Tehran, as would the
installation of a pro-western government in Baghdad."
* "The debate on post-Saddam Iraq also reveals the paucity of information
about the potential and capabilities of the external Iraqi opposition groups.
The lack of intelligence concerning their roles hampers U.S. policy
development."
* "Also, some participants believe that no Arab government will welcome the
kind of lengthy U.S. presence that would be required to install and sustain a
democratic government."
* "A long-term, large-scale military intervention may be at odds with many
coalition partners."
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2010
- The redeployment of the 2nd Infantry Division's 4th Stryker Brigade
Combat Team from Iraq demonstrated the changes that have happened in the
country, the brigade's commander said today.
In a telephone interview
from Kuwait, Army Col. John Norris spoke about the unit's road march
from Baghdad to Kuwait.
The extensive media
coverage of the unit's departure from Iraq was a tremendous honor for
his soldiers, Norris said, but some of the focus on the brigade being the
last full combat brigade out of Iraq ignores the real situation.
"There's still a
significant amount of work to be done, and these guys with the 'advise
and assist' brigades remaining here have enormous capability and
enormous capacity and will be able to work with Iraqi security forces,"
the colonel said.
The spin from the media was
that this was the end of the mission, Norris said.
"We do not want to shadow
the capability that remains in Iraq: 50,000 soldiers in advise-and-assist
units is a large signature that will allow Iraqi forces to improve," he
said.
The Stryker brigade was
based in western Baghdad and worked daily with Iraqi security forces in
that key area. At one time, the area was a dividing point between Sunni
and Shiia Muslims, and literally was a tinderbox. But the unit - - based
at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. -- found an increasingly permissive
environment as its deployment went along.
U.S. Army Stryker vehicles of
the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, travel through
Contingency Operating Base Adder during the unit's convoy from Baghdad
to Kuwait, Aug. 18, 2010. U.S. Army photo by Pvt. Deangelo Wells.
During that time, the Iraqi
security forces made tremendous progress, Norris said.
"Iraqi security forces
provided all the protection for the unit from Taji to Kuwait," he said.
"There was no contact with enemy, and that's entirely because the
Iraqis did such a good job."
The unit marched out of
Iraq to give the U.S. commander in Iraq, Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno,
more options, Norris said. "As a part of the responsible drawdown of
forces, our brigade would have started redeploying in July in a phased
approach," Norris explained.
But the Iraqi parliament
- - elected in March - - still had not formed a government. The brigade
staff looked at the situation and made a recommendation that the brigade
stick around and march out, Norris said, enabling the brigade to stay
somewhat longer to provide a strategic force for the command.
"Unbeknownst to us, it
also provided a relief valve for the rearward movement of theater
property," Norris said. "The option of us driving south relieved the
pressure on some of the theater mobility assets."
Once the decision was made,
the tactical road march was planned. The brigade was spread out all over
western Baghdad, and the mission was to get 2,200 soldiers in 350 vehicles
out of the area.
The brigade moved out over
two days, with each battalion forming one of four serials. "That was the
general basic concept up front," Norris said. They made the decision to
move at night, since temperatures during the day rise to 120 degrees or
more. It also served to keep the American presence off the roads when most
Iraqis use them."
The 350-mile road march
would be a tempting target for al-Qaida in Iraq or other terror groups.
Planning included the American commands in Iraq and Kuwait. It also
included Iraqi security forces.
"We moved from Baghdad
and did a rest overnight at Camp Adder [in Talil, Iraq] and then moved
south to Kuwait," Norris said. "It was a good plan, and it went
flawlessly. I couldn't be more proud. There was no enemy contact and
very few maintenance issues - flat tires and all recovered by us.
"We were able to move all
four of our serials into Kuwait as originally scheduled, with the last
crossing into Kuwait on the morning of the 19th," he continued.
Norris called it "a
pretty awesome experience" for him as a commander to realize the unit
completed its year-long mission with all the soldiers safely into Kuwait.
The unit will case its
colors tomorrow morning and begin the flight back to Joint Base Lewis-McChord
early next week.
U.S. Mission in Iraq
Officially Changes Sept. 1
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 19, 2010
- A fundamental shift will take place at the end of the month in the
mission of U.S. forces in Iraq, a Pentagon official said today.
The change in mission from
Operation Iraqi Freedom to Operation New Dawn reflects the improvement in
conditions in Iraq and will officially end the U.S. combat mission in Iraq
and change it to one of stability operations, Pentagon spokesman Bryan
Whitman said.
Some 56,000 U.S. troops are
now in Iraq, down from a high of 180,000. The number will drop to 50,000
by the end of the month, Whitman said. "It takes us from what has been a
combat mission to a stability operations mission," he added. "It takes
us from a military lead to a civilian lead."
Though the "advise and
assist" mission does not officially change until the end of the month,
American brigades have been in place and performing that mission for more
than a year in southern Iraq and now through almost all of the country.
"As a practical matter, we have now been conducting stability operations
for the last several months," Whitman said.
Six U.S. Army brigades -
plus support personnel - will work with Iraqi security forces through
the end of 2011, when all American troops will be out of Iraq. The units
are the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th brigades of the 3rd Infantry Division, the
3rd Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division and the 2nd Brigade of the 25th
Infantry Division. Soldiers with these units will be advising, assisting,
teaching and mentoring the Iraqi army and police in a range of
capabilities.
U.S. Air Force personnel
will continue to help in training the Iraqi air force, and Navy and Coast
Guard personnel will continue to advise and assist Iraq's maritime
forces.
"This is not like a light
switch, where one day you are doing combat operations and the next day you
are doing stability operations," Whitman explained. "It has been a
transition that has taken place gradually over time."
President Barack Obama has
indicated that the mission will officially change on Sept. 1, and military
forces and U.S. civilians in Iraq are moving to reflect that.
While instances of violence
have dropped dramatically in Iraq, dangers still exist there. U.S. forces
always maintain the capabilities to defend themselves, Whitman said, and
will retain that right even after Sept. 1. American "advise and
assist" units will have the capabilities to come to the aid of Iraqi
security forces if called upon, he added.
Iraq Mission to Continue
With Stability Operations
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 19, 2010
- With the last full brigade of combat troops now out of Iraq and
another 6,000 U.S. forces to leave by the month's end, the mission in
Iraq continues with the transition to stability operations, Army Maj. Gen.
Stephen R. Lanza, spokesman for U.S. Forces Iraq, told reporters today.
"Our mission still
continues," Lanza said this morning on the CBS "Early Show."
"We're going to transition from combat operations to stability
operations, and we're doing that as we're drawing down our forces
right now to 50,000 by 1 September."
The final convoy of combat
troops, members of the 2nd Infantry Division's 4th Stryker Brigade,
crossed into Kuwait before dawn today.
"With that brigade that
just left, we're roughly a little under 56,000 [troops]," Lanza said.
That number, he said, will steadily decrease within the next 12 days to
meet President Barack Obama's mandate.
"And on 1 September,
we'll transition to stability operations as part of New Dawn," Lanza
added.
The 50,000 U.S. troops to
remain in Iraq will conduct three different missions under Operation New
Dawn, Lanza explained last night on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow
Show."
"We'll still continue
to partner to support counterterrorism operations for the Iraqi security
forces," he said. "We will continue to support provincial
reconstruction teams that work for the State Department with their job to
build civil capacity and develop civil institutions and still support the
United Nations and nongovernmental officials."
In addition, U.S. forces
will continue to help the Iraqi security forces build capability and
capacity until the U.S. mission in Iraq ends in December 2011.
"We'll continue to
train, coordinate, advise and assist them in accordance with the security
agreement," Lanza said.
Lanza expressed confidence
in the Iraqi security forces, now numbering more than 660,000, and pointed
to examples of their success. "They have shown they can secure the
country for the elections. They have shown they can secure the country for
major religious holidays," he told CBS.
"More importantly,
they've shown that they have the will, the professionalism and the ethos
to continue to improve," he said. "So we're very comfortable with
the improvement they're making, the capabilities they're making and
the type of force they're turning into."
Lanza told CBS he's also
impressed that Iraqi security forces have remained apolitical while the
Iraqi government undergoes its transition.
"They have stayed on
their mission," he said. "They have still conducted operations. And
the population continues to have trust and confidence in their ability to
provide internal security in the country."
This growing capability, he
said, "has enabled us to conduct our responsible drawdown."
Lanza expressed hope the
Iraqi government gets seated soon, mitigating recent incidents of
violence.
"I would still say there
are challenges here. I will still say there is violence that will
continue," he told MSNBC. "The important thing right now, I think
everyone knows, is to get the government seated as quickly as possible."
As Operation Iraqi Freedom
winds down and Operation New Dawn prepares to launch Sept. 1, Lanza said
the continuing U.S. mission in Iraq is enabling Iraq to move forward.
"There's a chance here
for Iraq, in terms of where they are right now, to move forward, not only
in this region, but also to help the people," he said. "And I think
what we've done here is we've given them an opportunity to do that."
