Iraq War 

This article is about the war that began in 2003. For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation).

Further information: 2003 invasion of Iraq and Post-invasion Iraq, 2003–present

Timelines 1990-2003 – 2002 – 2003 – 2004 – 2005 – 2006 – 2007 – 2008 – 2009 – 2010 Phases Invasion – Post-invasion (Insurgency – Civil war) [show] v • d • e Battles and operations of the Iraq War Umm Qasr – Al Faw – 1st Basra – Nasiriyah – Raid on Karbala – 1st Najaf – Northern Delay – Viking Hammer – Samawah – 1st Karbala – Al Kut – Hillah – Green Line – Karbala Gap – Baghdad – Debecka Pass – Kani Domlan Ridge – Al Anbar – 1st Ramadan – Red Dawn – Spring 2004 – 1st Fallujah – Sadr City – 1st Ramadi – Husaybah – 2nd Najaf – CIMIC-House – Samarra – 2nd Fallujah – Mosul – Lake Tharthar – Al Qaim – Hit – Haditha – Steel Curtain – Tal Afar – 2nd Ramadi – Together Forward – Diwaniya – 2nd Ramadan – Sinbad – Amarah – Turki – Diyala – Haifa Street – Karbala Raid – 3rd Najaf – Imposing Law – U.K. bases – Black Eagle – Baghdad belts – Baqubah – Donkey Island – Shurta Nasir – Phantom Strike – 2nd Karbala – Phantom Phoenix – 2008 Day of Ashura – Ninawa – Sun – Spring 2008 – 2nd Basra – 2008 Al-Qaeda Offensive – Augurs of Prosperity – Abu Kamal – Palm Grove [show] v • d • e Major insurgent attacks since the Iraq War Bold indicates attacks resulting in over 100 deaths Purple color indicates the deadliest attack in the Iraq War 2003: 1st Baghdad – 2nd Baghdad – Najaf – 3rd Baghdad – Nasiriyah – 1st Karbala 2004: Irbil – Ashoura – Basra – Mosul – 4th Baghdad – 5th Baghdad – Karbala-Najaf – 1st Baqubah – Kufa – FOB Marez 2005: 1st Al Hillah – Musayyib – 6th Baghdad – 7th Baghdad – 1st Balad – Khanaqin 2006: Karbala-Ramadi – 1st Samarra – 8th Baghdad – 9th Baghdad – 10th Baghdad 2007: 11th Baghdad – 12th Baghdad – 13th Baghdad – 14th Baghdad – 15th Baghdad – 2nd Al Hillah – 1st Tal Afar – 16th Baghdad – 17th Baghdad – 2nd Karbala – 18th Baghdad – 3rd Karbala – Makhmour – Abu Sayda – 2nd Samarra – 19th Baghdad – Amirli – 1st Kirkuk – 20th Baghdad – 21st Baghdad – Qahtaniya – Amarah 2008: 22nd Baghdad – 2nd Balad – 23rd Baghdad – 4th Karbala – 24th Baghdad – Karmah – 2nd Baqubah – Dujail – Balad Ruz 2009: 25th Baghdad – 26th Baghdad – Baghdad-Muqdadiyah – Taza – 27th Baghdad – 2nd Kirkuk – 2nd Tal Afar – 28th Baghdad – 29th Baghdad – 30th Baghdad 2010: 31st Baghdad – 32nd Baghdad – 3rd Baqubah – 33rd Baghdad – 34th Baghdad – 35th Baghdad – 1st Pan-Iraq – 36th Baghdad – 37th Baghdad – 2nd Pan-Iraq – 38th Baghdad

The Iraq War (also known as the Occupation of Iraq,^[40] the Second Gulf War,^[41] and Operation Iraqi Freedom^[42]) is a military campaign that began on March 20, 2003,^[43][44] with the invasion of Iraq by a multinational force led by troops from the United States under the administration of President George W. Bush and the United Kingdom under the Prime Minister Tony Blair.^[45] The last U.S. combat brigade left Iraq on August 19, 2010.^[46] On August 31, U.S. President Barack Obama declared an end to combat operations.^[47] Approximately 50,000 U.S. troops still remain in the country in an "advise and assist" capacity.
Prior to the invasion, the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom asserted that the possibility of Iraq employing weapons of mass destruction (WMD) threatened their security and that of their coalition/regional allies.^[48][49][50] In 2002, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1441 which called for Iraq to completely cooperate with UN weapon inspectors to verify that it was not in possession of weapons of mass destruction and cruise missiles. The United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) was given access by Iraq under provisions of the U.N. resolution but found no evidence of weapons of mass destruction. Additional months of inspection to conclusively verify Iraq's compliance with the U.N. disarmament requirements were not undertaken.^{[51][52][53][54]} Head weapons inspector Hans Blix advised the UN Security Council that while Iraq's cooperation was "active", it was not "unconditional" nor "immediate". Iraq's declarations with regards to weapons of mass destruction could not be verified at the time, but unresolved tasks concerning Iraq's disarmment could be completed in "not years, nor weeks, but months".^[51][55]
Following the invasion, the U.S.-led Iraq Survey Group concluded that Iraq had ended its nuclear, chemical, and biological programs in 1991 and had no active programs at the time of the invasion but that Iraq intended to resume production once Iraq sanctions were lifted.^[56] Although some degraded remnants of misplaced or abandoned chemical weapons from before 1991 were found, they were not the weapons which had been the main argument to justify the invasion.^[57] Some U.S. officials also accused Iraqi President Saddam Hussein of harboring and supporting al-Qaeda,^[58] but no evidence of a meaningful connection was ever found.^[59][60] Other proclaimed reasons for the invasion included Iraq's financial support for the families of Palestinian suicide bombers,^[61] Iraqi government human rights abuse,^[62] and an effort to spread democracy to the country.^[63][64]
The invasion of Iraq led to an occupation and the eventual capture of President Hussein, who was later tried in an Iraqi court of law and executed by the new Iraqi government. Violence against coalition forces and among various sectarian groups soon led to the Iraqi insurgency, strife between many Sunni and Shia Iraqi groups, and the emergence of a new faction of al-Qaeda in Iraq.^[65][66] In 2008, the UNHCR reported an estimate of 4.7 million refugees (~16% of the population) with 2 million abroad (a number close to CIA projections^[67]) and 2.7 million internally displaced people.^[68] In 2007, Iraq's anti-corruption board reported that 35% of Iraqi children, or about five million children, were orphans.^[69] The Red Cross stated in March 2008 that Iraq's humanitarian situation remained among the most critical in the world, with millions of Iraqis forced to rely on insufficient and poor-quality water sources.^[70]
In June 2008, U.S. Department of Defense officials claimed security and economic indicators began to show signs of improvement in what they hailed as significant and fragile gains.^[71] Iraq was fifth on the 2008 Failed States Index,^[72] and sixth on the 2009 list.^[73] As public opinion favoring troop withdrawals increased and as Iraqi forces began to take responsibility for security, member nations of the Coalition withdrew their forces.^[74][75] In late 2008, the U.S. and Iraqi governments approved a Status of Forces Agreement effective through January 1, 2012.^[76] The Iraqi Parliament also ratified a Strategic Framework Agreement with the U.S.,^[77] aimed at ensuring cooperation in constitutional rights, threat deterrence, education,^[78] energy development, and other areas.^[79]
In late February 2009, newly elected U.S. President Barack Obama announced an 18-month withdrawal window for combat forces, with approximately 50,000 troops remaining in the country "to advise and train Iraqi security forces and to provide intelligence and surveillance".^[80][81] General Ray Odierno, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, said he believes all U.S. troops will be out of the country by the end of 2011,^[82] while U.K. forces ended combat operations on April 30, 2009.^[83] Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said he supports the accelerated pullout of U.S. forces.^[84] In a speech at the Oval Office on 31 August 2010 Obama declared "the American combat mission in Iraq has ended. Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country."^[85] Beginning September 1, 2010, the American operational name for its involvement in Iraq changed from "Operation Iraqi Freedom" to "Operation New Dawn."