Iraq War: Difference between revisions

| conflict         = Iraq War

| partof           = the [[Iraqi conflict (2003–present)|Iraqi conflict]] and the [[War on Terror]]

| image             = Iraq War montage.png

| caption           = '''Clockwise from top''': US troops at Uday and Qusay Hussein's hideout; insurgents in northern Iraq; an Iraqi insurgent firing a [[MANPADS]]; the toppling of the [[Saddam Hussein]] statue in [[Firdos Square]]

| date             = {{ubl|{{Start and end dates|2003|3|20|2011|12|15|df=yes}}<br />({{Age in years, months and days|2003|03|19|2011|12|18}})}}

| place             = [[Iraq]]

| result           = * [[2003 invasion of Iraq|Invasion]] and [[History of Iraq (2003–11)|occupation of Iraq]]

* Emergence of [[Iraqi insurgency (2003–11)|significant insurgency]], rise of [[al-Qaeda in Iraq]]

* [[Iraqi Civil War (2006–2008)|Civil war]] between 2006 and 2008

* Subsequent reduction in violence and depletion of [[al-Qaeda]] in Iraq in 2008<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.macleans.ca/news/world/the-decline-of-al-qaeda/|title=The decline of al-Qaeda|magazine=[[Maclean's]]|author=Michael Petrou|date=9 September 2011|quote=George W. Bush gambled on surging thousands more troops to the embattled country. It paid off. Al-Qaeda in Iraq is now a diminished force without territory.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=U.S. Conflicts in the 21st Century: Afghanistan War, Iraq War, and the War on Terror|author=Spencer C. Tucker|quote=Al Qaeda in Iraq was decimated by the end of the Iraq War in 2011|isbn=978-1440838798|date=14 December 2015|author-link=Spencer C. Tucker}}</ref>

* Establishment of [[January 2005 Iraqi parliamentary election|parliamentary democracy]] and formation of new [[Iraqi Shias|Shia]]-led government

* [[Withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq (2007–2011)|Withdrawal]] of [[United States Forces&nbsp;– Iraq|US forces from Iraq]] in 2011

* Stronger Iranian influence in Iraq<ref>{{cite book |last=Galbraith |first=Peter W. |year=2007 |title=The End of Iraq: How American Incompetence Created a War Without End |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=978-0743294249}}{{Page needed|date=August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-iran-region-insight-idUSKBN0MJ1G520150323|title=Iran expands regional 'empire' ahead of nuclear deal|newspaper=Reuters|date=23 March 2015|access-date=1 July 2017|archive-date=10 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151110003249/http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/23/us-mideast-iran-region-insight-idUSKBN0MJ1G520150323|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/416770/how-stop-irans-growing-hegemony-mario-loyola|title=How to Stop Iran's Growing Hegemony – National Review Online|work=National Review Online|date=10 April 2015}}</ref>

* [[Iraqi insurgency (post-U.S. withdrawal)|Escalation of sectarian insurgency after US withdrawal]] leading to the rise of the [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]], the successor of al-Qaeda in Iraq<ref name="ctc.usma.edu">{{cite news |url=https://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/the-jrtn-movement-and-iraq%E2%80%99s-next-insurgency |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826043422/http://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/the-jrtn-movement-and-iraq%E2%80%99s-next-insurgency |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 August 2011 |title=The JRTN Movement and Iraq's Next Insurgency &#124; Combating Terrorism Center at West Point |publisher=Ctc.usma.edu |access-date=2 August 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/p/nea/rls/rm/221274.htm|title=Al-Qaeda's Resurgence in Iraq: A Threat to U.S. Interests|publisher=US Department of State|access-date=26 November 2010|date=5 February 2014}}</ref>

* [[War in Iraq (2013–2017)|Re-escalation of conflict]] in 2013 ending in 2017

* [[American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present)|Return of US forces to Iraq in 2014]]

* [[Iraqi insurgency (2017-present)|Low-level insurgency]] following 2017

| combatant1       = '''Invasion phase (2003)'''<br />'''{{flag|United States}}'''<br />{{flag|United Kingdom}}<br />{{flag|Australia}}<br />{{flag|Poland}}<br />{{flagdeco|Kurdistan}} [[Peshmerga]]<br />'''Supported by''':<br />{{flag|Italy}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.toscanaoggi.it/Dossier/Speciali/Guerra-in-Iraq/Il-discorso-di-Berlusconi-alla-Camera|title=Il discorso di Berlusconi alla Camera|website=Toscana Oggi}}</ref><br /> {{flag|Netherlands}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/rapporten/2010/01/12/rapport-commissie-davids|title=Rapport Commissie-Davids|author=Regering|work=rijksoverheid.nl|access-date=26 February 2017|date=12 January 2010}}</ref>

| combatant2       = '''Invasion phase (2003)'''<br />'''{{flagcountry|Ba'athist Iraq}}'''

| combatant1a       = '''Post-invasion<br />(2003–11)''' <br />

{{flagdeco|Iraq}} [[Iraq]] <br />{{flag|United States}}<br />{{flag|United Kingdom}}

| title = {{flagicon image|Flag of Multi-National Force&nbsp;– Iraq.png}} [[Multi-National Force&nbsp;– Iraq|MNF–I]]<br />(2003–09)

| {{flag|United States}}<br />(2003–09)

| {{flag|United Kingdom}}<br />(2003–09)

| {{flag|Australia}}<br />(2003–09)

| {{flag|Romania}}<br />(2003–09)

| {{flag|Azerbaijan}}<br />(2003–08)

| {{flag|Jordan}}<br />(2003–05)

| {{flag|UAE}}<br />(2003)

| {{flag|Kuwait}}<br />(2003–08)

| {{flag|Estonia}}<br />(2003–09)

| {{flag|El Salvador}}<br />(2003–09)

| {{flag|Bulgaria}}<br />(2003–08)

| {{flag|Moldova}}<br />(2003–08)

| {{flag|Albania}}<br />(2003–08)

| {{flag|Ukraine}}<br />(2003–08)

| {{flag|Denmark}}<br />(2003–08)

| {{flag|Czech Republic}}<br />(2003–08)

| {{flag|South Korea}}<br />(2003–08)

| {{flag|Singapore}}<br />(2003–08)

| {{flag|Croatia}}<br />(2003–08)

| {{flag|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} (2003–08)

| {{flag|North Macedonia}}<br />(2003–08)

| {{flag|Latvia}}<br />(2003–08)

| {{flag|Poland}}<br />(2003–08)

| {{flag|Kazakhstan}}<br />(2003–08)

| {{flag|Mongolia}}<br />(2003–08)

| {{flag|Georgia}}<br />(2003–08)

| {{flag|Tonga}}<br />(2004–08)

| {{flag|Japan}}<br />(2004–08)

| {{flag|Armenia}}<br />(2005–08)

| {{flag|Slovakia}}<br />(2003–07)

| {{flag|Lithuania}}<br />(2003–07)

| {{flag|Italy}}<br />(2003–06)

| {{flag|Norway}}<br />(2003–06)

| {{flag|Hungary}}<br />(2003–05)

| {{flag|Netherlands}}<br />(2003–05)

| {{flag|Portugal}}<br />(2003–05)

| {{flag|New Zealand}}<br />(2003–04)

| {{flag|Thailand}}<br />(2003–04)

| {{flag|Philippines}}<br />(2003–04)

| {{flag|Honduras}}<br />(2003–04)

| {{flag|Dominican Republic}}<br />(2003–04)

| {{flag|Spain}}<br />(2003–04)

| {{flag|Nicaragua}}<br />(2003–04)

| {{flag|Iceland}}<br />(2003–04)

| {{flag|Costa Rica}}<br />(2003-05)

''Supported by'':<br />{{flagicon|IRN}} [[Iran]]<ref>Elaheh Rostami-Povey, ''Iran's Influence: A Religious-Political State and Society in Its Region'', pp. 130–154, Zed Books Ltd, 2010.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/Felter_Iranian_Strategy_in_Iraq.pdf |title=Iranian Strategy in Iraq: Politics and 'Other Means' |access-date=12 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305151457/http://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/Felter_Iranian_Strategy_in_Iraq.pdf |archive-date=5 March 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

* {{flagicon image|Seal of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army.svg|border=no}} [[Islamic Republic of Iran Army|Artesh]]

{{flag|Iraqi Kurdistan}}

| combatant2a       = '''Post-invasion (2003–11)'''<br />{{flagicon image|Flag_of_the_Ba%27ath_Party.svg}} '''[[Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party&nbsp;– Iraq Region|Ba'ath loyalists]]'''

* [[File:Logo of the Supreme Command for Jihad and Liberation.png|25px|link=]] [[Supreme Command for Jihad and Liberation|SCJL]]

* {{flagicon|Ba'athist Iraq}} [[Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order|JRTN]]

{{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} [[Iraqi insurgency (2003–11)#Sunni Islamist|'''Sunni insurgents''']]

* {{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda in Iraq.svg}} [[Al-Qaeda in Iraq|AQI]] (2004–06)

* {{flagdeco|ISIL}} [[Islamic State of Iraq|ISI]]<ref name="YouTube">{{cite av media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a01Rg2g2Z8#t=745|title=President Barack Obama Speaks With VICE News|date=16 March 2015|publisher=YouTube}}</ref> (from 2006)

* [[File:IAILogo.png|25px|link=]] [[Islamic Army of Iraq|IAI]]

{{flagicon image|Shiism arabic blue.svg}} [[Iraqi insurgency (2003–11)#Shia Islamist|'''Shia insurgents''']]

* [[File:Shiism arabic blue.svg|border|25px|link=]] [[Special Groups (Iraq)|Special Groups]]

* {{flagicon image|Asa'ib Ahl Al-Haq flag.png}} [[Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq]]

''Supported by'':<br />{{IRN}}

** {{flagicon image|Seal of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution.svg|border=no}} [[Quds Force]]<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.businessinsider.com/operations-by-irans-military-mastermind-2014-7 |title=Operations By Iran's Military Mastermind – Business Insider|date=9 July 2014|work=Business Insider}}</ref>

| commander1        = '''{{flagdeco|Iraq}} [[Jalal Talabani]]'''<br />'''{{flagdeco|Iraq}} [[Ayad Allawi]]'''<br />{{flagdeco|Iraq}} [[Ibrahim al-Jaafari]]<br />{{flagdeco|Iraq}} [[Nouri al-Maliki]]<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Multi-National Force&nbsp;– Iraq.png|size=23px}} [[Ricardo Sanchez]]<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Multi-National Force&nbsp;– Iraq.png|size=23px}} [[George W. Casey, Jr.]]<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Multi-National Force&nbsp;– Iraq.png|size=23px}} [[David Petraeus]]<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of United States Forces&nbsp;– Iraq.png}} [[Raymond T. Odierno]]<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of United States Forces&nbsp;– Iraq.png}} [[Lloyd Austin]]<br />'''{{flagdeco|United States}} [[George W. Bush]]'''<br />'''{{flagdeco|United States}} [[Barack Obama]]'''<br />{{flagdeco|United States}} [[Tommy Franks]]<br />{{flagdeco|United States}} [[Donald Rumsfeld]]<br />{{flagdeco|United States}} [[Robert Gates]]<br />'''{{flagdeco|United Kingdom}}{{flagdeco|Australia}} [[Elizabeth II]]'''<br />'''{{Flagdeco|United Kingdom}} [[Tony Blair]]'''<br />'''{{flagdeco|United Kingdom}} [[Gordon Brown]]'''<br />'''{{flagdeco|United Kingdom}} [[David Cameron]]'''<br />'''{{flagdeco|Australia}} [[John Howard]]'''<br />'''{{flagdeco|Australia}} [[Kevin Rudd]]'''<br />'''{{flagdeco|Italy}} [[Carlo Azeglio Ciampi]]'''<br />'''{{flagdeco|Italy}} [[Giorgio Napolitano]]'''<br />'''{{flagdeco|Italy}} [[Silvio Berlusconi]]'''<br />{{flagdeco|Italy}} [[Romano Prodi]]<br />'''{{flagdeco|Kuwait}} [[Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah|Sheikh Jaber]]'''<br />{{flagdeco|Kuwait}} [[Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah|Sheikh Sabah]]<br />'''{{flagdeco|Spain}} [[Juan Carlos I]]'''<br/>{{flagdeco|Spain}} [[José María Aznar]]<br/>{{flagdeco|Spain}} [[Prince Robe]]<br/>'''{{flagdeco|Denmark}} [[Margrethe II of Denmark|Margrethe II]]'''<br/>{{flagdeco|Denmark}} [[Anders Fogh Rasmussen]]<br />{{flagdeco|Poland}} '''[[Aleksander Kwaśniewski]]'''<br />'''{{flagdeco|Poland}} [[Lech Kaczyński]]'''<br />{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Mohammad Salimi]]<br />{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Ataollah Salehi]]<br />{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Nasser Mohammadifar]]<br />{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Mohammad-Hossein Dadras]]<br />{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Ahmad Reza Pourdastan]]

| commander2        = '''{{flagdeco|Iraq|1991}} [[Saddam Hussein]]{{POW}} [[File:Skull and crossbones.svg|15px|link=Execution of Saddam Hussein]]'''<br />{{flagdeco|Iraq|1991}} [[Izzat Ibrahim ad-Douri]] [[Death by natural causes|#]]<br />{{flagicon|Iraq|1991}} [[Qusay Hussein]]{{KIA}}<br />{{flagicon|Iraq|1991}} [[Uday Hussein]]{{KIA}}<br />{{flagicon|Iraq|1991}} [[Abid Hamid Mahmud]]{{POW}} [[File:Skull and crossbones.svg|15px|link=Executed]]<br />{{flagicon|Iraq|1991}} [[Ali Hassan al-Majid]]{{POW}} [[File:Skull and crossbones.svg|15px|link=Executed]]<br />{{flagicon|Iraq|1991}} [[Barzan Ibrahim]]{{POW}} [[File:Skull and crossbones.svg|15px|link=Executed]]<br />{{flagicon|Iraq|1991}} [[Taha Yasin Ramadan]]{{POW}} [[File:Skull and crossbones.svg|15px|link=Executed]]<br />{{flagicon|Iraq|1991}} [[Tariq Aziz]]{{POW}}<br />{{flagicon|Iraq|1991}} [[Mohammed Younis al-Ahmed]]

'''Sunni insurgency'''<br />'''{{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda in Iraq.svg}} [[Abu Musab al-Zarqawi]]{{KIA}}'''<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda in Iraq.svg}} [[Abu Ayyub al-Masri]]{{KIA}}<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of The Islamic State of Iraq.jpg}} [[Abu Omar al-Baghdadi]]{{KIA}}<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of The Islamic State of Iraq.jpg}} [[Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi]]{{KIA}}<br />[[File:IAILogo.png|25px|link=]] Ishmael Jubouri<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda in Iraq.svg}} [[Abu Abdullah al-Shafi'i]]{{POW}}

'''Shia insurgency'''<br />'''{{flagicon image|Flag of Promised Day Brigades.svg}} [[Muqtada al-Sadr]]'''<br />[[File:Shiism arabic blue.svg|25px|link=]] [[Abu Deraa]]<br />{{flagicon image|Asa'ib Ahl Al-Haq flag.png}} [[Qais al-Khazali]]<br />{{flagicon image|Shiism arabic blue.svg}} [[Akram al-Kaabi]]<br />{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Yahya Rahim Safavi]]<br />{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Mohammad Ali Jafari]]<br />{{flagicon|Iran}} [[Qasem Soleimani]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/operations-by-irans-military-mastermind-2014-7|title=Operations By Iran's Military Mastermind – Business Insider|date=9 July 2014|work=Business Insider}}</ref>

| strength1         = '''[[2003 invasion of Iraq|Invasion forces]]''' (2003)<br />309,000<br />{{flag|United States}}: 192,000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/07/a-timeline-of-iraq-war-tr_n_95534.html|title=A Timeline of Iraq War, Troop Levels|work=The Huffington Post}}</ref><br />{{flag|United Kingdom}}: 45,000<br />{{flag|Australia}}: 2,000<br />{{flag|Poland}}: 194<br />{{flagicon|Kurdistan}} [[Peshmerga]]: 70,000

| strength2        = [[File:Coat of arms (emblem) of Iraq 1991-2004.svg|20px]] '''[[Iraqi Armed Forces]]''': 375,000 (disbanded in 2003)<br />[[File:Iraqi Republican Guard Symbol.svg|15px]] [[Special Republican Guard (Iraq)|Special Iraqi Republican Guard]]: 12,000<br />[[File:Iraqi Republican Guard Symbol.svg|15px]] [[Republican Guard (Iraq)|Iraqi Republican Guard]]: 70,000–75,000<br />[[File:Fedayeen Saddam SSI.svg|20px]] [[Fedayeen Saddam]]: 30,000

For more information see [[Casualties of the Iraq War]].

| notes             = '''*''' "injured, diseased, or other medical": required medical air transport. UK number includes "aeromed evacuations".<br />'''**''' '''Total excess deaths''' include all additional deaths due to increased lawlessness, degraded infrastructure, poorer healthcare, etc.<br />'''***''' '''Violent deaths only''' – does not include excess deaths due to increased lawlessness, poorer healthcare, etc.

| campaignbox       = {{Campaignbox Iraq War}}{{Campaignbox Persian Gulf Wars}}

The '''Iraq War'''<ref group="nb">The conflict is also known as the '''Second Gulf War''' or the '''Third Gulf War''' by those who consider the [[Iran–Iraq War]] the first Gulf War. The war was also called the '''Second Iraq War''' referring to the [[Gulf War]] as the first Iraq War.

The period of the war lasting from 2003 to 2010 was referred to as '''Operation Iraqi Freedom''' by the United States military and '''Operation New Dawn''' from 2010–2011.</ref> was a [[War|protracted armed conflict]] from 2003 to 2011 that began with the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|invasion of Iraq]] by the [[Multi-National Force – Iraq|United States–led coalition]] which overthrew the authoritarian government of [[Saddam Hussein]]. The conflict continued for much of the next decade as [[Iraqi insurgency (2003–11)|an insurgency]] emerged to oppose the coalition forces and the post-invasion Iraqi government.<ref name=Britannica>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Iraq War|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/870845/Iraq-War|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=27 October 2012}}</ref> An estimated [[Casualties of the Iraq War|151,000 to 1,033,000]] Iraqis died in the first three to five years of conflict. US troops were officially [[Withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq (2007–2011)|withdrawn]] in 2011. The US became re-involved in 2014 at the head of a [[Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve|new coalition]]; the insurgency and many dimensions of the armed conflict continue. The invasion occurred as part of the [[George W. Bush administration]]'s [[War on Terror]] following the [[September 11 attacks]] despite no connection of the latter to Iraq.<ref name="gen">{{cite book |last1=Gordon |first1=Michael |last2=Trainor |first2=Bernard |title=The Generals' War: The Inside Story of the Conflict in the Gulf |url=https://archive.org/details/generalswarinsid00gord |url-access=registration |date=1 March 1995 |publisher=Little Brown & Co |location=New York}}</ref>

In October 2002, Congress granted [[George W. Bush|President Bush]] the power to decide whether to launch any military attack in Iraq.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Collins |first1=Dan |title=Congress Says Yes To Iraq Resolution |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/congress-says-yes-to-iraq-resolution/ |website=CBS News |access-date=12 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190823053520/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/congress-says-yes-to-iraq-resolution/ |archive-date= 23 August 2019}}</ref> The Iraq War began on 20 March 2003,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Iraq-War|title=Iraq War {{!}} 2003–2011|newspaper=Encyclopædia Britannica|language=en|access-date=31 January 2017}}</ref> when the US, joined by the UK, Australia, and Poland launched a "[[shock and awe]]" bombing campaign. Iraqi forces were quickly overwhelmed as coalition forces swept through the country. The invasion led to the collapse of the [[Ba'athist Iraq|Ba'athist government]]; Saddam Hussein was captured during [[Operation Red Dawn]] in December of that same year and [[Execution of Saddam Hussein|executed three years later]]. The power vacuum following Saddam's demise and mismanagement by the [[Coalition Provisional Authority]] led to [[Civil war in Iraq (2006–07)|widespread civil war]] between [[Shia Islam in Iraq|Shias]] and [[Sunni Islam|Sunnis]], as well as a [[Iraqi insurgency (2003–11)|lengthy insurgency against coalition forces]]. Many of the violent insurgent groups were supported by [[Iran]] and [[al-Qaeda in Iraq]]. The United States responded with a [[Iraq War troop surge of 2007|build-up of 170,000 troops in 2007]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Timeline: Invasion, surge, withdrawal; U.S. forces in Iraq |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-usa-pullout-idUSTRE7BH08E20111218 |newspaper=Reuters|date=18 December 2011}}</ref> This build-up gave greater control to Iraq's government and military, and was judged a success by many.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hanson |first1=Victor Davis |title=Iraq and Afghanistan: A tale of two surges |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/iraq-and-afghanistan-a-tale-of-two-surges/ |website=CBS News |access-date=14 March 2019}}</ref> In 2008, President Bush agreed to a withdrawal of all US combat troops from Iraq. The withdrawal was completed under President [[Barack Obama]] in December 2011.<ref>{{cite news|agency=Associated Press |first=Ben |last=Feller |title=Obama sets firm withdrawal timetable for Iraq |date=27 February 2009 |url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090227/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_iraq |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302175610/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090227/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_iraq |archive-date= 2 March 2009 |work=[[Yahoo! News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/world/article24511081.html|title=Unofficial Translation of U.S.-Iraq Troop Agreement from the Arabic Text|website=mcclatchydc|access-date=7 January 2019}}</ref>

 

The Bush administration based its [[rationale for the Iraq War]] on the claim that Iraq had a [[Iraq and weapons of mass destruction|weapons of mass destruction]] (WMD) program,<ref>{{cite web |title=Raw Data: Text of Resolution on Iraq |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/raw-data-text-of-resolution-on-iraq |website=[[Fox News]] |publisher=Associated Press|date=25 March 2015}}</ref> and that Iraq posed a threat to the United States and its allies.<ref>Center for American Progress (29 January 2004) [https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/security/news/2004/01/29/459/in-their-own-words-iraqs-imminent-threat/ "In Their Own Words: Iraq's 'Imminent' Threat"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115202751/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/security/news/2004/01/29/459/in-their-own-words-iraqs-imminent-threat/ |date=15 January 2016}} ''americanprogress.org''</ref><ref name=nelson>Senator [[Bill Nelson (politician)|Bill Nelson]] (28 January 2004) [https://fas.org/irp/congress/2004_cr/s012804b.html "New Information on Iraq's Possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction"], {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420112938/https://fas.org/irp/congress/2004_cr/s012804b.html |date=20 April 2016}} ''Congressional Record''</ref> Some US&nbsp;officials falsely accused Saddam of harbouring and supporting [[al-Qaeda]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/003/033jgqyi.asp |work=The Weekly Standard |title=Saddam's al Qaeda Connection}}</ref> In 2004, the [[9/11 Commission]] said there was no evidence of an operational relationship between the Saddam Hussein regime and al-Qaeda.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2014/dec/14/dick-cheney/cheney-torture-report-saddam-hussein-had-10-year-r/|title=Cheney on torture report: Saddam Hussein 'had a 10-year relationship with al-Qaida'|website=@politifact|language=en|access-date=28 May 2019}}</ref> No stockpiles of WMDs or an active WMD program were ever found in Iraq.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/03/22/iraq-war-wmds-an-intelligence-failure-or-white-house-spin/|title=The Iraq War and WMDs: An intelligence failure or White House spin?|date=2019|work=The Washington Post}}</ref> Bush administration officials made numerous claims about a purported Saddam–al-Qaeda relationship and WMDs that were based on sketchy evidence, and which intelligence officials rejected.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/special-reports/iraq-intelligence/article24461020.html|title=Pentagon office produced 'alternative' intelligence on Iraq|last1=L|first1=Jonathan S.|last2=Newspapers|first2=ay-McClatchy|website=mcclatchydc|language=en|access-date=21 April 2019}}</ref> The rationale for war faced [[Criticism of the Iraq War|heavy criticism]] both domestically and internationally.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Jervis|first1=Robert|title=Reports, Politics, and Intelligence Failures: The Case of Iraq|journal=Journal of Strategic Studies|date=February 2006|volume=29|issue=1|pages=3–52|doi=10.1080/01402390600566282|url=http://www.neuroscience-arena.com/journals/pdf/papers/FJSS_LR_3-52.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022141255/http://www.neuroscience-arena.com/journals/pdf/papers/FJSS_LR_3-52.pdf|archive-date=22 October 2016}}</ref> [[Kofi Annan]] called the invasion illegal under international law as it violated the UN Charter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3661134.stm|title=Iraq war illegal, says Annan|date=16 September 2004|via=news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> The [[Chilcot Report]], a British inquiry into its decision to go to war, was published in 2016 and concluded peaceful alternatives to war had not been exhausted, that the United Kingdom and the United States had undermined the authority of the [[United Nations Security Council]], that the process of identifying the legal basis was "far from satisfactory", and that the war was unnecessary.<ref name="GuardianReport2">{{cite news|author=Luke Harding|date=6 July 2016|title=Chilcot delivers crushing verdict on Blair and the Iraq war|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jul/06/chilcot-report-crushing-verdict-tony-blair-iraq-war|url-status=live|access-date=6 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160707153638/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jul/06/chilcot-report-crushing-verdict-tony-blair-iraq-war|archive-date=7 July 2016}}</ref><ref name="TelegraphReport2">{{cite news|author=Leon Watson|date=6 July 2016|title=Chilcot report: 2003 Iraq war was 'unnecessary', invasion was not 'last resort' and Saddam Hussein was 'no imminent threat'|newspaper=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/06/chilcot-inquiry-judgement-day-for-tony-blair-as-iraq-war-report/|url-status=live|access-date=6 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160706072539/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/06/chilcot-inquiry-judgement-day-for-tony-blair-as-iraq-war-report/|archive-date=6 July 2016}}</ref><ref name="Sands">[[Philippe Sands]],  [http://www.lrb.co.uk/v38/n15/philippe-sands/a-grand-and-disastrous-deceit ''A Grand and Disastrous Deceit''], {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805100956/http://www.lrb.co.uk/v38/n15/philippe-sands/a-grand-and-disastrous-deceit|date=5 August 2016}} [[London Review of Books]] Vol. 38 No. 15,28 July 2016 pp.9-11.</ref> When interrogated by the [[FBI]], Saddam Hussein confirmed that Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction prior to the US invasion.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Anderson |first1=Curt |title=FBI agent who interrogated Saddam Hussein leads airport case |url=https://apnews.com/22f65720d95b4ad0abf74eed6eddd79c/FBI-agent-who-interrogated-Saddam-Hussein-leads-airport-case |access-date=8 January 2020 |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |date=9 January 2017}}</ref>

 

In the aftermath of the invasion, Iraq held [[January 2005 Iraqi parliamentary election|multi-party elections]] in 2005. [[Nouri al-Maliki]] became Prime Minister in 2006 and remained in office until 2014. The al-Maliki government enacted policies that alienated the country's previously dominant Sunni minority and worsened [[sectarian]] tensions. In the summer of 2014, [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|ISIL]] launched a military offensive in northern Iraq and declared a [[Worldwide caliphate|worldwide]] Islamic [[caliphate]], leading to [[Operation Inherent Resolve]], another military response from the United States and its allies.

 

The Iraq War caused at least one hundred thousand civilian deaths, as well as tens of thousands of military deaths (see estimates [[#Casualty estimates|below]]). The majority of deaths occurred as a result of the insurgency and civil conflicts between 2004 and 2007. Subsequently, the [[War in Iraq (2013–2017)|War in Iraq]] of 2013 to 2017, which is considered a [[domino effect]] of the invasion, caused at least 155,000 deaths, in addition to the displacement of five million people within the country.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uniraq.org/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=7865:un-casualty-figures-for-iraq-for-the-month-of-august-2017&Itemid=633&lang=en|title=Germany Assists UN Migration Agency’s Humanitarian Operations in Iraq as Winter Advances|website=www.uniraq.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iom.int/news/displacement-iraq-exceeds-33-million-iom|title=Displacement in Iraq Exceeds 3.3 Million: IOM|date=23 February 2016|website=International Organization for Migration}}</ref><ref>[http://iraqdtm.iom.int] 2,780,406 displaced and 2,844,618 returnees. Retrieved 2 January 2018.</ref>

{{Main|Lead-up to the Iraq War|Rationale for the Iraq War}}

Strong international opposition to the Saddam Hussein regime began after Iraq's [[invasion of Kuwait]] in 1990. The international community condemned the invasion,<ref name=Global>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iraq/1990/900816-151051.htm "World Acts Against Iraqi Invasion of Kuwait."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160921182559/http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iraq/1990/900816-151051.htm |date=21 September 2016}}. GlobalSecurity.org.</ref> and in 1991 a military coalition led by the United States launched the [[Gulf War]] to expel Iraq from Kuwait. Following the Gulf War, the US and its allies tried to keep Saddam Hussein in check with a policy of [[containment]]. This policy involved numerous [[Iraq sanctions|economic sanctions]] by the [[UN Security Council]]; the enforcement of [[Iraqi no-fly zones]] declared by the US and the UK to protect the [[Kurds]] in Iraqi Kurdistan and [[Shia]]s in the south from aerial attacks by the Iraqi government; and ongoing inspections to ensure Iraq's compliance with United Nations resolutions concerning [[Iraq and weapons of mass destruction|Iraqi weapons of mass destruction]].

The inspections were carried out by the [[United Nations Special Commission]] (UNSCOM). UNSCOM, in cooperation with the [[International Atomic Energy Agency]], worked to ensure that Iraq destroyed its chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons and facilities.<ref name="Zilinskas">Zilinskas, Raymond A., "UNSCOM and the UNSCOM Experience in Iraq", ''Politics and the Life Sciences'', Vol. 14, No. 2 (Aug. 1995), 230.</ref> In the decade following the Gulf War, the United Nations passed 16 Security Council resolutions calling for the complete elimination of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. Member states communicated their frustration over the years that Iraq was impeding the work of the special commission and failing to take seriously its disarmament obligations. Iraqi officials harassed the inspectors and obstructed their work,<ref name="Zilinskas"/> and in August 1998 the Iraqi government suspended cooperation with the inspectors completely, alleging that the inspectors were spying for the US.<ref name="Fisk2007">{{cite book|author=Robert Fisk|title=The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jp2mZr7BoGsC|date=18 December 2007|publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-307-42871-4}} Digital copy, does not include page numbers.</ref> The spying allegations were later substantiated.<ref>{{cite news| title = U.S. Spied on Iraq Via U.N.| access-date = 9 November 2017| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/daily/march99/unscom2.htm|newspaper=Washington Post|date=2 March 1999|author=Barton Gellman}}</ref>

In October 1998, removing the Iraqi government became official [[Foreign policy of the United States|US foreign policy]] with enactment of the [[Iraq Liberation Act]]. The act provided $97&nbsp;million for Iraqi "democratic opposition organizations" to "establish a program to support a transition to democracy in Iraq."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c105:H.R.4655.ENR: |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080711034008/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c105%3AH.R.4655.ENR%3A |archive-date=11 July 2008 |title=Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 (Enrolled as Agreed to or Passed by Both House and Senate) |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=25 May 2006 |url-status=dead |date=31 October 1998}}</ref> This legislation contrasted with the terms set out in [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 687]], which focused on weapons and weapons programs and made no mention of regime change.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/news/un/iraq/sres/sres0687.htm |title=Resolution 687 (1991) |access-date=25 May 2006 |date=8 April 1991 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060523015627/https://fas.org/news/un/iraq/sres/sres0687.htm |archive-date=23 May 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref> One month after the passage of the Iraq Liberation Act, the US and UK launched a bombardment campaign of Iraq called [[Operation Desert Fox]]. The campaign's express rationale was to hamper Saddam Hussein's government's ability to produce chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, but US intelligence personnel also hoped it would help weaken Saddam's grip on power.<ref>{{cite news |first=Arkin |last=William |title=The Difference Was in the Details |work=The Washington Post |date=17 January 1999 |page=B1 |url=http://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/irqtar.htm |access-date=23 April 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060909055202/http://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/irqtar.htm |archive-date=9 September 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref>

{{Main|Rationale for the Iraq War|Preparations for 2003 invasion of Iraq|Failed Iraqi peace initiatives}}

[[File:Rumsfeld-Memo-HowStart.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.5|Excerpt from Donald Rumsfeld memo dated 27 November 2001<ref name="tv.msnbc.com">{{cite news |url=http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/02/16/building-momentum-for-regime-change-rumsfelds-secret-memos/ |title='Building momentum for regime change': Rumsfeld's secret memos |publisher=MSNBC |date=23 June 2001|access-date=19 January 2014}}</ref>]]

President Bush began laying the public groundwork for an invasion of Iraq in January 2002 [[State of the Union]] address, calling Iraq a member of the [[Axis of Evil]], and saying "The United States of America will not permit the world's most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world's most destructive weapons."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020129-11.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502151928/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020129-11.html|url-status=dead|title=President Delivers State of the Union Address|archive-date=2 May 2009|website=georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov}}</ref> Bush said this and made many other dire allegations about the threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction despite the fact that the Bush administration knew that Iraq had no nuclear weapons and had no information about whether Iraq had biological weapons.<ref>Vox, 9 July 2016, [https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/2016/7/9/12123022/george-w-bush-lies-iraq-war "No, Really, George W. Bush Lied about WMDs"]</ref> He began formally making his case to the international community for an invasion of Iraq in his 12 September 2002 address to the [[UN Security Council]].<ref>George W. Bush, [https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/09/20020912-1.html "President's Remarks at the United Nations General Assembly:] Remarks by the President in Address to the United Nations General Assembly, New York City", official transcript, press release, [[The White House]], 12 September 2002. Retrieved 24 May 2007.</ref> However, a 5 September 2002 report from Major General Glen Shaffer revealed that the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]]'s J2 Intelligence Directorate had concluded that the United States' knowledge on different aspects of the Iraqi WMD program ranged from essentially zero to about 75%, and that knowledge was particularly weak on aspects of a possible nuclear weapons program: "Our knowledge of the Iraqi nuclear weapons program is based largely – perhaps 90% – on analysis of imprecise intelligence," they concluded. "Our assessments rely heavily on analytic assumptions and judgment rather than hard evidence. The evidentiary base is particularly sparse for Iraqi nuclear programs."<ref name="IBTJ2memoStory">{{cite news |last1=IBT Staff Reporter |title=Little evidence for Iraq WMDs ahead of 2003 war: U.S. declassified report |url=https://www.ibtimes.com/little-evidence-iraq-wmds-ahead-2003-war-us-declassified-report-264519 |access-date=30 December 2018 |work=[[International Business Times]] |date=8 February 2011}}</ref><ref name="ShafferJ2memo">{{cite web |last1=Shaffer |first1=Glen |title=Iraq: Status of WMD Programs |url=https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2697361-Myers-J2-Memo.html#document/p1 |website=[[Politico]] |access-date=30 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424014613/https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2697361-Myers-J2-Memo.html |archive-date=24 April 2016 |date=5 September 2002}}</ref> Similarly, the British government found no evidence that Iraq possessed nuclear weapons or any other weapons of mass destruction and that Iraq posed no threat to the West, a conclusion British diplomats shared with the US government.<ref>The Independent, 15 December 2006 [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/diplomats-suppressed-document-lays-bare-the-lies-behind-iraq-war-428545.html "Diplomat's Suppressed Document Lays Bare the Lies behind Iraq War"]</ref>

 

Key US allies in [[NATO]], such as the [[United Kingdom]], agreed with the US 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, [[UN Security Council Resolution 1441]], 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.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2364203.stm "France threatens rival UN Iraq draft"]. [[BBC News]], 26 October 2002. Retrieved on 23 April 2007</ref> The US and UK ambassadors to the UN publicly confirmed this reading of the resolution.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwhira3.html|title=U.S. Wants Peaceful Disarmament of Iraq, Says Negroponte|date=8 November 2002|publisher=Embassy of the United States in Manila|access-date=26 May 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060103230014/http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwhira3.html |archive-date=3 January 2006}}</ref>

 

Resolution 1441 set up inspections by the [[United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission]] (UNMOVIC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Saddam accepted the resolution on 13 November and inspectors returned to Iraq under the direction of UNMOVIC chairman [[Hans Blix]] and IAEA Director General [[Mohamed ElBaradei]]. 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Statements of the Director General|url=http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Statements/2003/ebsp2003n006.shtml|publisher=IAEA|access-date=7 September 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060903185204/http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Statements/2003/ebsp2003n006.shtml|archive-date=3 September 2006 |url-status=live|date=6 March 2003}}</ref> In March 2003, Blix said progress had been made in inspections, and no evidence of WMD had been found.<ref name="blix1">Blix, H. (7 March 2003) [http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/03/07/sprj.irq.un.transcript.blix/index.html "Transcript of Blix's U.N. presentation"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161109052347/http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/03/07/sprj.irq.un.transcript.blix/index.html |date=9 November 2016}} CNN</ref>

 

In October 2002, the US Congress passed the "[[Iraq Resolution]]", 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 (see [[popular opinion in the United States on the invasion of Iraq]]). The US government engaged in an elaborate domestic public relations campaign 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. By February 2003, 64% of Americans supported taking military action to remove Saddam from power.<ref name="CBSnews-20030124">[https://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/01/23/opinion/polls/main537739.shtml "Poll: Talk First, Fight Later"]. CBS.com, 24 January 2003. Retrieved on 23 April 2007.</ref>

 

On 5 February 2003, Secretary of State [[Colin Powell]] [[United Nations Security Council and the Iraq War#Colin Powell's presentation|appeared before the UN]] to present evidence that Iraq was hiding unconventional weapons. However, Powell's presentation included information based on the claims of [[Curveball (informant)|Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi, codenamed "Curveball"]], an Iraqi emigrant living in Germany who later admitted that his claims had been false.<ref>{{cite web |first=Lee |last=Ferran |url =http://abcnews.com/Blotter/iraqi-defector-al-janabi-codenamed-curveball-admits-wmd/story?id=12922213 |title =Iraqi Defector 'Curveball' Admits WMD Lies, Is Proud of Tricking U.S. |work =ABC News |date =15 February 2011}}</ref> Powell also presented evidence alleging Iraq had ties to al-Qaeda. As a follow-up to Powell's presentation, the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, Italy, Australia, Denmark, Japan, and Spain proposed a resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq, but NATO members like 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, the UK, Poland, Spain, Denmark, Italy, Japan, and Australia eventually withdrew their resolution.<ref>{{cite news |title=US, Britain and Spain Abandon Resolution |url=http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/attack/armtwist/2003/0317usbritspain.htm |agency=Associated Press |date=17 March 2003 |access-date =6 August 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/03/06/sprj.irq.main/index.html |title=Bush: Iraq is playing 'willful charade' |publisher=CNN |date=7 March 2003|access-date =6 August 2006}}</ref>

 

[[File:Chirac Bush Blair Berlusconi.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|From the left: French President [[Jacques Chirac]], US President [[George W. Bush]], British Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]] and Italian Prime Minister [[Silvio Berlusconi]]. Chirac was against the invasion, the other three leaders were in favor.]]

In March 2003, the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, Australia, Spain, Denmark, and Italy began preparing for the invasion of Iraq with a host of public relations and military moves. In an address to the nation on 17 March 2003, Bush demanded that Saddam and his two sons, [[Uday Hussein|Uday]] and [[Qusay Hussein|Qusay]], surrender and leave Iraq, giving them a 48-hour deadline.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030317-7.html|title=President Says Saddam Hussein Must Leave Iraq Within 48 Hours|date=17 March 2003 |publisher=[[White House Office of the Press Secretary]]|access-date=28 July 2010}}</ref>

 

The UK [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] held a debate on going to war on 18 March 2003 where the government motion was approved 412 to 149.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmhansrd/vo030318/debtext/30318-47.htm |journal=Hansard |date=18 March 2003 |volume=401 |issue=365 |title=Division No. 117 (Iraq) |publisher=[[Parliament of the United Kingdom]]|access-date=29 October 2011}}</ref> The vote was a key moment in the history of the [[Premiership of Tony Blair|Blair government]], as the number of government MPs who rebelled against the vote was the greatest since the repeal of the [[Corn Laws]] in 1846. Three government ministers resigned in protest at the war, [[John Denham (politician)|John Denham]], [[Lord Hunt of Kings Heath]], and the then Leader of the House of Commons [[Robin Cook]].

 

 

In the same period, [[Pope John Paul II]] publicly condemned the military intervention. During a private meeting, he also said directly to George W. Bush: "Mr. President, you know my opinion about the war in Iraq. Let's talk about something else. Every violence, against one or a million, is a blasphemy addressed to the image and likeness of God."<ref>LaRepubblica, [http://www.repubblica.it/esteri/2011/04/24/news/intervista_navarro-valls-15331612/] (it]</ref>

 

[[File:London anti-war protest banners.jpg|thumb|Anti-war protest in London, September 2002. Organised by the British [[Stop the War Coalition]], up to 400,000 took part in the protest.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/2378843.stm |title=Anti-war protests under way |work=BBC News |date=31 October 2002 |access-date=26 July 2015}}</ref>]]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* [[Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse]] by US Army personnel,<ref>{{cite news | first = Seymour M. | last = Hersh | title = Chain of Command | date = 17 May 2004 | url = https://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/05/17/040517fa_fact2?currentPage=all | work = The New Yorker | access-date =13 September 2011 | quote = NBC News later quoted U.S. military officials as saying that the unreleased photographs showed American soldiers "severely beating an Iraqi prisoner nearly to death, having sex with a female Iraqi prisoner, and 'acting inappropriately with a dead body.' The officials said there also was a videotape, apparently shot by U.S. personnel, showing Iraqi guards raping young boys."}}</ref> involving the detention of thousands of Iraqi men and women. Torture at Abu Ghraib included rape, sodomy and extensive sexual abuse, waterboarding, pouring phosphoric acid on detainees, sleep deprivation and physical beatings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to polls conducted by the [[Arab American Institute]], four years after the invasion of Iraq, 83% of Egyptians had a negative view of the US&nbsp;role in Iraq; 68% of Saudi Arabians had a negative view; 96% of the Jordanian population had a negative view; 70% of the population of the United Arab Emirates and 76% of the Lebanese population also described their view as negative.<ref>{{cite web|last=Zogby |first=James |publisher=[[Arab American Institute]] |date=March 2007 |url=http://www.aaiusa.org/page/-/Polls/2007_poll_four_years_later_arab_opinion.pdf |title=Four Years Later: Arab Opinion Troubled by Consequences of Iraq War |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128061143/http://www.aaiusa.org/page/-/Polls/2007_poll_four_years_later_arab_opinion.pdf |archive-date=28 January 2015}}</ref> The Pew Global Attitudes Project reports that in 2006 majorities in the [[Netherlands]], Germany, [[Jordan]], France, [[Lebanon]], Russia, China, Canada, [[Poland]], [[Pakistan]], Spain, [[Indonesia]], [[Turkey]], and [[Morocco]] believed the world was safer before the Iraq War and the toppling of Saddam, while pluralities in the United States and [[India]] believe the world is safer without Saddam Hussein.<ref>{{cite news |publisher=Pew Research Center|work=Pew Global Attitudes Project|date=28 February 2006|url=http://pewglobal.org/commentary/display.php?AnalysisID=1002|title=India: Pro-America, Pro-Bush}}</ref>

 

[[File:Pleadingforfreedom.jpg|thumb|A woman pleads with an [[Iraqi army]] soldier from 2nd Company, 5th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division to let a suspected insurgent free during a raid near Tafaria, [[Iraq]].]]

 

 

 

 

 

According to two unnamed US&nbsp;officials, [[the Pentagon]] is examining the possibility that the [[Karbala provincial headquarters raid]], in which insurgents managed to infiltrate an American base, kill five US&nbsp;soldiers, wound three, and destroy three humvees before fleeing, was supported by Iranians. In a speech on {{Nowrap|31 January 2007}}, Iraqi Prime Minister [[Nouri al-Maliki]] stated that Iran was supporting attacks against Coalition forces in Iraq<ref>{{cite news |title=Al-Maliki: Iraq won't be battleground for U.S., Iran |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/01/31/iraq.main/ |publisher=CNN |date=31 January 2007 |access-date=31 January 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202013010/http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/01/31/iraq.main/ |archive-date=2 February 2007}}</ref> and some Iraqis suspect that the raid may have been perpetrated by the Quds Force in retaliation for the detention of five Iranian officials by US&nbsp;forces in the northern Iraqi city of [[Irbil]] on {{Nowrap|11 January}}.<ref>{{cite news |title=Iran involvement suspected in Karbala compound attack |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/01/30/iraq.main/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=31 January 2007 |access-date=31 January 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Robert |last=Baer |author-link=Robert Baer |title=Are the Iranians Out for Revenge? |url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1583523,00.html?cnn=yes |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202224629/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1583523,00.html?cnn=yes |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 February 2007 |work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=30 January 2007 |access-date=31 January 2007}}</ref>

 

 

 

 

 

*Mikulaschek, Christoph and Jacob Shapiro. (2018). [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0022002716669808 Lessons on Political Violence from America's Post-9/11 Wars]. ''Journal of Conflict Resolution'' 62(1): 174–202.

 

* [https://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2009/apr/14/iraq-war-stories Iraq war stories], a ''Guardian'' and ''Observer'' archive in words and pictures documenting the human and political cost, ''The Guardian'', April 2009.

 

{{United States topics}}

 

[[Category:Iraq War| ]]

[[Category:Iraq War legal issues|*]]