March 20th 2003: The Iraq War begins
On this day in 2003, in the early hours of the morning, the United States, United Kingdom, and their allies began a military invasion of Iraq. The reasons for the invasion were the alleged presence of weapons of mass destruction, and Iraq’s supposed ties to terrorist group Al-Qaeda who perpetrated the 9/11 attacks on New York City in 2001. According to U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair the mission was “to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, to end Saddam Hussein’s support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people.” However, in 2005 it was discovered that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction. On March 19th, an air strike hit the Presidential Palace in Baghdad, and the next day coalition forces began an invasion into Basra province. The forces drove into the country and occupied areas, eventually driving President Saddam Hussein into hiding. With Hussein gone and Iraq occupied, the end of combat was announced on 1st May, marking the transition from invasion to occupation. Hussein was captured in December 2003 and executed in December 2006. UK troops remained in Iraq until April 2009, while U.S. troops withdrew slowly. The occupation continued until December 15th 2011, when U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta declared the Iraq War over.
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