Information AboutIraq War |
The Iraq War, also known as the '''Occupation of Iraq''',10 the '''Second Gulf War''',11 or in the U.S., '''Operation Iraqi Freedom''',12 is an ongoing conflict which began on March 20 , 2003 with the United States -led Invasion Of Iraq . The main '' 4 August 1990 ; subscription only14 After the invasion, however, No Evidence Was Found of such weapons. Some U.S. officials cited claims of a connection between Saddam Hussein And Al-Qaeda . No evidence of any substantial al-Qaeda connection has been found. The war began on March 20, 2003, when a largely British And American Force supported by small contingents from Australia , Denmark and Poland invaded Iraq. The Invasion soon led to the defeat and flight of Saddam Hussein. The U.S.-led coalition Occupied Iraq and attempted to establish a new Democratic government; however it failed to restore order in Iraq. The unrest led to Asymmetric Warfare with the Iraqi Insurgency , Civil War between many Sunni and Shia Iraqis and Al-Qaeda operations in Iraq. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, 2 Feb 2007 , see "four wars" remark15 As a result of this failure to restore order, a growing number of coalition nations have withdrawn troops from Iraq.16 The causes and consequences of the war remain controversial. 1991-2003: U.N. INSPECTORS AND THE NO-FLY ZONES See Also: Operation Northern Watch Oil-for-Food Programme Following the 1991 Gulf War , the United Nations Security Council Resolution 687 mandated that Iraqi Chemical, Biological, Nuclear, And Long Range Missile Programs be halted and all such weapons destroyed under a United Nations Special Commission control. U.N. weapons inspectors inside Iraq were able to verify the destruction of a large amount of WMD-material, but substantial issues remained unresolved after they left Iraq in 1998 due to the lack of cooperation by the Iraqi government. In addition to the inspection regimen, the United States and the United Kingdom (along with France until 1998) engaged in a low-level conflict with Iraq by enforcing northern and southern Iraqi No-fly Zones . These zones were Created Following The Persian Gulf War to Protect the Iraqi Kurdistan in the north and the Southern Shia Areas , and were seen by the Iraqi government as an infringement of Iraq's Sovereignty . Iraqi air-defense installations and American and British air patrols regularly exchanged fire during this period. Approximately nine months after the September 11, 2001 Attacks , the United States initiated Operation Southern Focus as a change to its response strategy, by increasing the overall number of missions and selecting targets throughout the no-fly zones in order to disrupt the military command structure in Iraq. The weight of bombs dropped increased from none in March 2002 and 0.3 in April 2002 to between 8 and 14 tons per month in May-August, reaching a pre-war peak of 54.6 tons in September 2002. 2001-2003: IRAQ DISARMAMENT CRISIS AND PREWAR INTELLIGENCE See Also: American government position on invasion of Iraq Rationale for the Iraq War Public relations preparations for 2003 invasion of Iraq Governments' pre-war positions on invasion of Iraq Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda See Also: Iraq disarmament crisis timeline 2001-2003 2002 in Iraq The original U.S. justification for the Iraq War was that Iraq possessed Weapons Of Mass Destruction , and later that Saddam Hussein ’s regime in Iraq was collaborating with the Al-Qaeda terrorist group. However, the intelligence on which both these claims were made has been subject to criticism and to some extent discredited post-invasion, and the administration has also been accused of falsely representing the available intelligence to the public. This has led many war opponents to consider the Iraq War as based on lies. The issue of Iraq's Disarmament Reached A Crisis in 2002-2003, when President Of The United States George W. Bush demanded a complete end to alleged Iraqi Production And Use Of Weapons Of Mass Destruction and that Iraq comply with UN Resolutions requiring UN inspectors unfettered access to areas those inspectors thought might have weapons production facilities. Iraq had been Banned By The United Nations from developing or possessing such weapons since the 1991 Gulf War . It was also required to permit inspections to confirm Iraqi compliance. Bush repeatedly backed demands for unfettered inspection and disarmament with threats of invasion. In accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1284 (enacted 17 December 1999), Iraq reluctantly agreed to New Inspections In Late 2002 . The inspectors didn't find any WMD stockpiles, but they did not view Iraqi declarations as credible either. In the initial stages of the War On Terror , the Central Intelligence Agency , under George Tenet , was rising to prominence as the lead agency in the Afghanistan war. But when Tenet insisted in his personal meetings with President Bush that there was no connection between Al Qaeda and Iraq, V.P. Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld initiated a secret program to re-examine the evidence and marginalize the CIA and Tenet. The questionable intelligence acquired by this secret program was " Stovepiped " to the Vice President and presented to the public. In some cases, Cheney’s office would leak the intelligence to reporters, where it would be reported by outlets such as ''The New York Times''. Cheney would subsequently appear on the Sunday political television talk shows to discuss the intelligence, referencing ''The New York Times'' as the source to give it credence. "Frontline: The Dark Side," PBS, aired June 20, 2006 Weapons of mass destruction? In late February 2002, the CIA sent former Ambassador Joseph Wilson to investigate Claims Based On Forged Documents that Iraq has attempted to purchase Yellowcake Uranium from Africa. He returned home and informed the CIA that the reports of yellowcake sales to Iraq were "unequivocally wrong." After the Bush administration repeatedly referenced the yellowcake claims as justification for war with Iraq, ambassador Wilson wrote a critical op-ed in ''The New York Times'' in which he explained the nature of the documents and the government's prior knowledge of their unreliability for use in a case for war. Shortly after Wilson's op-ed, the identity of Wilson's wife, undercover CIA analyst Valerie Plame , was revealed in a column by Robert Novak , in apparent retribution for Wilson going public with doubts about the yellowcake claims. It was a felony to reveal the identity of a CIA agent, yet no one has been convicted as a result of Novak’s column, though I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby , Dick Cheney’s Chief of Staff, was convicted of perjury in the Plame Leak investigation. A British government memo was published in '' The Sunday Times '' on May 1, 2005. Known as the " Downing Street Memo ," it contains an overview of a secret July 23 , 2002 meeting among United Kingdom Labour government, defense and intelligence figures, discussing the build-up to the Iraq war—including direct reference to classified U.S. policy of the time. The memo states, "Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy." "The secret Downing Street memo," ''The Sunday Times'', May 1, 2005 On September 18, 2002, George Tenet briefed Bush that Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction. Bush dismissed this top-secret intelligence from Saddam's inner circle and approved by two senior CIA officers, but it turned out to be completely accurate. The information was never shared with Congress or even CIA agents examining whether Saddam had such weapons.Blumenthal, S. (September 6, 2007) "Bush knew Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction" ''Salon.com'' In September 2002, the Bush administration said attempts by Iraq to acquire thousands of high-strength Aluminum Tubes pointed to a clandestine program to make enriched uranium for nuclear bombs. Indeed, Colin Powell , in his address to the U.N. Security Council just prior to the war, made reference to the aluminum tubes. But a report released by the Institute For Science And International Security in 2002 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, and the intelligence he was relying on was, in some cases, "deliberately misleading." "Evidence on Iraq Challenged," Joby Warrick, ''The Washington Post'', Sept. 19, 2002 Colin Powell’s speech to the UN, Feb 5, 2003 Meet the Press, NBC, May 16, 2004 Between September, 2002 and June, 2003, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz created a Pentagon unit known as the Office Of Special Plans (OSP), headed by Douglas Feith . It was created to supply senior Bush administration officials with raw intelligence pertaining to Iraq, unvetted by intelligence analysts, and circumventing traditional intelligence gathering operations by the CIA. One former CIA officer described the OSP as dangerous for U.S. national security and a threat to world peace, and that it lied and manipulated intelligence to further its agenda of removing Saddam Hussein . He described it as a group of ideologues with pre-determined notions of truth and reality, taking bits of intelligence to support their agenda and ignoring anything contrary. "Revealed: The Secret Cabal Which Spun for Blair," ''Sunday Herald'', Neil Mackay, June 8, 2003 In late 2002, CIA director George Tenet and Secretary of State Colin Powell both cited the alleged attempted Yellowcake purchase by Saddam Hussein from Niger in their September testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee . In his January, 2003 State of the Union address, President Bush repeated the allegation, citing British intelligence sources. Yellowcake is a product of an intermediary stage in the production of enriched uranium for use in WMD. The Yellowcake Intelligence Was Based On Falsified Classified Documents initially revealed by Italian intelligence, and there is evidence the Bush administration was aware in 2002 that the intelligence was not reliable. The administration later admitted that Bush should have jettisoned the claim from his State of the Union speech. "A Question of Trust," ''Time'', July 13, 2003 Authorization for the use of force while giving a presentation to the United Nations Security Council ]] In October, 2002, a few days before the 2002 which was used by the Bush Administration as the Legal Basis For The United States To Invade Iraq . In early 2003, the United States, United Kingdom, and Spain proposed another resolution on Iraq, which they called the "eighteenth resolution" to give Iraq a deadline to comply with previous resolutions before a possible military intervention. This proposed resolution was subsequently withdrawn for Lack Of Support On The U.N. Security Council . In particular, NATO members France and Germany , together with Russia , were opposed to a military intervention in Iraq, on the ground that it would be very risky, in terms of security, for the international community, and defended a diplomatic process of disarmament. On January 20 , 2003, French Foreign Minister Dominique De Villepin declared "...we believe that military intervention would be the worst solution".17 Opposition to invasion Meanwhile 2005 . In March 2003, UN weapons inspector Hans Blix reported in regard to Iraq that, "No evidence of proscribed activities have so far been found," saying that progress was made in inspections which would continue.Blix, H. (March 7, 2003) "Transcript of Blix's U.N. presentation" ''CNN.com'' But the U.S. government announced that "diplomacy has failed" and that it would proceed with a coalition of allied countries, named the "coalition of the willing", to rid Iraq of its alleged weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. government abruptly advised U.N. weapons inspectors to immediately pull out of Baghdad. Regarding ’s terror group and Iraq. "Rumsfeld backtracks on al-Qaida, Iraq links," MSNBC Despite statements from the Bush administration, inspectors never found any evidence of WMD in Iraq, and the September 11 Commission reported no collaborative relationship between Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. "U.S. Report Finds No Evidence of Iraq WMD," ''Associated Press'' "Panel Finds No Qaeda-Iraq Tie," ''New York Times'', June 17, 2004 The are also serious Legal Questions surrounding the conduct of the war in Iraq and the Bush Doctrine of Preemptive War . On September 16 , 2004 Kofi Annan , the Secretary General of the United Nations, said of the invasion, "I have indicated it was not in conformity with the UN charter. From our point of view, from the charter point of view, it was illegal."18 2003: INVASION > See Also: 2003 in Iraq 2003 Iraq war timeline List of people associated with the 2003 invasion of Iraq See Also: Coalition military operations of the Iraq War Iraq War order of battle The 2003 Invasion Of Iraq , led by General Tommy Franks , began on March 20 , under the U.S. codename "Operation Iraqi Freedom." The British military's codename for their participation in the invasion was called Operation Telic . The coalition forces cooperated with Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the north. Approximately forty other nations, dubbed the " Coalition Of The Willing ," also participated by providing equipment, services and security as well as special forces. The initial coalition military forces were roughly 300,000, of which 98% were U.S. and British troops.19 Saddam's army was quickly overwhelmed and on April 9 Baghdad fell to U.S. forces. American infantrymen seized deserted Baath Party ministries and pulled down a huge iron statue of Saddam Hussein , ending his 24-year rule of Iraq . However looting of government offices and serious disorder broke out soon after and Hussein's fighting forces melted away in large portions of the city.20 On April 13 Tikrit , the home town of Saddam Hussein, and the last town not under control of the coalition, was taken by the Marines of Task Force Tripoli. Perhaps to the surprise of many, there was little resistance. On April 15 the coalition partners claimed that the war was effectively over. It has been estimated that approximately 9,200 Iraqi combatants were killed in this initial invasion phase of the war http://www.comw.org/pda/0310rm8.html. Added to this the .'' Oct. 25, 2005. British combatant deaths in this period amounted to 33 http://www.icasualties.org/oif/SumDetails.aspx?hndRef=1. Coalition Provisional Authority and Iraq Survey Group See Also: Iraqi Governing Council International Advisory and Monitoring Board Coalition Provisional Authority Program Review Board l3=CPA Program Review Board Development Fund for Iraq Reconstruction of Iraq Shortly after the invasion, the multinational coalition created the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) سلطة الائتلاف الموحدة, based in the Green Zone , as a Transitional Government of Iraq until the establishment of a democratic government. Citing United Nations Security Council Resolution 1483 (22 May 2003) and the Laws Of War , the CPA vested itself with Executive , Legislative , and Judicial authority over the Iraqi government from the period of the CPA's inception on April 21 , 2003 , until its dissolution on June 28 , 2004 . The CPA was originally headed by Jay Garner , a former U.S. military officer, but his appointment lasted for only a brief time. After Garner resigned, President Bush appointed L. Paul Bremer as the head the CPA and he served until the CPA's dissolution in July 2004. Another group created in the spring of 2003 was the after the 2003 Invasion Of Iraq to find Weapons Of Mass Destruction (WMD) Programmes Developed By Iraq . It consisted of a 1,400-member international team organised by the Pentagon and CIA to hunt for suspected stockpiles of WMD, such as chemical and biological agents, and any supporting research programmes and infrastructure that could be used to develop WMD. The ISG has been unable to find these. Bush: "end of major combat operations" See Also: Post-invasion Iraq, 2003–2006 returning to port carrying its ''Mission Accomplished'' banner]] On May 1 , 2003 , President Bush staged a dramatic visit to the Aircraft Carrier USS ''Abraham Lincoln'' while the ship was a few miles west of San Diego, California on its way home from a long deployment which had included service in the Persian Gulf . The visit climaxed at sunset with his now well-known " Mission Accomplished " speech. In this nationally-televised speech, delivered before the Sailors and Airmen on the Flight Deck , Bush effectively declared victory due to the defeat of Iraq's conventional forces. However, Saddam Hussein remained at large and significant pockets of resistance remained. After President Bush's speech, the coalition military noticed a gradually increasing flurry of attacks on its troops in various regions, especially in the " Sunni Triangle ". In the initial chaos after the fall of the Iraqi government, there was massive looting of infrastructure, including government buildings, official residences, museums, banks, and military depots. According to The Pentagon, 250,000 tons (of 650,000 tons total) of ordnance was looted, providing a significant source of ammunition for Iraqi Insurgency . The insurgents were further helped by hundreds of weapons caches created by the conventional Iraqi army and Republican Guard beforehand. Initially, the resistance largely stemmed from Fedayeen and loyalists of Saddam Hussein or the Baath Party , but soon religious radicals and Iraqis angered by the occupation contributed to the insurgency. The insurgents are generally known to the Coalition Forces as "Anti-Iraqi Forces." .]] Most initial insurgency was concentrated in the Sunni Triangle, which includes Baghdad.21 The three provinces that had the highest number of attacks were Baghdad, Anbar, and Salah Ad Din. -Those 3 provinces account for 35% of the population, but are responsible for 73% of U.S. military deaths (as of December 5 , 2006 ), and an even higher percentage of recent U.S. military deaths (about 80%).22 This resistance has been described as a type of Guerrilla Warfare . Insurgent tactics include mortars, missiles, Suicide Attack s, snipers (cf. Juba, The Baghdad Sniper ), Improvised Explosive Device s (IEDs), roadside bombs, car bombs, small arms fire (usually with Assault Rifle s), and RPGs ( Rocket Propelled Grenade s), as well as sabotage against the oil, water, and electrical infrastructure. Post-invasion Iraq coalition efforts commenced after the fall of the Hussein regime. The coalition nations, together with the United Nations, began to work to establish a stable Democratic state capable of defending itself,23 holding itself together24 as well as overcoming insurgent attacks and internal divisions. Meanwhile, coalition military forces launched several operations around the Tigris River peninsula and in the Sunni Triangle. A series of similar operations were launched throughout the summer in the Sunni Triangle. Toward the end of 2003, the intensity and pace of insurgent attacks began to increase. A sharp surge in guerrilla attacks ushered in an insurgent effort that was termed the " Ramadan Offensive ", as it coincided with the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan . Coalition forces brought to bear the use of air power for the first time since the end of the invasion. Suspected ambush sites and mortar launching positions were struck from the air and with artillery fire. Surveillance of major routes, patrols, and raids on suspected insurgents were stepped up. In addition, two villages, including Saddam’s birthplace of al-Auja and the small town of Abu Hishma were wrapped in barbed wire and carefully monitored. However, the failure to restore basic services to above pre-war levels, where over a decade of sanctions, bombing, corruption, and decaying infrastructure had left major cities functioning at much-reduced levels, also contributed to local anger at the IPA government headed by an executive council. On July 2 2003 , President Bush declared that American troops would remain in Iraq in spite of the attacks, challenging the insurgents with "My answer is, bring 'em on", a line which was widely criticised and the President later expressed misgivings about having used it.25 In the summer of 2003, the multinational forces also focused on hunting down the remaining leaders of the former regime. On July 22 , during a raid by the U.S. 101st Airborne Division and soldiers from Task Force 20 , Saddam Hussein's sons ( Uday and Qusay ) and one of his grandsons were killed. In all, over 300 top leaders of the former regime were killed or captured, as well as numerous lesser functionaries and military personnel. Saddam Hussein captured See Also: Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal Trial of Saddam Hussein In the wave of intelligence information fueling the raids on remaining Baath Party members connected to insurgency, Saddam Hussein himself was captured on December 13 2003 on a farm near Tikrit in Operation Red Dawn . The operation was conducted by the United States Army 's 4th Infantry Division and members of Task Force 121 . With the capture of Saddam and a drop in the number of insurgent attacks, some concluded the multinational forces were prevailing in the fight against the insurgency. The provisional government began training the New Iraqi Security forces intended to defend the country, and the United States promised over $20 billion in reconstruction money in the form of credit against Iraq's future oil revenues. Oil revenue was also used for rebuilding schools and for work on the electrical and refining infrastructure. Shortly after the capture of Saddam, elements left out of the ) to Basra in the south. 2004: THE INSURGENCY EXPANDS See Also: 2004 in Iraq :''See also: Military Operations Of The Iraq War for a list of all Coalition operations for this period, 2004 In Iraq , Iraqi Coalition Counter-insurgency Operations , History Of Iraqi Insurgency , United States Occupation Of Fallujah , Iraq Spring Fighting Of 2004 The start of 2004 was marked by a relative lull in violence. Insurgent forces reorganised during this time, studying the multinational forces' tactics and planning a renewed offensive. Guerrilla attacks were less intense. However, violence was ratcheted up in a major way in the Iraq Spring Fighting Of 2004 with foreign fighters from around the Middle East as well as Al-Qaeda In Iraq (an affiliated Al-Qaeda group), led by Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi helping to drive the insurgency. in 2004 and abandoned after widespread criticism that its colors and motifs were too similar to the Flag Of Israel ]] As the insurgent activity increased, there was a distinct change in targeting from the coalition forces towards the new Iraqi Security Forces, as hundreds of Iraqi civilians and police were killed over the next few months in a series of massive bombings. One hypothesis for these increased bombings is that the relevance of Saddam Hussein and his followers was diminishing in direct proportion to the influence of radical Islamists , both foreign and Iraqi. An organised Sunni insurgency, with deep roots and both nationalist and Islamist motivations, was becoming more powerful throughout Iraq. The Mahdi Army also began launching attacks on coalition targets in an attempt to seize control from Iraqi security forces. The southern and central portions of Iraq were beginning to erupt in urban guerrilla combat as multinational forces attempted to keep control and prepared for a counteroffensive. The most serious fighting of the war so far was initiated on March 31 , 2004 when Iraqi Insurgents in Fallujah ambushed a convoy containing four American Private Military Contractor s from Blackwater USA who were conducting delivery for food caterers Eurest Support Services .26 The four private armed contractors, Scott Helvenston , Jerko Zovko, Wesley Batalona and Michael Teague, were killed with grenades and small arms fire, their bodies dragged from their vehicles, beaten and set ablaze. Their burned corpses were then dragged through the streets before being hung over a bridge crossing the Euphrates . Residents hang slain Americans' bodies from bridge - CNN.com Photos of the event were released to in April 2004. The offensive was resumed in November, 2004 in the bloodiest battle of the war so far: the as an incendiary weapon against insurgent personnel, attracting controversy. The battle lasted 10 days and resulted in the deaths of over 1000 insurgents and 54 Americans. The town of Fallujah was totally devastated during the fighting, though civilian casualties were low, as they had mostly been evacuated before the fight to make way for a set piece confrontation between the two opponents - which the American forces wonThomas Ricks (2006) ''Fiasco'': 398-405. The other major event of this year was the revelation of prisoner abuse at ' history of the conflict these revelations dealt a body-blow to the moral justifications for the occupation in the eyes of the Iraqis and the international community and were a turning point in the warThomas E. Ricks (2006) ''Fiasco, The American Military Adventure In Iraq''. Penguin. 2005: ELECTIONS AND SOVEREIGNTY TRANSFERRED See Also: 2005 in Iraq On January 31 , Iraqis Elected the Iraqi Transitional Government in order to draft a permanent constitution. Although some violence and widespread Sunni boycott marred the event, most of the eligible Kurd and Shia populace participated. On February 4 , Paul Wolfowitz announced that 15,000 U.S. troops whose tours of duty had been extended in order to provide election security would be pulled out of Iraq by the next month.27 February to April proved to be relatively peaceful months compared to the carnage of November and January, with insurgent attacks averaging 30 a day from the prior average of 70. Hopes for a quick end to an insurgency and a withdrawal of U.S. troops were dashed in May, Iraq's bloodiest month since the invasion. Suicide bombers, believed to be mainly disheartened Iraqi Sunni Arabs, Syrians and Saudis, tore through Iraq. Their targets were often Shia gatherings or civilian concentrations mainly of Shias. As a result, over 700 Iraqi civilians died in that month, as well as 79 U.S. soldiers. The summer of 2005 saw fighting around Baghdad and at Tall Afar in northwestern Iraq as US forces tried to seal off the Syrian border. This lead to fighting in the autumn in the small towns of the Euphrates valley between the capital and the that border Thomas Ricks (2006) ''Fiasco'': 413. A constitutional referendum was held in October and a national assembly was elected in December Thomas Ricks (2006) ''Fiasco'': 413. Insurgent attacks increased in 2005 with 34,131 recorded incidents, compared to a total 26,496 for the previous year Thomas Ricks (2006) ''Fiasco'': 414. 2006: PERMANENT IRAQI GOVERNMENT AND CIVIL WAR See Also: 2006 in Iraq Civil war in Iraq The beginning of 2006 was marked by government creation talks, growing sectarian violence, and continuous anti-coalition attacks. Sectarian violence expanded to a new level of intensity following the Al-Askari Mosque Bombing in the Iraqi city of Samarra, on February 22, 2006. The explosion at the mosque, one of the holiest sites in Shi'a Islam, is believed to have been caused by a bomb planted by Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Although no injuries occurred in the blast, the mosque was severely damaged and the bombing resulted in violence over the following days. Over 100 dead bodies with bullet holes were found on February 23, and at least 165 people are thought to have been killed. In the aftermath of this attack the US military calculated that the average homicide rate in Baghdad tripled from 11 to 33 deaths per day.The United Nations has since described the environment in Iraq as a "civil war-like situation."28 A 2006 Study by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Of Public Health has estimated that more than 601,000 Iraqis have died in violence since the U.S. invasion and that fewer than one third of these deaths came at the hands of Coalition Forces .29 The Office Of The United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees and the Iraqi Government estimate that more than 365,000 Iraqis have been displaced since the bombing of the Al-Askari Mosque , bringing the total number of Iraqi Refugee s to more than 1.6 million.30 The current government of Iraq took office on May 20 , 2006 following approval by the Members of the Iraqi National Assembly . This followed the General Election In December 2005 . The government succeeded the Iraqi Transitional Government which had continued in office in a Caretaker Capacity until the new government was agreed. Increased sectarian violence In September 2006, ''The Washington Post'' reported that the commander of the Marine forces in Iraq filed "an unusual secret report" concluding that the prospects for securing the Anbar province are dim, and that there is almost nothing the U.S. military can do to improve the political and social situation there.31 Iraq was listed fourth on the 2006 Failed States Index compiled by the American '' Foreign Policy '' magazine and the Fund For Peace think-tank. The list was topped by Sudan .3233 As of October 20 the U.S military announced that Operation Together Forward had failed to stem the tide of violence in Baghdad, and Shiite militants under al-Sadr seized several southern Iraq cities. 34 U.S. congressional elections and expanding violence See Also: 23 November 2006 Sadr City bombings On November 7 , 2006 , United States Midterm Elections removed Bush's Republican Party from control of both chambers of the United States Congress . The failings in the Iraq war was cited as one of the main causes even though the Bush administration attempted to distance itself from its earlier "stay the course" rhetoric.35 On November 23 , the deadliest attack since the beginning of the Iraq war occurred. Suspected Sunni-Arab militants used five suicide car bombs and two mortar rounds on the capital's Shiite Sadr City slum to kill at least 215 people and wound 257. Shiite mortar teams quickly retaliated, firing 10 shells at Sunni Islam's most important shrine in Baghdad, badly damaging the Abu Hanifa mosque and killing one person. Eight more rounds slammed down near the offices of the Association of Muslim Scholars, the top Sunni Muslim organisation in Iraq, setting nearby houses on fire. Two other mortar barrages on Sunni neighborhoods in west Baghdad killed nine and wounded 21, police said. 36 On November 28 , another Marine Corps intelligence report was released confirming the previous report on Anbar stating that, "U.S. and Iraqi troops 'are no longer capable of militarily defeating the insurgency in al-Anbar,' and 'nearly all government institutions from the village to provincial levels have disintegrated or have been thoroughly corrupted and infiltrated by Al Qaeda in Iraq.'" 37 Iraq Study Group report and Saddam's execution See Also: Iraq Study Group Execution of Saddam Hussein Iraq Study Group Report was released on December 6 , 2006 . The bipartisan Iraq Study Group was led by former secretary of state James Baker and former Democratic congressman Lee Hamilton , and concludes that "the situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating" and "U.S. forces seem to be caught in a mission that has no foreseeable end." The report's 79 recommendations include increasing diplomatic measures with Iran and Syria and intensifying efforts to train Iraqi troops. On December 18 , a Pentagon report finds that attacks on Americans and Iraqis average about 960 a week, the highest since the reports began in 2005. 38 Coalition forces formally transferred control of a province to the Iraqi government, the first since the war. Military prosecutors charged 8 Marines with the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha in November 2005, 10 of them women and children. Four officers were also charged with Dereliction Of Duty in relation to the event. 39 Saddam Hussein Was Hanged on December 30 , 2006 after being found guilty of crimes against humanity by an Iraqi court. 40 2007: U.S. TROOP SURGE See Also: Iraq War troop surge of 2007 In a , Bush announced "deploying reinforcements of more than 20,000 additional soldiers and Marines to Iraq." 2007 also saw a sharp increase in insurgent Chlorine Bombings . Increasing demands on U.S. troops Maintaining higher troop levels in the face of higher casualties required two changes in the army. Tours of duty were increased and the exclusions of volunteers with a history of criminal acts were relaxed ( Moral Waiver ). Both of these changes are expected to increase the probability of violence against Iraqi noncombatants. A defense department sponsored report43 described increased length of tours leading to higher stress which increase manifestations of anger and disrespect for civilians. '' 14 February 2007 In April, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced that all active-duty Army soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan will serve for sixteen months, instead of the twelve month tours they expected. "Without this action, we would have had to deploy five Army active-duty brigades sooner than the 12-month at-home goal", Gates said.Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. and The Associated Press ( April 11 , 2007 ) "Gates Extends Iraq, Afghanistan Duty Tours" Statistics released in April indicated that more and more soldiers have been deserting their duty, a sharp rise from the years before.44 s on patrol around Basra ]] Pressures on U.S. troops are compounded by the imminent withdrawal of a significant porton of British forces. On also announced the withdrawal of Danish troops from Iraq. The 450 Danish troops left the country at the end of July, leaving only a unit of nine soldiers manning four observational helicopters. Al-Jazeera ENGLISH, February 21 , 2007 , Blair announces Iraq troop pullout The rate of American deaths in Baghdad over the first seven weeks of the "surge" security escalation has nearly doubled from the previous period.45 According to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Monitor, U.S. troop deaths since the beginning of the escalation have been "running at 3.14/day, which is the highest of any period since the end of major combat."46 Effects of the surge on security with insurgents in the Al Doura section of Baghdad March 7, 2007]] By mid-March 2007, violence in Baghdad was reported by US sources close to the military as having been curtailed by 80%;47 however, independent reports have raised questions about such assessments. An Iraqi military spokesman claims that civilian deaths since the start of the troop surge plan were 265 in Baghdad, down from 1,440 in the four previous weeks. The ''New York Times'' has found more than 450 Iraqi civilians were killed during the same 28-day period, based on initial daily reports from Interior Ministry and hospital officials. Historically, the daily counts tallied by the ''NYT'' have underestimated the total death toll by 50% or more when compared to studies by the United Nations, which rely upon figures from the Iraqi Health Ministry and morgue figures.48 Late March, 2007, the US Congress passed supplemental funding authorisation bills to pay $122 billion for emergency war operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, including requirements that the US withdraw its troops from Iraq by August, 2008. Bush threatened to veto any bill including such a withdraw provision. Senate OKs Iraq Troop Withdrawal Bill , Associated Press Mar. 29, 2007 The United States Senate approved on March 30 , 2007 the goal of getting all combat soldiers out by March 31 , 2008 . The Senate's shorter timetable is a goal, not a requirement on Bush and is designed to win the support of centrist Democrats. Senate approves '08 goal to bring troops home , Reuters March 30, 2007 lifts a wounded Iraqi police officer into an ambulance at Forward Operating Base Normandy .]] Despite a massive security crackdown in Baghdad associated with the "surge" in coalition troop strength, the monthly death toll in Iraq rose 15% in March. 1,869 Iraqi civilians were killed and 2,719 were wounded in March, compared to 1,646 killed and 2,701 wounded in February. In March, 165 Iraqi policemen were killed against 131 the previous month, while 44 Iraqi soldiers died compared to 29 in February. US military deaths in March were nearly double those of the Iraqi army, despite US claims that Iraqi forces led the security crackdown in Baghdad. The death toll among insurgent militants fell to 481 in March, compared to 586 killed in February; however, the number of arrests jumped to 5,664 in March against 1,921 in February.Faraj, S. (, 2007 ) Iraq death toll jumps 15% in March Three months after the start of the surge, troops controlled less than a third of the capital, far short of the initial goal, according to an internal military assessment completed in May 2007. Violence was especially chronic in mixed Shiite-Sunni neighborhoods in western Baghdad. Improvements had not yet been widespread or lasting across Baghdad.Cloud, D.S. and Cave, D. (June 3, 2007) "Commanders Say Push in Baghdad Is Short of Goal" ''New York Times'' accessed 4 June 2007 Worsening humanitarian crisis A March 2007 survey of more than 2,000 Iraqis commissioned by the BBC and three other news organizations found that 51% of the population consider attacks on coalition forces "acceptable," up from 17% in 2004 and 35% in 2006. Also:
In a report entitled "Civilians without Protection: The Ever-Worsening Humanitarian Crisis in Iraq", produced well after the stepped-up American-led military operations in Baghdad began February 14 , the International Red Cross And Red Crescent Movement said that millions of Iraqis are in a disastrous situation that is getting worse, with medical professionals fleeing the country after their colleagues were killed or abducted. Mothers are appealing for someone to pick up the bodies on the street so their children will be spared the horror of looking at them on their way to school. Red Cross Director of Operations Pierre Kraehenbuehl said that hospitals and other key services are desperately short of staff, with more than half the doctors said to have already left the country.Higgins, A.G. ( April 11 , 2007 ) "Red Cross: Iraqi Situation Getting Worse" ''Associated Press'' More than half of the members of Iraq's parliament rejected the continuing occupation of their country for the first time. 144 of the 275 lawmakers signed onto a legislative petition that would require the Iraqi government to seek approval from parliament before it requests an extension of the U.N. mandate for foreign forces to be in Iraq expiring at the end of 2007. It also calls for a timetable for the troop withdrawal and a freeze on the size of the foreign forces. The U.N. Security Council mandate for U.S.-led forces in Iraq will terminate "if requested by the government of Iraq."Abdul-Zahra, Q. ( 2007 , Iraq.]] According to an anonymous Iraqi government official, 1,944 civilians and at least 174 soldiers and policemen were killed in May, 2007, a 29% increase in civilian deaths over April. The Iraqi government's estimate of the number of civilian deaths has always been much lower than reports from independent researchers, such as the Lancet Surveys Of Mortality Before And After The 2003 Invasion Of Iraq . Mortar attacks in the capital are becoming deadlier.Reuters (June 2, 2007) "Civilian death toll in Iraq spikes in May" accessed 3 June 2007 Between June 18 and July 18, 2007, up to 592 unidentified bodies were found dumped in Baghdad. Most of the approximately 20 per day found by the police have been bound, blindfolded and shot execution style. The police attribute these deaths to Sunni and Shi’ite death squads. According to Baghdad medical sources, many have also shown signs of torture and mutilation. Despite official Iraqi and U.S. statements to the contrary, the reports indicate that the number of unidentified bodies in the capital has risen to pre-surge levels over the last two months. Media reports have indicated that the U.S. military has usually focused on areas where they have been attacked rather than districts witnessing such sectarian reprisal killings.Kasem, Z. (July 24, 2007) "Patterns of Sectarian Violence in Baghdad" ''IraqSlogger'' (Praedict) accessed July 24, 2007 On August 14th, 2007 the Deadliest Single Attack Of The Whole War occurred. Over 500 civilians were killed by a series of co-ordinated suicide bomb attacks on the northern Iraqi settlement of Qahtaniya . More than 100 homes and shops were destroyed in the blasts. US officials blamed Al-Qaeda In Iraq . The targeted villagers belong to the non-Muslim Yazidi ethnic minority. The attack may represent the latest spasm in a blood feud that erupted earlier this year when members of the Yazidi community stoned to death a teenage girl called Du’a Khalil Aswad accused of dating a Sunni Arab man and converting to Islam. The killing of the girl was recorded on camera-mobiles and the video was downloaded onto the internet "Search goes on as Iraq death toll tops 250" Guardian August 15 "Iraq toll could hit 500" "They won't stop until we are all wiped out" Guardian August 18, 2007 "Toll in Iraq Bombings Is Raised to More Than 500" Many of the Iraqi women fleeing the war in Iraq are turning to Prostitution . In Syria alone an estimated 50,000 Refugee girls and women, many of them widows, are forced into prostitution just to survive. Cheap Iraqi prostitutes have helped to make Syria a popular destination for Sex Tourists . The clients come from wealthier countries in the Middle East - many are Saudi men. Iraqi Refugees Turn To Prostitution , Many Women In Syria Are Forced To Sell Their Bodies To Support Their Families Political developments In mid-2007, the Coalition began a controversial program to recruit Iraqi Sunnis for the formation of "Guardian" militias. These Guardian militias are intended to support and secure various Sunni neighborhoods unable to provide internal security themselves.http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/us-uses-sunnis-to-patrol-streets/2007/08/19/1187462082102.html On August 22, 2007 a beleaguered President Bush gave a speech before the Veterans of Foreign wars national convention where he compared the Iraq war with the Vietnam War and compared the cost of withdrawing from Vietnam with the cost of withdrawing from Iraq, saying, "Then as now, people argued the real problem was America's presence and that if we would just withdraw, the killing would end." Bush alleged that Americas withdrawal from Vietnam was the reason for the Khmer Rouge taking power in Cambodia and the Viet Kong in Vietnam. Bush further claimed that Osama Bin Laden had made the comparison between Iraq and Vietnam as well, saying: :In an interview with a Pakistani newspaper after the 9/11 attacks, Osama bin Laden declared that "the American people had risen against their government's war in Vietnam. And they must do the same today." His number two man, Zawahiri, has also invoked Vietnam. In a letter to al Qaeda's chief of operations in Iraq, Zawahiri pointed to "the aftermath of the collapse of the American power in Vietnam and how they ran and left their agents." Bush acknowledged that after the Vietnam war neither the Viet Kong nor the Khmer Rouge followed the Americans home to continue the war, but alleged that this time would be different. "Unlike in Vietnam, if we withdraw before the job is done, this enemy will follow us home. And that is why, for the security of the United States of America, we must defeat them overseas so we do not face them in the United States of America. transcript of Bush's August 22, 2007 speech Tensions have increased greatly between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan due to its sanctuary given to the militant Party For A Free Life In Kurdistan (PEJAK). According to reports, Iran has been shelling PEJAK positions in Iraqi Kurdistan since August 16th. These tensions further increased with an alleged border incursion on August 23rd by Iranian troops who attacked several Kurdish villages killing an unknown number of civilians and militants.http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/19172.html COALITION TROOP DEPLOYMENT See Also: Multinational Force in Iraq See Also: Dancon/Irak Deployment of Japanese troops to Iraq Polish involvement in the 2003 invasion of Iraq Australian contribution to the 2003 invasion of Iraq Operation Telic order of battle United Nations The United Nations has also deployed a small contingent to Iraq to protect UN staff and guard their compounds. United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq ( UNAMI )
ARMED IRAQI GROUPS: INSURGENTS AND MILITIAS The 2006 by Coalition Forces . Insurgents See Also: Iraqi insurgency , during an operation. Note the Kiowa Helicopter ]] By fall 2003 these insurgent groups began using typical favored attacking unarmored or lightly armored Humvee vehicles, the U.S. military's primary transport vehicle, primarily through the use of roadside IED.5051 In November 2003, some of these forces successfully attacked U.S. helicopters with SA-7 missiles bought on the global black market. Insurgent groups such as the Al-Abud Network have also attempted to constitute their own chemical weapons programs, trying to weaponise traditional mortar rounds with Ricin and Mustard Toxin .52 There is evidence that some guerrilla groups are organised, perhaps by the fedayeen and other Saddam Hussein or Baath loyalists, religious radicals, Iraqis angered by the occupation, and foreign fighters.53 On February 23 , 2005 Al-Iraqiya TV (Iraq) aired transcripts of confessions by Syrian intelligence officer Anas Ahmad Al-Issa and Iraqi insurgent Shihab Al-Sab'awi concerning their booby-trap operations, explosions, kidnappings, assassinations, and details of beheading training in Syria.54 In addition to internal strife, Iran may be playing a role in the insurgency. U.S. Army Brigadier General Michael Barbero has stated that, "Iran is definitely a destabilising force in Iraq...I think it's irrefutable that Iran is responsible for training, funding and equipping some of these Shia extremist groups."55 Militias See Also: Mahdi Army Badr Organization Two of the most powerful current militias are the Mahdi Army and the Badr Organization , with both militias having substantial political support in the current Iraqi government. Initially, both organisations were involved in the Iraqi insurgency, most clearly seen with the Mahdi Army at the Battle Of Najaf . However in recent months, there has been a split between the two groups. This violent break between Muqtada Al-Sadr 's Mahdi Army and the rival Badr Organization of Abdul Aziz Al-Hakim , was seen in the fighting in the town of Amarah on October 20 , 2006 , would severely complicate the efforts of Iraqi and American officials to quell the soaring violence.56 More recently in late 2005 and 2006, due to increasing sectarian violence based on either tribal/ethnic distinctions or simply due to increased criminal violence, various militias have formed, with whole neighborhoods and cities sometimes being protected or attacked by ethnic or neighborhood militias. One such group, known as the Anbar Awakening, was formed in September 2006 to fight against Al Qaeda and other radical islamist groups in particularly violent Anbar province. Led by Sheik and Abdul Sattar Buzaigh al-Rishawi, who heads the Sunni Anbar Salvation Council, the Anbar Awakening has more than 6,000 troops and is seen by key U.S. officials such as Condoleeza Rice as a potential ally to U.S. occupation forces.57 CASUALTIES See Also: Casualties of the conflict in Iraq since 2003 See Also: Suicide bombings in Iraq since 2003 Foreign hostages in Iraq List of Coalition forces killed in Iraq in 2006 Iraq Body Count project Lancet surveys of mortality before and after the 2003 invasion of Iraq List of insurgents killed in Iraq For coalition death totals see the infobox at the top right. See also the above main article. It has casualty numbers for coalition nations, contractors, non-Iraqi civilians, journalists, media helpers, aid workers, wounded, etc.. The main article also gives explanations for the wide variation in estimates and counts, and shows many ways in which undercounting occurs. Casualty figures, especially Iraqi ones, are highly disputed. This section gives a brief overview. U.S. General Tommy Franks reportedly estimated soon after the invasion that there had been 30,000 Iraqi casualties as of April 9 , 2003 .58 After this initial estimate he made no further public estimates. In December 2005 President Bush said there were 30,000 Iraqi dead. White House spokesman Scott McClellan later said it was "not an official government estimate", and was based on media reports. Bush: Iraqi democracy making progress . '' CNN '' December 12, 2005. There have been several attempts by the media, coalition governments and others to estimate the Iraqi casualties:
HUMANITARIAN CRISES See also "Worsening Humanitarian Crisis" Above . Iraqi health care deterioration Iraq's health has deteriorated to a level not seen since the 1950s, said Joseph Chamie, former director of the U.N. Population Division and an Iraq specialist. "They were at the forefront", he said, referring to health care just before the 1991 Persian Gulf War. "Now they're looking more and more like a country in ,'' November 11 , 2006 . Malnutrition rates have risen from 19% before the US-led invasion to a national average of 28% four years later.59 Some 60-70% of Iraqi children are suffering from psychological problems.60 68% of Iraqis have no access to safe drinking water. A Cholera outbreak in northern Iraq is thought to be the result of poor water quality. Cholera spreads in Iraq as health services collapse As many as half of Iraqi doctors have left the country since 2003. Medics beg for help as Iraqis die needlessly Iraqi refugees See Also: Refugees of Iraq As of 2007 more Iraqis have lost their homes and become ,'' November 3 , 2006 Roughly 40% of Iraq's Middle Class is believed to have fled, the U.N. said. Most are fleeing systematic persecution and have no desire to return. All kinds of people, from university professors to bakers, have been targeted by Militias , Insurgents and criminals. An estimated 331 school teachers were slain in the first four months of 2006, according to Human Rights Watch , and at least 2,000 Iraqi doctors have been Murdered and 250 kidnapped since the 2003 U.S. invasion.61 Iraqi refugees in Syria and Jordan live in impoverished communities with little international attention to their plight and little legal protection. Iraq's middle class escapes, only to find poverty in Jordan Iraqi refugees in Syria face poverty trap In Syria alone an estimated 50,000 Iraqi girls and women, many of them widows, are forced into Prostitution just to survive. '50,000 Iraqi refugees' forced into prostitution Iraqi refugees forced into prostitution Desperate Iraqi Refugees Turn to Sex Trade in Syria A May 25, 2007 article notes that in the past seven months only 69 people from Iraq have been granted , June 2 , 2007 As many as 110,000 Iraqis could be targeted as Collaborators because of their work for coalition forces.62 Syrian government decided to implement a strict visa regime to limit the number of Iraqis pouring into the country at up to 5,000 per day, cutting the only accessible escape route for thousands of refugees fleeing the Civil War In Iraq . A government decree that takes effect on Sept. 10 2007 bars Iraqi passport holders from entering Syria except for businessmen and academics. Until then, the Syria was the only country to had resisted strict entry regulations for Iraqis. Syria to restricts Iraqi refugee influx Although has radicalized Islamic sensibilities, Iraqi Christians' total numbers slumped to about 500,000, of whom 250,000 live in Baghdad.65 More than 50% of Iraq’s Christians have already left the country. Out of Iraq, a flight of Chaldeans Iraq religious minorities caught in ‘fault lines’ Between October 2003 and March 2005 alone, 36% of 700,000 Iraqis who fled to Syria were Assyrians and other Christians, judging from a sample of those registering for asylum on political or religious grounds. Assyrians Face Escalating Abuses in "New Iraq," Inter-Press Service (May 3, 2006) Furthermore, the small Mandaean and Yazidi communities are at the risk of elimination due to Ethnic Cleansing by Islamic extremists.66 Iraqi officials: Truck bombings killed at least 500 HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES See Also: Human rights in occupied Iraq Iraq prison abuse scandals Nature of Abu Ghraib abuse Suicide bombings in Iraq since 2003 holding a leash attached to a prisoner collapsed on the floor in the Abu Ghraib Prison ]] Throughout the entire Iraq war there have been numerous Human Rights abuses on all sides of the conflict. Coalition forces and private contractors
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