Iraq War

March 20, 2003 – December 18, 2011 · Baghdad

A United States-led coalition invaded Iraq on 20 March 2003 and overthrew the Ba'athist government of Saddam Hussein, as part of the U.S. war on terror following the September 11 attacks. The invasion was followed by a prolonged insurgency against coalition forces and the new Iraqi government. U.S. combat forces were officially withdrawn in 2011, though the U.S. later re-engaged in Iraq against the Islamic State.

On the map Overview Contemporaries

Coalition

Iraq

Other

United States

United Kingdom

Australia

Poland

South Korea

Italy

Albania

Armenia

Show 30 more

Azerbaijan

Bulgaria

Czech Republic

Japan

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Netherlands

Denmark

Dominican Republic

El Salvador

Estonia

Georgia

Honduras

Hungary

Kazakhstan

Latvia

Lithuania

Moldova

Mongolia

New Zealand

Nicaragua

North Macedonia

Norway

Portugal

Romania

Slovakia

Thailand

Tonga

Ukraine

Philippines

Spain

Iraq

al-Qaeda

Islamic State

Mahdi Army

George W. Bush President of the United States, Ordered the invasion of Iraq

Barack Obama belligerent leader

Dick Cheney belligerent leader

Tony Blair Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Committed British forces to the invasion

Nouri al-Maliki belligerent leader

Donald Rumsfeld belligerent leader

Robert Gates belligerent leader

Raymond T. Odierno belligerent leader

Saddam Hussein President of Iraq, Overthrown by the invasion; captured in December 2003 and executed in 2006

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi belligerent leader Abu Omar al-Baghdadi belligerent leader

Strength and losses

Strength: 309,000–584,799
Deaths: 27,163
Wounded: 117,961

United States Strength 192,000–466,985 · Killed 4,508 · Wounded 32,292 · Missing 17

United Kingdom Strength 45,000 · Killed 179 · Wounded 315

Australia Strength 2,000

Poland Strength 194

Deaths: 34,144–71,544
Captured: 120,000

Iraq Strength 375,000 · Killed 7,600–45,000

Mahdi Army Strength c. 60,000

Islamic State Strength c. 1,000

Civilian deaths: 103,160–113,728 disputed

Units

Fedayeen Saddam Iraqi Army 11th Division (Iraq) 12th Division (Iraq) 1st Division (Iraq) 2nd Division (Iraq) 3rd Division (Iraq) 5th Division (Iraq) 6th Division (Iraq) 7th Division (Iraq) 9th Armoured Division (Iraq) Iraqi Republican Guard 4th Division (Iraq) 36th Commando Battalion Iraqi Air Force

Kuwait Land Forces Kuwait National Guard Kuwait Naval Force Ukrainian Air Assault Forces 162nd Infantry Regiment (United States) 1st Infantry Regiment (United States) 24th Infantry Regiment 27th Infantry Regiment (United States) 6th Infantry Regiment (United States) 77th Field Artillery Regiment 7th Cavalry Regiment 9th Infantry Regiment (United States) Fleet Air Arm Carrier Air Wing Eleven

Battles and events 32

Key events

2003 invasion of Iraq March 20 – May 1, 2003 · Coalition victory
- Operation Viking Hammer March 2003 – March 30, 2003 · PUK Peshmerga-American victory
- Battle of Al Faw (2003) March 20–24, 2003 · Coalition victory
- Battle of Umm Qasr March 21–25, 2003 · Coalition victory
- Battle of Basra (2003) March 21 – April 6, 2003 · Coalition victory
- Battle of Nasiriyah March 23–29, 2003 · Coalition victory
- Battle of Karbala (2003) March 23 – April 6, 2003 · U.S. victory
- Battle of Najaf (2003) March 24 – April 4, 2003 · Coalition victory
- Operation Northern Delay March 26, 2003 · U.S. victory
- Battle of Samawah March 30 – April 4, 2003 · United States victory
- Battle of the Karbala Gap (2003) April 2–4, 2003 · U.S. victory
- Battle of Debecka Pass April 6–7, 2003 · U.S. and Peshmerga victory
Anbar campaign (2003–2011) March 20, 2003 – December 7, 2011 · Ceasefire
Battle of Basra (2003) March 21 – April 6, 2003 · Coalition victory
Battle of Umm Qasr March 21–25, 2003 · Coalition victory
Battle of Nasiriyah March 23–29, 2003 · Coalition victory
Battle of Baghdad (2003) April 3–12, 2003 · Coalition victory
Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011) May 1, 2003 – December 18, 2011 · Inconclusive
- Iraqi civil war (2006–2008) February 22, 2006 – May 15, 2008 · Iraqi government and allied victory
  - Islamic Army–Al-Qaeda conflict 2006 – June 6, 2007 · Ceasefire
First Battle of Fallujah April 4 – May 1, 2004 · Insurgent victory
Battle of Najaf (2004) August 5–27, 2004 · Coalition Victory
Second Battle of Fallujah November 7 – December 23, 2004 · Coalition victory
Iraqi civil war (2006–2008) February 22, 2006 – May 15, 2008 · Iraqi government and allied victory
- Islamic Army–Al-Qaeda conflict 2006 – June 6, 2007 · Ceasefire
Battle of Basra (2008) March 25–31, 2008

2003 11 events

2003 invasion of Iraq March 20 – May 1, 2003 · Coalition victory
- Operation Viking Hammer March 2003 – March 30, 2003 · PUK Peshmerga-American victory
- Battle of Al Faw (2003) March 20–24, 2003 · Coalition victory
- Battle of Umm Qasr March 21–25, 2003 · Coalition victory
- Battle of Basra (2003) March 21 – April 6, 2003 · Coalition victory
- Battle of Nasiriyah March 23–29, 2003 · Coalition victory
- Battle of Karbala (2003) March 23 – April 6, 2003 · U.S. victory
- Battle of Najaf (2003) March 24 – April 4, 2003 · Coalition victory
- Operation Northern Delay March 26, 2003 · U.S. victory
- Battle of Samawah March 30 – April 4, 2003 · United States victory
- Battle of the Karbala Gap (2003) April 2–4, 2003 · U.S. victory
- Battle of Debecka Pass April 6–7, 2003 · U.S. and Peshmerga victory
Anbar campaign (2003–2011) March 20, 2003 – December 7, 2011 · Ceasefire
Battle of Umm Qasr March 21–25, 2003 · Coalition victory
Battle of Basra (2003) March 21 – April 6, 2003 · Coalition victory
Battle of Nasiriyah March 23–29, 2003 · Coalition victory
Battle of Karbala (2003) March 23 – April 6, 2003 · U.S. victory
Battle of Najaf (2003) March 24 – April 4, 2003 · Coalition victory
Operation Northern Delay March 26, 2003 · U.S. victory
Battle of Baghdad (2003) April 3–12, 2003 · Coalition victory
Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011) May 1, 2003 – December 18, 2011 · Inconclusive
- Iraqi civil war (2006–2008) February 22, 2006 – May 15, 2008 · Iraqi government and allied victory
  - Islamic Army–Al-Qaeda conflict 2006 – June 6, 2007 · Ceasefire
Capture of Saddam Hussein December 13, 2003

2004 8 events

2004 Fallujah ambush March 31, 2004
First Battle of Fallujah April 4 – May 1, 2004 · Insurgent victory
Siege of Sadr City April 4, 2004 – May 11, 2008
Battle of Ramadi (2004) April 6–10, 2004 · U.S. victory
Battle of Najaf (2004) August 5–27, 2004 · Coalition Victory
Battle of Samarra (2004) October 1–3, 2004 · Coalition victory
Second Battle of Fallujah November 7 – December 23, 2004 · Coalition victory
Battle of Mosul (2004) November 8–16, 2004 · Coalition victory

2005 3 events

Battle of Haditha August 1–4, 2005 · U.S. victory
Battle of Tal Afar (2005) September 1–18, 2005 · American-Iraqi tactical victory
Operation Steel Curtain November 22, 2005 · U.S. victory

2006 5 events

Iraqi civil war (2006–2008) February 22, 2006 – May 15, 2008 · Iraqi government and allied victory
- Islamic Army–Al-Qaeda conflict 2006 – June 6, 2007 · Ceasefire
Operation Together Forward June 14 – October 24, 2006 · Insurgent victory *Continued sectarian violence *Coalition Troop Surge in Baghdad
Battle of Ramadi (2006) June 17 – November 15, 2006 · Coalition victory
Ramadan Offensive (2006) September 23 – October 22, 2006 · Insurgent victory
Operation Ancient Babylon December 1, 2006 · Italian Operational Success

2007 3 events

Iraq War troop surge January 10, 2007 – July 2008 · Escalating the Iraq War by increasing US military intervention to deal with Al Qaeda and Iraqi insurgencies.
Battle of Najaf (2007) January 28–29, 2007 · Iraqi and Coalition victory
Nisour Square massacre September 16, 2007

2008 2 events

Battle of Basra (2008) March 25–31, 2008
2008 Abu Kamal raid October 26, 2008

Before and after

Followed from: September 11 attacks September 11, 2001

Related events 1 degree away • 2 degrees away

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

September 11 attacks

Iraq War

Also involved 41

JD Vance participant · Coalition
Ahmed al-Sharaa participant
Petr Pavel participant
Masoud Barzani participant
Christopher C. Miller participant · Coalition
Martin Dempsey participant · Coalition
Jim Mattis participant · Coalition
Pete Hegseth participant · Coalition
Lloyd Austin participant · Coalition
Mark Milley participant · Coalition
James T. Conway participant · Coalition
Tariq Aziz participant · Iraq
Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri participant · Iraq
James Dutton participant · Coalition
Grzegorz Kaliciak participant
Sadi Tuma Abbas participant · Iraq
William S. Wallace participant
David Petraeus participant · Coalition
Brian Burridge participant · Coalition
Ali Hassan al-Majid participant · Iraq
John Kiszely participant · Coalition
George W. Casey Jr. participant · Coalition
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi participant · Iraq
Curtis Scaparrotti participant · Coalition

Show 17 more

Tod D. Wolters participant · Coalition
Fadhil Jalil al-Barwari participant
Abu Waheeb participant
Abu Ali al-Anbari participant
Abu Abdulrahman al-Bilawi participant
Yevhen Moisiuk participant
Thomas D. Waldhauser participant · Coalition
Lawrence D. Nicholson participant · Coalition
Jeffrey L. Harrigian participant · Coalition
Othman al-Ghanmi participant · Iraq
Uday Hussein participant · Iraq
Stanley A. McChrystal participant · Coalition
David D. McKiernan participant · Coalition
Ali Ghaidan Majid participant
Jacko Page participant · Coalition
Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi participant
Qasem Soleimani participant