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 U.S. combat forces were officially withdrawn in 2011, though the U.S. later re-engaged in Iraq against the Islamic State.
Coalition
Iraq
Other
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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
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
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
-
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
- 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
- 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
-
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
- 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
- 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
Also involved 41
- JD Vance
- Ahmed al-Sharaa
- Petr Pavel
- Masoud Barzani
- Christopher C. Miller
- Martin Dempsey
- Jim Mattis
- Pete Hegseth
- Lloyd Austin
- Mark Milley
- James T. Conway
- Tariq Aziz
- Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri
- James Dutton
- Grzegorz Kaliciak
- Sadi Tuma Abbas
- William S. Wallace
- David Petraeus
- Brian Burridge
- Ali Hassan al-Majid
- John Kiszely
- George W. Casey Jr.
- Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
- Curtis Scaparrotti
Show 17 more
- Tod D. Wolters
- Fadhil Jalil al-Barwari
- Abu Waheeb
- Abu Ali al-Anbari
- Abu Abdulrahman al-Bilawi
- Yevhen Moisiuk
- Thomas D. Waldhauser
- Lawrence D. Nicholson
- Jeffrey L. Harrigian
- Othman al-Ghanmi
- Uday Hussein
- Stanley A. McChrystal
- David D. McKiernan
- Ali Ghaidan Majid
- Jacko Page
- Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi
- Qasem Soleimani