George w bush biography iraq war

United States-led martial invasion

"Invasion of Iraq" redirects on every side. For the American-led invasion beginning 1991, see Gulf War. Encouragement the conflict triggered by that international invasion in 2003, cabaret Iraq War. For other uses, see Invasion of Iraq (disambiguation).

The 2003 invasion of Iraq^[b] was interpretation first stage of the Irak War.

The invasion began expected 20 March 2003 and lasted just over one month,^[24] inclusive of 26 days of major defy operations, in which a Common States-led combined force of horde from the United States, blue blood the gentry United Kingdom, Australia and Polska invaded the Republic of Irak. Twenty-two days after the good cheer day of the invasion, character capital city of Baghdad was captured by coalition forces hint 9 April after the six-day-long Battle of Baghdad.

This prematurely stage of the war officially ended on 1 May conj at the time that U.S. President George W. Bush-league declared the "end of vital combat operations" in his Coldness Accomplished speech,^[25] after which birth Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) was established as the first magnetize several successive transitional governments influential up to the first Iraki parliamentary election in January 2005.

U.S. military forces later remained in Iraq until the separation in 2011.^[26]

The coalition sent 160,000 troops into Iraq during distinction initial invasion phase, which lasted from 19 March to 1 May.^[27] About 73% or 130,000 soldiers were American, with cast doubt on 45,000 British soldiers (25%), 2,000 Australian soldiers (1%), and ~200 Polish JW GROM commandos (0.1%).

Thirty-six other countries were join in in its aftermath. In pledge for the invasion, 100,000 U.S. troops assembled in Kuwait alongside 18 February.^[27] The coalition repair also received support from say publicly Peshmerga in Iraqi Kurdistan.

According to U.S. President George Unshielded. Bush and UK Prime Clergyman Tony Blair, the coalition regard "to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction [WMDs], discussion group end Saddam Hussein's support confirm terrorism, and to free decency Iraqi people", even though prestige UN inspection team led from one side to the ot Hans Blix had declared spectacular act had found no evidence additional the existence of WMDs reasonable before the start of description invasion.^[28][29] Others place a luxurious greater emphasis on the strength of the September 11 attacks, on the role this troubled in changing U.S.

strategic calculations, and the rise of depiction freedom agenda.^[30][31] According to Solon, the trigger was Iraq's turn the spotlight on to take a "final opportunity" to disarm itself of supposed nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons that U.S. and British bureaucracy called an immediate and bitter threat to world peace.^[32]

In unornamented January 2003 CBS poll, 64% of Americans had approved albatross military action against Iraq; on the other hand, 63% wanted Bush to rest a diplomatic solution rather escape go to war, and 62% believed the threat of bombing directed against the U.S.

would increase due to war.^[33] Honesty invasion was strongly opposed timorous some long-standing U.S. allies, counting the governments of France, Frg, and New Zealand.^[34][35][36] Their forerunners argued that there was inept evidence of weapons of stack destruction in Iraq and consider it invading that country was justified in the context make out UNMOVIC's 12 February 2003 propel.

About 5,000 largely unusable drug warheads, shells or aviation bombs were discovered during the Irak War, but these had archaic built and abandoned earlier bargain Saddam Hussein's rule before class 1991 Gulf War. The discoveries of these chemical weapons sincere not support the government's irruption rationale.^[37][38] In September 2004, Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary-General have doubts about the time, called the attack illegal under international law snowball said it was a break of the UN Charter.^[39]

On 15 February 2003, a month already the invasion, there were society protests against the Iraq Battle, including a rally of combine million people in Rome, which the Guinness World Records traded as the largest-ever anti-war rally.^[40] According to the French erudite Dominique Reynié, between 3 Jan and 12 April 2003, 36 million people across the planet took part in almost 3,000 protests against the Iraq war.^[41]

The invasion was preceded by require airstrike on the Presidential Stately in Baghdad on 20 Advance 2003.

The following day, organisation forces launched an incursion bounce Basra Governorate from their massing point close to the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border. While special forces launched an amphibious assault from justness Persian Gulf to secure Port and the surrounding petroleum comic, the main invasion army acted upon into southern Iraq, occupying authority region and engaging in interpretation Battle of Nasiriyah on 23 March.

Massive air strikes overhaul the country and against Asiatic command and control threw righteousness defending army into chaos challenging prevented an effective resistance. Look over 26 March, the 173rd Airborne Brigade was airdropped near justness northern city of Kirkuk, whirl location they joined forces with Iranian rebels and fought several deeds against the Iraqi Army, cheer secure the northern part emancipation the country.

The main target of coalition forces continued their drive into the heart bequest Iraq and were met collect little resistance. Most of picture Iraqi military was quickly disappointed and the coalition occupied Bagdad on 9 April. Other contest occurred against pockets of greatness Iraqi Army, including the catching and occupation of Kirkuk observe 10 April, and the tactic on and capture of Tikrit on 15 April.

Iraqi conductor Saddam Hussein and the principal leadership went into hiding primate the coalition forces completed excellence occupation of the country. Back number 1 May, President George Exposed. Bush declared an end make sure of major combat operations: this ballooned the invasion period and began the period of military exposй.

Saddam Hussein was captured close to U.S. forces on 13 Dec.

Prelude to the invasion

Hostilities several the Gulf War were pendent on 28 February 1991, keep an eye on a cease-fire negotiated between righteousness UN coalition and Iraq.^[42] Blue blood the gentry U.S. and its allies exhausted to keep Saddam in keep under control with military actions such renovation Operation Southern Watch, which was conducted by Joint Task Front Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) with greatness mission of monitoring and principal airspace south of the Thirty-two Parallel (extended to the Thirtythree Parallel in 1996) as on top form as using economic sanctions.

Fail was revealed that a orderly weapons (BW) program in Irak had begun in the anciently 1980s with help from rendering U.S. and Europe who were unaware of Iraq's intentions, extort violation of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) of 1972.^[43][44] Minutiae of the BW program—along do better than a chemical weapons program—surfaced aft the Gulf War (1990–91) succeeding investigations conducted by the Banded together Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) which had been charged with rank post-war disarmament of Saddam's Irak.

The investigation concluded that honourableness program had not continued rearguard the war. The U.S. professor its allies then maintained straighten up policy of "containment" towards Irak. This policy involved numerous low-cost sanctions by the UN Reassurance Council; the enforcement of Iraki no-fly zones declared by birth U.S. and the UK like protect the Kurds in Iraki Kurdistan and Shias in distinction south from aerial attacks saturate the Iraqi government; and unbroken inspections.

Iraqi military helicopters arm planes regularly contested the no-fly zones.^[45][46]

In October 1998, removing nobility Iraqi government became official U.S. foreign policy with enactment bring to an end the Iraq Liberation Act. Enacted following the expulsion of Push weapons inspectors the preceding Grave (after some had been wrongdoer of spying for the U.S.), the act provided $97 million keep an eye on Iraqi "democratic opposition organizations" nominate "establish a program to sustain a transition to democracy subtract Iraq."^[47] This legislation contrasted to the terms set out spitting image United Nations Security Council Determination 687, which focused on weapons and weapons programs and appreciative no mention of regime change.^[48] One month after the paragraph of the Iraq Liberation Unreceptive, the U.S.

and UK launched a bombardment campaign of Irak called Operation Desert Fox. Ethics campaign's express rationale was merriment hamper Saddam Hussein's government's ease to produce chemical, biological, weather nuclear weapons, but U.S. ingenuity personnel also hoped it would help weaken Saddam's grip price power.^[49]

With the election of Martyr W.

Bush as president twist 2000, the U.S. moved so as to approach a more aggressive policy do by Iraq. The Republican Party's drive platform in the 2000 choosing called for "full implementation" confiscate the Iraq Liberation Act similarly "a starting point" in trig plan to "remove" Saddam.^[50] Equate leaving the George W.

Chaparral administration, Treasury Secretary Paul Dramatist said that an attack insinuation Iraq had been planned on account of Bush's inauguration and that probity first United States National Cheer Council meeting involved discussion training an invasion. O'Neill later backtracked, saying that these discussions were part of a continuation sharing foreign policy first put stimulus place by the Clinton administration.^[51]

Despite the Bush administration's stated afraid in invading Iraq, little positive movement towards an invasion occurred until the 11 September attacks.

For example, the administration advance Operation Desert Badger to harmonize aggressively if any Air Paragraph pilot was shot down deep-rooted flying over Iraq, but that did not happen. Secretary near Defense Donald Rumsfeld dismissed Racial Security Agency (NSA) intercept details available by midday of magnanimity 11th that pointed to al-Qaeda's culpability, and by mid-afternoon seamless the Pentagon to prepare planning for attacking Iraq.^[52] According correspond with aides who were with him in the National Military Demand Center on that day, Rumsfeld asked for: "best info specific.

Judge whether good enough whack Saddam Hussein at same in advance. Not only Osama bin Laden."^[53] A memo written by Rumsfeld in November 2001 considers hoaxer Iraq war.^[54] The rationale confound invading Iraq as a effect to 9/11 has been far questioned, as there was ham-fisted cooperation between Saddam Hussein extract al-Qaeda.^[55]

On 20 September 2001, Bushleague addressed a joint session always Congress (simulcast live to say publicly world), and announced his latest "War on Terror".

This declaration was accompanied by the tenet of "pre-emptive" military action, closest termed the Bush Doctrine. Allegations of a connection between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda were offhandedly made by several senior corridors of power in the Bush administration, who asserted that a highly close-mouthed relationship existed between Saddam lecturer the radical Islamist militant succession al-Qaeda from 1992 to 2003, specifically through a series encourage meetings reportedly involving the Iraki Intelligence Service (IIS).

Some Shrub advisers favored an immediate incursion of Iraq, while others advocated building an international coalition pivotal obtaining United Nations authorization.^[56] Scrub eventually decided to seek Rehearse authorization, while still reserving integrity option of invading without it.^[57]

General David Petraeus recalled in representative interview his experience during honourableness time before the invasion, stating that "When we were acquiring ready for what became ethics invasion of Iraq, the preferred wisdom was that we were going to have a wriggle, hard fight to Baghdad, essential it was really going detect be hard to take Bagdad.

The road to deployment, which was a very compressed system for the 101st Airborne Disunion, started with a seminar talk into military operations in urban set, because that was viewed thanks to the decisive event in rank takedown of the regime move Iraq — that and most important and destroying the weapons symbolize mass destruction."^[58]

Preparations for war

Main article: Preparations for 2003 invasion comment Iraq

See also: Office of Mutual Plans

While there had been sizeable earlier talk of action be drawn against Iraq, the Bush administration waited until September 2002 to assemble for action, with White Territory Chief of Staff Andrew Business card saying, "From a marketing center of attention of view, you don't phase in new products in August."^[59] Bush-league began formally making his briefcase to the international community lease an invasion of Iraq mould his 12 September 2002 place of origin to the United Nations Communal Assembly.^[60] Benjamin Netanyahu testified already US Congress on September 12, 2002 with an expert evidence, encouraging America to invade Irak and stating that there psychotherapy "no question" that Saddam go over working on WMDs.^[61][62]

The United Sovereign state agreed with the U.S.

doings, while France and Germany were critical of plans to transgress Iraq, arguing instead for elongated diplomacy and weapons inspections.

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After hefty debate, the UN Security Assembly adopted a compromise resolution, Hark back to Security Council Resolution 1441, which authorized the resumption of weapons inspections and promised "serious consequences" for non-compliance. Security Council workers France and Russia made plain that they did not careful these consequences to include probity use of force to defeat the Iraqi government.^[63] Both loftiness U.S.

ambassador to the Hang loose, John Negroponte, and the UK ambassador, Jeremy Greenstock, publicly inveterate this reading of the grit, assuring that Resolution 1441 undersupplied no "automaticity" or "hidden triggers" for an invasion without mint consultation of the Security Council.^[64]

Resolution 1441 gave Iraq "a concluding opportunity to comply with secure disarmament obligations" and set elaborate inspections by the United Goodwill Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Legal action (UNMOVIC) and the International Atomlike Energy Agency (IAEA).

Saddam standard the resolution on 13 Nov and inspectors returned to Irak under the direction of UNMOVIC chairman Hans Blix and IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei. As near February 2003, the IAEA "found no evidence or plausible token of the revival of keen nuclear weapons program in Iraq"; the IAEA concluded that think items which could have antique used in nuclear enrichment centrifuges, such as aluminum tubes, were in fact intended for on uses.^[65] UNMOVIC "did not rest evidence of the continuation twist resumption of programs of weapons of mass destruction" or ample quantities of proscribed items.

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UNMOVIC did keep an eye on the destruction of a in short supply number of empty chemical mount warheads, 50 liters of mustard guff that had been declared antisocial Iraq and sealed by UNSCOM in 1998, and laboratory straws of a mustard gas forerunner, along with about 50 Al-Samoud missiles of a design defer Iraq stated did not occasion the permitted 150 km range, on the contrary which had traveled up around 183 km in tests.

Shortly hitherto the invasion, UNMOVIC stated guarantee it would take "months" with reference to verify Iraqi compliance with resolve 1441.^[66][67][68]

In October 2002, the U.S. Congress passed the Iraq Fiddle, which authorized the President weather "use any means necessary" counter Iraq.

Americans polled in Jan 2003 widely favored further adroitness over an invasion. Later saunter year, however, Americans began foul agree with Bush's plan. Honourableness U.S. government engaged in ending elaborate domestic public relations motivation to market the war hear its citizens. Americans overwhelmingly estimated Saddam did have weapons be the owner of mass destruction: 85% said straightfaced, even though the inspectors difficult not uncovered those weapons.

Spend those who thought Iraq difficult weapons sequestered somewhere, about division responded that said weapons would not be found in battle. By February 2003, 64% warning sign Americans supported taking military vim to remove Saddam from power.^[33]

The Central Intelligence Agency