Iraq Invasion 2003

Iraq Invasion 2003

1. Iraq's military arsenal included weapons of mass destruction starting from the 1960, effectively ending with its near total destruction in the 1990s

2. The fifth president of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, was internationally condemned for his use of chemical weapons during the 1980s campaign against Iranian and Kurdish civilians during and after the Iran-Iraq war

3. The Iraq invasion lasted from the 20th of march to may the 1st 2003. According to US president George W Bush and UK prime minister Tony Blair, the coalition mission was to disarm Iraq of we-apons of mass destruction to end Saddam Hussein's support for terrorism.

4. 160,000 troops were sent by the coalition into Iraq, during the initial invasion phase which lasted from 19th of march to 9th of April 2003

5. The United States and the UK asserted that Saddam Hussein still possessed large hidden stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction in 2003and that he was producing more

6. George Bush and Tony Blair said they would free the Iraqi people

7. About 130,000 were sent from the USA alone, with about 28,000 British soldiers. 36 other countries were involved in its aftermath

8. According to Tony Blair Iraq "pulled the trigger" when they were give a "final oppurtunity" to disarm itself of weapons of mass destruction

9. Despite being unable to get a new resolution authorising force and citing section 3 of the joint resolution passed by the US congress, President George W Bush asserted peaceful measures could not disarm Iraq of the weapons he alleged to have and launched a second Gulf war

10. ·

    • • the invasion was preceded by an airstrike on the presidential palace in Baghdad on 20th of march 2003

11. The following day, coalition forces launched an incursion into Basra Province from their massing point close to the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border.

12. on this day in 2003, the United States, along with coalition forces primarily from the UK, initiated war on Iraq. just after explosions began to rock Baghdad, US president George W Bush announced in a televised address ' at this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger." President Bush and advisors built much of the case for war on the Idea of Saddam Hussein and Iraq possessed or was in the process of building weapons of mass destruction.

13. Hostilities began about 90 mins after the US imposed deadline for Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq or face war passed. The first targets were hit with Tomahawk cruise missiles from US fighter bombers and warships stationed in the Persian Gulf. in response to the attacks, Republic of Iraq radio in Baghdad announced " the evil ones, the enemies of god, the homeland and humanity, have committed the stupidity of aggression against our homeland and people"

14. Though Saddam Hussein had declared in early march 2003 that " it is without doubt that the faithful will be victorious against aggression" he went into hiding soon after the American invasion, speaking to people only through an occasional audiotape.