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{{About|the war that started in 2003 and ended in 2011|the initial invasion|2003 invasion of Iraq|the current war in Iraq|Iraqi Civil War (2014–present)|the entire conflict from 2003 to the present|Iraq conflict (2003–present)|previous wars in Iraq |Iraq War (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2012}}
{{Infobox military conflict
|conflict = Iraq War
|partof=the ] and the ]
|image = ]
|caption = '''Clockwise from top''': U.S. troops at Uday and Qusay Hussein's hideout; insurgents in northern Iraq; an Iraqi insurgent firing a ]; the toppling of the ] statue in ].
|date={{start date|df=yes|2003|3|19}}{{spaced ndash}}{{End date|df=yes|2011|12|18}}<br />({{Age in years, months and days|2003|03|19|2011|12|18}})
|place=]
|result =
* ] and ]
* Overthrow of ] government and ]
* ], emergence of ], and ] and another ]<ref>{{cite news |title=Sectarian divisions change Baghdad's image|publisher=MSNBC|date=3 July 2006|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13684759/|accessdate=18 February 2007}}</ref><ref name="ctc.usma.edu">{{cite news |url=https://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/the-jrtn-movement-and-iraq%E2%80%99s-next-insurgency |title=The JRTN Movement and Iraq's Next Insurgency &#124; Combating Terrorism Center at West Point |publisher=Ctc.usma.edu |accessdate=2014-08-02}}</ref>
* Subsequent reduction in violence and depletion of al-Qaeda in Iraq<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.macleans.ca/news/world/the-decline-of-al-qaeda/|title=The decline of al-Qaeda|publisher=]|author=Michael Petrou|date=9 September 2011|quote=George W. Bush gambled on surging thousands more troops to the embattled country. It paid off. Al-Qaeda in Iraq is now a diminished force without territory.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=U.S. Conflicts in the 21st Century: Afghanistan War, Iraq War, and the War on Terror|author=]|quote=Al Qaeda in Iraq was decimated by the end of the Iraq War in 2011|isbn=1440838798}}</ref>
* Establishment of ] and formation of new ] led government
* ] of ] in 2011
* Stronger Iranian influence in Iraq<ref>{{cite book |last=Galbraith |first=Peter W. |year=2007 |title=The End of Iraq: How American Incompetence Created a War Without End |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=978-0743294249}}{{page needed|date=August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/23/us-mideast-iran-region-insight-idUSKBN0MJ1G520150323|title=Iran expands regional 'empire' ahead of nuclear deal|work=Reuters}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/416770/how-stop-irans-growing-hegemony-mario-loyola|title=How to Stop Iran's Growing Hegemony – National Review Online|work=National Review Online}}</ref>
* ] leading to the rise of the ], the successor of al-Qaeda in Iraq<ref name="ctc.usma.edu"/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.state.gov/p/nea/rls/rm/221274.htm |title=Al-Qaeda's Resurgence in Iraq: A Threat to U.S. Interests|publisher=U.S. Department of State|accessdate=26 November 2010|date=5 February 2014}}</ref>
*]
*]
|combatant1 = '''Invasion phase (2003)'''<br />
{{flag|United States}}<br />
{{flag|United Kingdom}}<br />
{{flag|Australia}}<br />
{{flag|Poland}}
<br />{{flagdeco|Kurdistan}} ]

''Support from:''<br>{{flag|Canada}}
{{flag|Netherlands}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/rapporten/2010/01/12/rapport-commissie-davids|title=Rapport Commissie-Davids|author=Regering|work=rijksoverheid.nl|accessdate=26 February 2017}}</ref>
|combatant2 = '''Invasion phase (2003)'''<br /> {{flagdeco|Iraq|1991}} ]
|combatant1a = '''Post-invasion<br />(2003–11)<br />
{{flag|United States}} <small></small><br />
{{flag|United Kingdom}} <small></small><br />
{{collapsible list
| bullets = yes
| titlestyle = background:transparent;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;
| title = {{flagicon image|Flag of Multi-National Force&nbsp;– Iraq.png}} ]<br /><small>(2003–09)</small>
| {{flag|United States}} <small>(2003–09)</small>
| {{flag|United Kingdom}} <small>(2003–09)</small>
| {{flag|Australia}} <small>(2003–-09)</small>
| {{flag|Romania}} <small>(2003–09)</small>
| {{flag|Azerbaijan}} <small>(2003–08)</small>
| {{flag|Kuwait}} <small>(2003–08)</small>
| {{flag|Estonia}} <small>(2003–09)</small>
| {{flag|El Salvador}} <small>(2003–09)</small>
| {{flag|Bulgaria}} <small>(2003–08)</small>
| {{flag|Moldova}} <small>(2003–08)</small>
| {{flag|Albania}} <small>(2003–08)</small>
| {{flag|Ukraine}} <small>(2003–08)</small>
| {{flag|Denmark}} <small>(2003–08)</small>
| {{flag|Czech Republic}} <small>(2003–08)</small>
| {{flag|South Korea}} <small>(2003–08)</small>
| {{flag|Singapore}} <small>(2003–08)</small>
| {{flag|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} <small>(2003–08)</small>
| {{flag|Macedonia}} <small>(2003–08)</small>
| {{flag|Latvia}} <small>(2003–08)</small>
| {{flag|Poland}} <small>(2003–08)</small>
| {{flag|Kazakhstan}} <small>(2003–08)</small>
| {{flag|Mongolia}} <small>(2003–08)</small>
| {{flag|Georgia}} <small>(2003–08)</small>
| {{flag|Tonga}} <small>(2004–08)</small>
| {{flag|Japan}} <small>(2004–08)</small>
| {{flag|Armenia}} <small>(2005–08)</small>
| {{flag|Slovakia}} <small>(2003–07)</small>
| {{flag|Lithuania}} <small>(2003–07)</small>
| {{flag|Italy}} <small>(2003–06)</small>
| {{flag|Norway}} <small>(2003–06)</small>
| {{flag|Hungary}} <small>(2003–05)</small>
| {{flag|Netherlands}} <small>(2003–05)</small>
| {{flag|Portugal}} <small>(2003–05)</small>
| {{flag|New Zealand}} <small>(2003–04)</small>
| {{flag|Thailand}} <small>(2003–04)</small>
| {{flag|Philippines}} <small>(2003–04)</small>
| {{flag|Honduras}} <small>(2003–04)</small>
| {{flag|Dominican Republic}} <small>(2003–04)</small>
| {{flag|Spain}} <small>(2003–04)</small>
| {{flag|Nicaragua}} <small>(2003–04)</small>
| {{flag|Iceland}} <small>(2003–unknown)</small>
}}
{{Flagdeco|Iraq}} ]
* ]
* ]
''Supported by:''<br />
{{flagicon|IRN}} ]<ref>Elaheh Rostami-Povey, Iran's Influence: A Religious-Political State and Society in its Region, p130-154, Zed Books Ltd 2010.</ref><ref>http://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/Felter_Iranian_Strategy_in_Iraq.pdf</ref> <br/> {{nowrap|{{flag|Iraqi Kurdistan}} }}
* ]
|combatant2a = '''Post-invasion (2003–11)'''<br />
{{flagicon image|Flag_of_the_Ba%27ath_Party.svg}} ]
* ] ]
* ]
----
]
* {{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda in Iraq.svg}} ] (2004–06)
* {{flagicon image|Flag of The Islamic State of Iraq.jpg}} ]<ref name="YouTube">{{cite av media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a01Rg2g2Z8#t=745|title=President Barack Obama Speaks With VICE News|date=16 March 2015|work=YouTube}}</ref> (from 2006)
* ] ]
* ] (2003–07)
----
]
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Promised Day Brigades.svg}} ]
* ] ]
* ]
* ]
''supported by:''<br />
{{flagicon|IRN}} ]
* ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.businessinsider.com/operations-by-irans-military-mastermind-2014-7?r=US&IR=T|title=Operations By Iran's Military Mastermind – Business Insider|date=9 July 2014|work=Business Insider}}</ref>
----
<small>For fighting between insurgent groups, see ].</small>
|commander1 ={{Flagdeco|Iraq}} ]<br />{{Flagdeco|Iraq}} ]<br />{{Flagdeco|Iraq}} ]<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Multi-National Force&nbsp;– Iraq.png}} ]<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Multi-National Force&nbsp;– Iraq.png}} ]<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Multi-National Force&nbsp;– Iraq.png}} ]<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of United States Forces&nbsp;– Iraq.png}} ]<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of United States Forces&nbsp;– Iraq.png}} ]<br />{{flagdeco|United States}} ]<br />{{flagdeco|United States}} ]<br />{{flagdeco|United States}} ]<br />{{flagdeco|United States}} ]<br />{{flagdeco|United States}} ] <br />{{Flagdeco|United Kingdom}} ]<br /> {{Flagdeco|United Kingdom}} ]<br />{{Flagdeco|United Kingdom}} ]<br /> {{Flagdeco|Australia}} ]<br />{{Flagdeco|Australia}} ]<br />{{Flagdeco|Canada}} ]<br />{{Flagdeco|Denmark}} ]<br />{{Flagdeco|Poland}} ]<br />{{Flagdeco|Italy}} ] <br />{{Flagdeco|Spain}} ]
|commander2 = '''Ba'ath Party'''<br />{{flagdeco|Iraq|1991}} ]{{POW}} ]<br />{{flagdeco|Iraq|1991}} ]<br />
----
'''Sunni insurgency'''<br />
{{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda in Iraq.svg}} ]{{KIA}}<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda in Iraq.svg}} ]{{KIA}}<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of The Islamic State of Iraq.jpg}} ]{{KIA}}<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of The Islamic State of Iraq.jpg}} ]<br />] ]<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda in Iraq.svg}} ]{{POW}}
----
'''Shia insurgency'''<br />
{{flagicon image|Flag of Promised Day Brigades.svg}} ]<br />] ]<br />]<br />Akram al-Kabi
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution.svg|size=23px}} ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/operations-by-irans-military-mastermind-2014-7|title=Operations By Iran's Military Mastermind – Business Insider|date=9 July 2014|work=Business Insider}}</ref>
|strength1 = ''']''' <small>(2003)</small><br />309,000<br />
{{flag|United States}}: 192,000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/07/a-timeline-of-iraq-war-tr_n_95534.html|title=A Timeline of Iraq War, Troop Levels|work=The Huffington Post}}</ref><br />
{{flag|United Kingdom}}: 45,000<br />
{{flag|Australia}}: 2,000<br />
{{flag|Poland}}: 194<br />
{{flagicon|Kurdistan}} ]: 70,000<br />
----
''']''' <small>(2004–09)</small><br />176,000 at peak<br />
''']''' <small>(2010–11)</small><br />112,000 at activation<br />
'''Security contractors''' 6,000–7,000 <small>(estimate)</small><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.state.gov/m/ds/rls/rm/143420.htm |title=Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Programs Charlene Lamb's Remarks on Private Contractors in Iraq |publisher=U.S. Department of State |date=17 July 2009 |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref><br />
''']'''<br /> 805,269 <small>(military and ]: 578,269,<ref>{{cite book |title=The Military Balance 2010|author1=International Institute for Strategic Studies|authorlink1=International Institute for Strategic Studies|author2=Hackett, James (ed.)|date=3 February 2010|publisher=]|location=London|isbn=1-85743-557-5|ref=IISS2010}}{{page needed|date=August 2015}}</ref> police: 227,000)</small><br />
''']'''<br />≈103,000 (2008)<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/world/middleeast/29iraq.html?hpw |work=The New York Times |title=Troops Arrest an Awakening Council Leader in Iraq, Setting Off Fighting |first1=Alissa J. |last1=Rubin |authorlink1= Alissa J. Rubin |first2=Rod |last2=Nordland |date=29 March 2009 |accessdate=30 March 2010}}</ref><br />''']'''<br /> ≈400,000 <small>(Kurdish Border Guard: 30,000,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2010/1/independentstate3441.htm |title=The Kurdish peshmerga forces will not be integrated into the Iraqi army: Mahmoud Sangawi&nbsp;— Interview |publisher=Ekurd.net |date=22 January 2010 |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref> ''']''' 375,000)</small>
|strength2 = ] ''']''': 375,000 <small>(disbanded in 2003)</small><br />] ]: 12,000<br />] ]: 70,000–75,000<br />] ]: 30,000
----
''']'''<br />≈70,000 <small>(2007)</small><ref name=brookings>The Brookings Institution {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071002041710/http://www3.brookings.edu/fp/saban/iraq/index.pdf |date= 2 October 2007 }} 1 October 2007</ref><br />''']'''<br />≈1,300 <small>(2006)</small><ref>Pincus, Walter. . ''],'' 17 November 2006.</ref><br />
''']'''<br />≈1,000 <small>(2008)</small> <br />''']'''<br />≈500–1,000 <small>(2007)</small>
|casualties1 = ''']''' (post-Saddam)<br />
'''Killed:''' 17,690<ref>260 killed in 2003, 15,196 killed from 2004 through 2009 (with the exceptions of May 2004 and March 2009), 67 killed in March 2009, 1,100 killed in 2010, {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116094430/http://articles.cnn.com/2011-01-02/world/iraq.casualty.figures_1_iraqi-police-mosul-police-iraqi-troops?_s=PM%3AWORLD |date=16 January 2013 }} and 1,067 killed in 2011, thus giving a total of 17,690 dead</ref><br />
'''Wounded:''' 40,000+<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/77707.pdf |title=Iraq War |publisher=U.S. Department of State |accessdate=18 November 2012}}</ref><br />
''']'''<br />'''Killed:''' 4,815<ref name="icas">{{cite web|url=http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx |title=Operation Iraqi Freedom |publisher=iCasualties |accessdate=24 August 2010 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110321080348/http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx |archivedate=21 March 2011 |df= }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/index.html |publisher=CNN |accessdate=30 March 2010 |title=Home and Away: Iraq and Afghanistan War Casualties}}</ref> <small>(4,497 U.S.,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defense.gov/casualty.pdf |format=PDF|title=Casualty|accessdate=29 June 2016}}</ref> 179 UK,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/OperationsFactsheets/OperationsInIraqBritishFatalities.htm |title=Fact Sheets &#124; Operations Factsheets &#124; Operations in Iraq: British Fatalities |publisher=Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom |accessdate=17 October 2009 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011220157/http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/OperationsFactsheets/OperationsInIraqBritishFatalities.htm |archivedate=11 October 2009}}</ref> 139 other)</small><ref name="icas"/><br />
'''Missing/captured''' (U.S.): 17 (8 rescued, 9 died in captivity)<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/30/world/pow-and-mia-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-fast-facts |publisher=CNN |accessdate=5 June 2014 | title=POW and MIA in Iraq and Afghanistan Fast Facts}}; As of July 2012, seven American private contractors remain unaccounted for. Their names are: Jeffrey Ake, Aban Elias, Abbas Kareem Naama, Neenus Khoshaba, Bob Hamze, Dean Sadek and Hussain al-Zurufi. Healy, Jack, "", '']'', 22 May 2011, p. 6.</ref><br />
'''Wounded''': 32,776+ <small>(32,249 U.S.,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defense.gov/NEWS/casualty.pdf |title=Casualty |publisher=U.S. Department of Defense |accessdate=18 November 2012 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116062321/http://www.defense.gov/news/casualty.pdf |archivedate=16 January 2013 |df= }}</ref> 315 UK, 212+ other<ref>33 Ukrainians , 31+ Italians , 30 Bulgarians , 20 Salvadorans , 19 Georgians , 18 Estonians , 16+ Poles {{cite web |url=http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/JuraTomasz/print |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2011-01-07 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612101918/http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/JuraTomasz/print |archivedate=12 June 2007 |df=dmy-all }} {{cite web |url=http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?19484-Two-Polish-Soldiers-Dead-Five-Injured-in-Iraq-PAP |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2011-01-07 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514052449/http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?19484-Two-Polish-Soldiers-Dead-Five-Injured-in-Iraq-PAP |archivedate=14 May 2011 |df=dmy-all }} , 15 Spaniards , 10 Romanians , 6 Australians {{cite web |url=http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/combat-troops-pull-out-of-iraq/780839.aspx |title=Archived copy |accessdate=6 January 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110428201646/http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/combat-troops-pull-out-of-iraq/780839.aspx |archivedate=28 April 2011 }}, 5 Albanians, 4 Kazakhs {{cite web |url=http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/20050112090041443/print |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2011-01-07 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130025416/http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/20050112090041443/print |archivedate=30 January 2012 |df=dmy-all }}, 3 Filipinos {{cite web |url=http://asianjournalusa.com/rp-troops-to-stay-in-iraq-despite-ambush-p929-67.htm |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2011-01-06 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707174014/http://asianjournalusa.com/rp-troops-to-stay-in-iraq-despite-ambush-p929-67.htm |archivedate=7 July 2011 |df=dmy-all }} and 2 Thais for a total of 212+</ref>)</small><ref name=mil>Many official U.S.&nbsp;tables at {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110303054755/http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/castop.htm |date=3 March 2011 }}. See {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110602035127/http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/oif-total.pdf |date=2 June 2011 }}</ref><ref name=antiwarcasualties>.</ref><ref name=icasualties>iCasualties.org (was lunaville.org). Benicia, California. Patricia Kneisler, ''et al.'', {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110321080348/http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx |date=21 March 2011 }}</ref><ref name=ukcasualties> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061114214203/http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/OperationsFactsheets/OperationsInIraqBritishCasualties.htm |date=14 November 2006 }}. UK Ministry of Defense. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004051608/http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/DoctrineOperationsandDiplomacyPublications/OperationsInIraq/OpTelicCasualtyAndFatalityTables.htm |date=4 October 2012 }}.</ref>
'''Injured/diseases/other medical'''*: 51,139 <small>(47,541 U.S.,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/oif-total.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2016-02-07 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110602035127/http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/oif-total.pdf |archivedate=2 June 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> 3,598 UK)</small><ref name=mil/><ref name=icasualties/><ref name=ukcasualties/><br />
''']'''<br />
''']''': 1,554<ref name="dol.gov">{{cite web |url=http://www.dol.gov/owcp/dlhwc/dbaallnation.htm |title=Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) – Defense Base Act Case Summary by Nation |publisher=U.S.&nbsp;Department of Labor |accessdate=15 December 2011}}</ref><ref name="projects.propublica.org">{{cite web |author=T. Christian Miller |url=http://projects.propublica.org/tables/contractor_casualties |title=U.S.&nbsp;Government Private Contract Worker Deaths and Injuries |publisher=Projects.propublica.org |date=23 September 2009 |accessdate=23 October 2010 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727185847/http://projects.propublica.org/tables/contractor_casualties |archivedate=27 July 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><br />
'''Wounded & injured''': 43,880<ref name="dol.gov"/><ref name="projects.propublica.org"/><br />
''']'''<br />
'''Killed:''' 1,002+<ref>185 in Diyala from June 2007 to December 2007, 4 in assassination of ], 25 on 12 November 2007, 528 in 2008, 27 on 2 January 2009, 53 From 6 to 12 April 2009, 13 on 16 November 2009,{{cite web |url=http://www.france24.com/en/node/4926131 |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2011-02-14 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429002216/http://www.france24.com/en/node/4926131 |archivedate=29 April 2011 |df=dmy-all }} 15 in December 2009, 100+ from April to June 2010, 52 on 18 July 2010, total of 1,002+ dead {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418161020/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/24/world/middleeast/24sunni.html?pagewanted=print |date=18 April 2009 }}</ref><br />'''Wounded:''' 500+ (2007),<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/24/world/middleeast/24sunni.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print |work=The New York Times |first1=Solomon |last1=Moore |first2=Richard A. |last2=Oppel |title=Attacks Imperil U.S.-Backed Militias in Iraq |date=24 January 2008}}</ref> 828 (2008)<ref>{{cite web |author=Greg Bruno |url=http://www.cfr.org/iraq/finding-place-sons-iraq/p16088 |title=Finding a Place for the 'Sons of Iraq' |publisher=Council on Foreign Relations |accessdate=26 December 2011}}</ref><br />
'''Total dead: 25,285 (+12,000 policemen killed 2003-2005)"" <br />'''Total wounded: 117,961'''
|casualties2 = '''Iraqi combatant dead''' (invasion period): 7,600–10,800<ref>] (28 October 2003). . ] (''via'' ]). Retrieved 2 September 2010. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061017165045/http://www.commondreams.org/news2003/1028-01.htm |date=17 October 2006 }}</ref><ref>Conetta, Carl (23 October 2003). . Project on Defense Alternatives (''via'' ]). Retrieved 2 September 2010.</ref><br>
'''Insurgents''' (post-Saddam)<br />
'''Killed:''' 26,544 (2003–11)<ref>597 killed in 2003,, 23,984 killed from 2004 through 2009 (with the exceptions of May 2004 and March 2009), 652 killed in May 2004, 45 killed in March 2009, 676 killed in 2010, and 590 killed in 2011, thus giving a total of 26,544 dead</ref><br />
''']s:''' 12,000 (Iraqi-held)<ref name="cnn1">{{cite news|url=http://articles.cnn.com/2010-09-13/world/iraq.detainees_1_detainees-iraqi-authorities-moussawi?_s=PM:WORLD|title=Amnesty: Iraq holds up to 30,000 detainees without trial|publisher=CNN|date=13 September 2010|accessdate=6 January 2011|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101023155150/http://articles.cnn.com/2010-09-13/world/iraq.detainees_1_detainees-iraqi-authorities-moussawi?_s=PM%3AWORLD|archivedate=23 October 2010|df=dmy-all}}</ref><br />
'''Total dead: 34,144–37,344'''
|casualties3 = '''Estimated deaths:'''<br />
''']**''' (March 2003&nbsp;– July 2006): '''654,965''' (95% CI: 392,979–942,636)<ref name="lancetOct2006">{{cite web|url=http://brusselstribunal.org/pdf/lancet111006.pdf |title="Mortality after the 2003 invasion of Iraq: a cross-sectional cluster sample survey" |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907130701/http://brusselstribunal.org/pdf/lancet111006.pdf |archivedate= 7 September 2015 |df= }}&nbsp;{{small|(242&nbsp;KB)}}. By Gilbert Burnham, Riyadh Lafta, Shannon Doocy, and Les Roberts. ''],'' 11 October 2006</ref><ref name="Lancet supplement">{{cite web|url=http://web.mit.edu/CIS/pdf/Human_Cost_of_War.pdf |title="The Human Cost of the War in Iraq: A Mortality Study, 2002–2006" }}&nbsp;{{small|(603&nbsp;KB)}}. By Gilbert Burnham, Shannon Doocy, Elizabeth Dzeng, Riyadh Lafta, and Les Roberts. A supplement to the October 2006 Lancet study. It is also found here: {{cite web|url=http://www.jhsph.edu/refugee/research/iraq/Human_Cost_of_WarFORMATTED.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2012-05-09 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071128182122/http://www.jhsph.edu/refugee/research/iraq/Human_Cost_of_WarFORMATTED.pdf |archivedate=28 November 2007 |df= }} </ref><br />
''']***''' (March 2003&nbsp;– July 2006): '''151,000''' (95% CI: 104,000–223,000)<ref> ] 31 January 2008</ref>
<br />
'''PLOS Medicine Study**''': (March 2003&nbsp;– June 2011): '''405,000''' (95% CI: 48,000–751,000), in addition to 55,000 deaths missed due to emigration.<ref name="Hagopian"/><br /><br/>
'''Documented deaths from violence:'''<br />
] (2003&nbsp;– 14 December 2011): '''103,160–113,728''' civilian deaths recorded,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iraqbodycount.org/ |title=Iraq Body Count |accessdate=27 April 2014}}</ref> and '''12,438''' new deaths added from the Iraq War Logs<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iraqbodycount.org/analysis/numbers/warlogs/ |title=Iraq War Logs: What the numbers reveal |publisher=Iraq Body Count |accessdate=3 December 2010}}</ref><br /> '''] '''(March 2003&nbsp;– April 2009): '''110,600'''<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_wires/2009Apr23/0,4675,MLIraqDeathToll,00.html |title=AP Impact: Secret tally has 87,215 Iraqis dead |author=Kim Gamel |date=23 April 2009 |accessdate=26 April 2014 |publisher=Fox News}}</ref>

For more information see: ]
|notes='''*''' "injured, diseased, or other medical": required medical air transport. UK number includes "aeromed evacuations"<br />'''**''' '''Total excess deaths''' include all additional deaths due to increased lawlessness, degraded infrastructure, poorer healthcare, etc.<br/>'''***''' '''Violent deaths only''' - does not include excess deaths due to increased lawlessness, poorer healthcare, etc.
|campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Iraq War}}

}}
{{Campaignbox Persian Gulf Wars}}
The '''Iraq War'''<ref group="nb">The conflict is also known as the '''War in Iraq''', the '''Occupation of Iraq''', the '''Second Gulf War''', and '''Gulf War II'''. The period of the war lasting from 2003 to 2010 was referred to as '''Operation Iraqi Freedom''' by the United States military.</ref> was a protracted armed conflict that began in 2003 with the ] by a ] that overthrew the ]. The conflict continued for much of the next decade as an ] emerged to oppose the ] and the post-invasion Iraqi government.<ref name=Britannica>{{cite web |title=Iraq War|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/870845/Iraq-War
|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica|accessdate=27 October 2012}}</ref> An estimated ] Iraqis were killed in the first 3–4 years of conflict. The U.S. became ] at the head of a ]; the insurgency and many dimensions of the civil armed conflict continue. The invasion occurred as part of a ] under the administration of U.S. President ] following the ].

The invasion began on 20 March 2003,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Iraq-War|title=Iraq War {{!}} 2003–2011|newspaper=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=2017-01-31}}</ref> with the U.S., joined by the United Kingdom and several coalition allies, launching a "]" bombing campaign. Iraqi forces were quickly overwhelmed as U.S. forces swept through the country. The invasion led to the collapse of the ]; Saddam was captured during ] in December of ] and ]. However, the power vacuum following Saddam's demise and the mismanagement of ] led to widespread ] between ] and ], as well as a ]. Many violent insurgent groups were supported by ] and ]. The United States responded with a ]. The winding down of U.S. involvement in Iraq accelerated under President ]. The U.S. formally withdrew all combat troops from Iraq by December 2011.<ref>{{cite news|agency=Associated Press |first=Ben |last=Feller |title=Obama sets firm withdrawal timetable for Iraq |date=27 February 2009 |url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090227/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_iraq |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302175610/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090227/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_iraq |archivedate= 2 March 2009 |df= }}</ref>

The ] based its ] principally on the assertion that Iraq, which had been viewed by the U.S. as a ] since the ], possessed ] (WMDs) and that the Iraqi government posed an immediate threat to the United States and its coalition allies.<ref>Center for American Progress (29 January 2004) {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115202751/https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/security/news/2004/01/29/459/in-their-own-words-iraqs-imminent-threat/ |date=15 January 2016 }} ''americanprogress.org''</ref><ref name=nelson>Senator ] (28 January 2004) {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420112938/https://fas.org/irp/congress/2004_cr/s012804b.html |date=20 April 2016 }} ''Congressional Record''</ref> Select U.S.&nbsp;officials accused Saddam of harbouring and supporting ],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/003/033jgqyi.asp |publisher=The Weekly Standard |title=Saddam's al Qaeda Connection}}</ref> while others cited the desire to end a repressive dictatorship and bring democracy to the people of Iraq.<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160801014545/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/02/20030226-11.html |date=1 August 2016 }} The White House, 26 February 2003</ref><ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008111954/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/09/60minutes/main592330.shtml |date=8 October 2013 }} ''60 Minutes''</ref> After the invasion, no substantial evidence was found to verify the initial claims about WMDs, while ] were proven false. The rationale and misrepresentation of U.S. prewar intelligence faced heavy ] both domestically and internationally, with President Bush declining from his record-high approval ratings following 9/11 to become one of the most unpopular presidents in U.S. history.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Jervis|first1=Robert|title=Reports, Politics, and Intelligence Failures: The Case of Iraq|journal=Journal of Strategic Studies|date=February 2006|volume=29|issue=1|pages=3–52|doi=10.1080/01402390600566282|url=http://www.neuroscience-arena.com/journals/pdf/papers/FJSS_LR_3-52.pdf|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022141255/http://www.neuroscience-arena.com/journals/pdf/papers/FJSS_LR_3-52.pdf|archivedate=22 October 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In the aftermath of the invasion, Iraq held ] in 2005. ] became Prime Minister in 2006 and remained in office until 2014. The al-Maliki government enacted policies that were widely seen as having the effect of alienating the country's ] minority and worsening sectarian tensions. In the summer of 2014, the ] (ISIL) launched a military offensive in Northern Iraq and declared a worldwide Islamic ], eliciting another ]. The Iraq War caused over a hundred thousand civilian deaths and tens of thousands of military deaths (see estimates ]). The majority of deaths occurred as a result of the insurgency and civil conflicts between 2004 and 2007.

==Background==
{{Main article|Lead-up to the Iraq War|Rationale for the Iraq War}}
{{See also|Iraq and weapons of mass destruction|Iraq disarmament crisis}}
]

Strong international opposition to the Saddam Hussein regime began after Iraq's ] in 1990. The international community condemned the invasion,<ref name=Global> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160921182559/http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iraq/1990/900816-151051.htm |date=21 September 2016 }}. GlobalSecurity.org.</ref> and in 1991 a military coalition led by the United States launched the ] to expel Iraq from Kuwait. Following the Gulf War, the US and its allies tried to keep Saddam in check with a policy of ]. This policy involved numerous ] by the ]; the enforcement of ] declared by the US and the UK to protect the ] in Iraqi Kurdistan and ]s in the south from aerial attacks by the Iraqi government; and ongoing inspections to ensure Iraq's compliance with United Nations resolutions concerning ].

The inspections were carried out by the ] (UNSCOM). UNSCOM, in cooperation with the ], worked to ensure that Iraq destroyed its chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons and facilities.<ref name="Zilinskas">Zilinskas, Raymond A., "UNSCOM and the UNSCOM Experience in Iraq", ''Politics and the Life Sciences'', Vol. 14, No. 2 (Aug., 1995), 230.</ref> In the decade following the Gulf War, the United Nations passed 16 Security Council resolutions calling for the complete elimination of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. Member states communicated their frustration over the years that Iraq was impeding the work of the special commission and failing to take seriously its disarmament obligations. Iraqi officials harassed the inspectors and obstructed their work,<ref name="Zilinskas"/> and in August 1998 the Iraqi government suspended cooperation with the inspectors completely, alleging that the inspectors were spying for the US.<ref name="Fisk2007">{{cite book|author=Robert Fisk|title=The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jp2mZr7BoGsC|date=18 December 2007|publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-307-42871-4}} Digital copy, does not include page numbers.</ref> The spying allegations were later substantiated.<ref>{{Cite news| title = U.S. Spied on Iraq Via U.N.| accessdate = 9 November 2017| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/daily/march99/unscom2.htm|newspaper=Washington Post|date=2 March 1999|author=Barton Gellman}}</ref>

In October 1998, removing the Iraqi government became official ] with enactment of the ]. The act provided $97 million for Iraqi "democratic opposition organizations" to "establish a program to support a transition to democracy in Iraq."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c105:H.R.4655.ENR: |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080711034008/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c105%3AH.R.4655.ENR%3A |archivedate=11 July 2008 |title=Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 (Enrolled as Agreed to or Passed by Both House and Senate) |publisher=Library of Congress |accessdate=25 May 2006 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> This legislation contrasted with the terms set out in ], which focused on weapons and weapons programs and made no mention of regime change.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/news/un/iraq/sres/sres0687.htm |title=Resolution 687 (1991) |accessdate=25 May 2006 |date=8 April 1991 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060523015627/https://fas.org/news/un/iraq/sres/sres0687.htm |archivedate=23 May 2006 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> One month after the passage of the Iraq Liberation Act, the US and UK launched a bombardment campaign of Iraq called ]. The campaign's express rationale was to hamper Saddam Hussein's government's ability to produce chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, but U.S. intelligence personnel also hoped it would help weaken Saddam's grip on power.<ref>{{cite news |first=Arkin |last=William |title=The Difference Was in the Details |work=The Washington Post |date=17 January 1999 |page=B1 |url=http://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/irqtar.htm |accessdate=23 April 2007|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060909055202/http://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/irqtar.htm |archivedate=9 September 2006|deadurl=yes}}</ref>

With the election of George W. Bush as ] in ], the US moved towards a more aggressive Iraq policy. The ] campaign platform in the 2000 election called for "full implementation" of the Iraq Liberation Act as "a starting point" in a plan to "remove" Saddam.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/conventions/republican/features/platform.00/|title=Republican Platform 2000|publisher=CNN|accessdate=25 May 2006|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060421063832/http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/conventions/republican/features/platform.00/|archivedate=21 April 2006}}</ref> However, little formal movement towards an invasion occurred until the ].<ref name="Woodward2004Chap1">{{cite book|author=Bob Woodward|author-link=Bob Woodward|title=Plan of Attack|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R3brydgkbg0C|date=21 April 2004|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-0-7432-6287-3|pages=9–23}}</ref>

==Pre-war events==
{{Main article|Preparations for 2003 invasion of Iraq|Failed Iraqi peace initiatives}}
] After 9/11, the Bush Administration national security team actively debated an invasion of Iraq. On the day of the attacks, Secretary of Defense ] asked his aides for: "best info fast. Judge whether good enough hit Saddam Hussein at same time. Not only ]."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/09/04/september11/main520830.shtml|title=Plans For Iraq Attack Began On 9/11|publisher=CBS News|date=4 September 2002|accessdate=26 May 2006|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060525035205/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/09/04/september11/main520830.shtml|archivedate=25 May 2006 <!--DASHBot-->|deadurl=no}}</ref> President Bush spoke with Rumsfeld on 21 November and instructed him to conduct a confidential review of ], the war plan for invading Iraq.<ref>Woodward 2004, 1-3.</ref> Rumsfeld met with General ], the commander of ], on 27 November to go over the plans. A record of the meeting includes the question "How start?", listing multiple possible justifications for a U.S.–Iraq War.<ref name="tv.msnbc.com"/><ref>{{cite news |title='Building momentum for regime change': Rumsfeld's secret memos |author=Michael Isikoff |url=http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/02/16/building-momentum-for-regime-change-rumsfelds-secret-memos/ |publisher=] |date=16 March 2013 |accessdate=31 March 2013}}</ref> The rationale for invading Iraq as a response to 9/11 has been widely questioned, as there was no cooperation between ].<ref>Smith, Jeffrey R. . ''The Washington Post'', Friday, 6 April 2007; Page A01. Retrieved on 23 April 2007.</ref>

Bush began formally making his case to the international community for an invasion of Iraq in his 12 September 2002 address to the ].<ref>George W. Bush, Remarks by the President in Address to the United Nations General Assembly, New York, New York", official transcript, press release, ], 12 September 2002. Retrieved 24 May 2007.</ref> Key U.S. allies in ], such as the United Kingdom, agreed with the US actions, while France and Germany were critical of plans to invade Iraq, arguing instead for continued diplomacy and weapons inspections. After considerable debate, the UN Security Council adopted a compromise resolution, ], which authorized the resumption of weapons inspections and promised "serious consequences" for non-compliance. Security Council members France and Russia made clear that they did not consider these consequences to include the use of force to overthrow the Iraqi government.<ref>. ], 26 October 2002. Retrieved on 23 April 2007</ref> The US and UK ambassadors to the UN publicly confirmed this reading of the resolution.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwhira3.html|title=U.S. Wants Peaceful Disarmament of Iraq, Says Negroponte|date=8 November 2002|publisher=Embassy of the United States in Manila|accessdate=26 May 2006 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060103230014/http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwhira3.html |archivedate=3 January 2006}}</ref>

Resolution 1441 set up inspections by the ] (UNMOVIC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Saddam accepted the resolution on 13 November and inspectors returned to Iraq under the direction of UNMOVIC chairman ] and IAEA Director General ]. As of February 2003, the IAEA "found no evidence or plausible indication of the revival of a nuclear weapons program in Iraq"; the IAEA concluded that certain items which could have been used in nuclear enrichment centrifuges, such as aluminum tubes, were in fact intended for other uses.<ref>{{cite web|title=Statements of the Director General|url=http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Statements/2003/ebsp2003n006.shtml|publisher=IAEA|accessdate=7 September 2006|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060903185204/http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/Statements/2003/ebsp2003n006.shtml|archivedate=3 September 2006 <!--DASHBot-->|deadurl=no}}</ref> In March 2003, Blix said progress had been made in inspections, and no evidence of WMD had been found.<ref name="blix1">Blix, H. (7 March 2003) {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161109052347/http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/03/07/sprj.irq.un.transcript.blix/index.html |date=9 November 2016 }} CNN</ref>

In October 2002, the US Congress passed the "]". The resolution authorized the President to "use any means necessary" against Iraq. Americans polled in January 2003 widely favored further diplomacy over an invasion. Later that year, however, Americans began to agree with Bush's plan (see ]). The US government engaged in an elaborate domestic public relations campaign to market the war to its citizens. Americans overwhelmingly believed Saddam did have weapons of mass destruction: 85% said so, even though the inspectors had not uncovered those weapons. By February 2003, 64% of Americans supported taking military action to remove Saddam from power.<ref name="CBSnews-20030124">. CBS.com, 24 January 2003. Retrieved on 23 April 2007.</ref>
] ] holding a model vial of ] while giving a presentation to the ]]]

On 5 February 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell ] to present evidence that Iraq was hiding unconventional weapons. However, Powell's presentation included information based on the claims of ], an Iraqi emigrant living in Germany who later admitted that his claims had been false.<ref>{{cite web |first=Lee |last=Ferran |url =http://abcnews.com/Blotter/iraqi-defector-al-janabi-codenamed-curveball-admits-wmd/story?id=12922213 |title =Iraqi Defector 'Curveball' Admits WMD Lies, Is Proud of Tricking U.S. |publisher =ABC News |date =15 February 2011}}</ref> Powell also presented evidence alleging Iraq had ties to al-Qaeda. As a follow-up to Powell's presentation, the United States, United Kingdom, Poland, Italy, Australia, Denmark, Japan, and Spain proposed a resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq, but NATO members like Canada, France, and Germany, together with Russia, strongly urged continued diplomacy. Facing a losing vote as well as a likely veto from France and Russia, the US, UK, Poland, Spain, Denmark, Italy, Japan, and Australia eventually withdrew their resolution.<ref>{{cite news |title=US, Britain and Spain Abandon Resolution |url=http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/attack/armtwist/2003/0317usbritspain.htm |agency=Associated Press |date=17 March 2003 |accessdate =6 August 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/03/06/sprj.irq.main/index.html |title=Bush: Iraq is playing 'willful charade' |publisher=CNN |date=7 March 2003|accessdate =6 August 2006}}</ref>

In March 2003, the United States, United Kingdom, Poland, Australia, Spain, Denmark, and Italy began preparing for the invasion of Iraq with a host of public relations and military moves. In an address to the nation on 17 March 2003, Bush demanded that Saddam and his two sons, ] and ], surrender and leave Iraq, giving them a 48-hour deadline.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030317-7.html|title=President Says Saddam Hussein Must Leave Iraq Within 48 Hours|date=17 March 2003 |publisher=]|accessdate=28 July 2010}}</ref>

The UK ] held a debate on going to war on 18 March 2003 where the government motion was approved 412 to 149.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmhansrd/vo030318/debtext/30318-47.htm |work=Hansard |date=18 March 2003 |volume=401 |issue=365 |title=Division No. 117 (Iraq) |publisher=]|accessdate=29 October 2011 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> The vote was a key moment in the history of the ], as the number of government MPs who rebelled against the vote was the greatest since the repeal of the ] in 1846. Three government ministers resigned in protest at the war, ], ], and the then Leader of the House of Commons ].

===Opposition to invasion===
{{Further information|criticism of the Iraq War|legitimacy of the 2003 invasion of Iraq|legality of the Iraq War|Protests against the Iraq War}}
In October 2002, former U.S. President ] warned about possible dangers of pre-emptive military action against Iraq. Speaking in the UK at a ] conference he said: "As a preemptive action today, however well-justified, may come back with unwelcome consequences in the future.... I don't care how precise your bombs and your weapons are, when you set them off, innocent people will die."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0210/02/ip.00.html |title=CNN Inside Politics |publisher=CNN |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/clinton-urges-caution-over-iraq-as-bush-is-granted-war-powers-607775.html |title=Clinton urges caution over Iraq as Bush is granted war powers |work=The Independent |date=3 October 2002 |accessdate=23 October 2010 |location=London |first=Andrew |last=Grice |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513103153/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/clinton-urges-caution-over-iraq-as-bush-is-granted-war-powers-607775.html |archivedate=13 May 2011 }}</ref> The majority of ] in Congress voted against the ], although a majority of Democrats in the Senate voted in favor of it. Sen. ] wrote shortly before the vote "Those who are pushing for a unilateral war in Iraq know full well that there is no exit strategy if we invade."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Knight|first1=Danielle|title=Winning Over the Senate With Frank Words and a Keen Mind|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2007/12/07/winning-over-the-senate-with-frank-words-and-a-keen-mind|work=U.S. News & World Report|accessdate=26 July 2015}}</ref>

In the same period, ] publicly condemned the military intervention. During a private meeting, he also said directly to George W. Bush: "Mr President, you know my opinion about the war in Iraq. Lets talk about something else. Every violence, against one or a million, is a blasphemy addressed to the image and likeness of God."<ref>LaRepubblica, (it]</ref>

], up to 400,000 took part in the protest.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/2378843.stm |title=Anti-war protests under way |publisher=BBC News |date=31 October 2002 |accessdate=26 July 2015}}</ref>]]
On 20 January 2003, ] ] declared "we believe that military intervention would be the worst solution".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ambafrance-us.org/news/statmnts/2003/vilepin012003.asp|title=Press conference of Foreign Affairs Minister Dominique de Villepin (excerpts)|accessdate=13 February 2007|date=20 January 2003|publisher=Embassy of France in the U.S |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20060927144309/http://www.ambafrance-us.org/news/statmnts/2003/vilepin012003.asp |archivedate = 27 September 2006}}</ref> Meanwhile, ] across the world organised public protests. According to French academic ], between 3 January and 12 April 2003, {{Nowrap|36 million}} people across the globe took part in almost 3,000 protests against war in Iraq, with ] being the largest.<ref name="Difference"> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060321084247/http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/article.php?article_id=6067 |date=21 March 2006 }}, Alex Callinicos, Socialist Worker, 19 March 2005.</ref> ] voiced his opposition in late January, stating "All that (Mr. Bush) wants is ]," and questioning if Bush deliberately undermined the U.N. "because the secretary-general of the United Nations a black man".<ref>{{cite news |author=Jarrett Murphy |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/mandela-slams-bush-on-iraq/ |title=Mandela Slams Bush On Iraq |publisher=CBS News |date=30 January 2003|accessdate=19 January 2014}}</ref>

In February 2003, the US Army's top general, ], told the Senate Armed Services Committee that it would take "several hundred thousand soldiers" to secure Iraq.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-02-25-iraq-us_x.htm |title=Army chief: Force to occupy Iraq massive |work=USA Today |date=25 February 2003 |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref> Two days later, ] ] said the post-war troop commitment would be less than the number of troops required to win the war, and that "the idea that it would take several hundred thousand U.S. forces is far from the mark." Deputy Defense Secretary ] said Shinseki's estimate was "way off the mark," because other countries would take part in an occupying force.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/02/27/sprj.irq.war.cost/ |title=Administration fends off demands for war estimates&nbsp;– Mar. 3, 2003 |publisher=CNN |date= 26 February 2003|accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref>

]'s Foreign Secretary ], although having been in favour of stationing German troops in ], advised ] ] not to join the war in Iraq. Fischer famously confronted United States Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at the 39th ] in 2003 on the secretary's purported evidence for Iraq's possession of ]: ''"Excuse me, I am not convinced!"''<ref>{{Cite news| issn = 0307-1235| last = Connolly| first = Kate| title = I am not convinced, Fischer tells Rumsfeld| accessdate = 2017-11-10| date = 2003-02-10| url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/1421634/I-am-not-convinced-Fischer-tells-Rumsfeld.html}}</ref>

There were serious ] surrounding the launching of the war against Iraq and the ] of ] in general. On 16 September 2004, ], the Secretary General of the United Nations, said of the invasion, "I have indicated it was not in conformity with the ]. From our point of view, from the Charter point of view, it was illegal."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3661134.stm |title=Iraq war illegal, says Annan
|publisher=BBC News |date=16 September 2004 |accessdate=26 November 2016}}</ref>

In November 2008 ], the former British ], described the war as a serious violation of ], and accused Britain and the United States of acting like a "world ]". He also criticized the post-invasion record of Britain as "an occupying power in Iraq". Regarding the treatment of Iraqi detainees in ], Bingham said: "Particularly disturbing to proponents of the rule of law is the cynical lack of concern for international legality among some top officials in the ]."<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201172617/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/18/iraq-us-foreign-policy |date=1 December 2016 }}, '']'', 18 November 2008</ref> In July 2010, ] ], in an official ] in Parliament, condemned the invasion of Iraq as illegal.<ref name="DailyMail210710">, ''Daily Mail'', {{Nowrap|21 July 2010}}</ref>

==2003: Invasion==
{{Main article|2003 invasion of Iraq|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 first ] team entered Iraq on 10 July 2002.<ref name="operation1">Operation Hotel California, The Clandestine War inside Iraq, Mike Tucker and Charles Faddis, 2008.</ref> This team was composed of members of the CIA's ] and was later joined by members of the US&nbsp;military's elite ] (JSOC).<ref name="plan2004">{{cite book |title=Plan of Attack: The Definitive Account of the Decision to Invade Iraq |author=] |year=2004 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=978-0743255486}}{{page needed|date=August 2015}}</ref> Together, they prepared for the invasion of conventional forces. These efforts consisted of persuading the commanders of several Iraqi ]s to surrender rather than oppose the invasion, and identifying all the initial leadership targets during very high risk reconnaissance missions.<ref name="plan2004"/>

Most importantly, their efforts organized the ]ish ] to become the northern front of the invasion. Together this force defeated ] in ] before the invasion and then defeated the ] in the north.<ref name="plan2004"/><ref>A Nation at War: Second Front; Allied Troops Are Flown In To Airfields In North Iraq, By C.&nbsp;J.&nbsp;Chivers, 24 March 2003</ref> The battle against Ansar al-Islam, known as ], led to the death of a substantial number of militants and the uncovering of a chemical weapons facility at ].<ref name="operation1"/><ref>A Nation at War: in the Field the Northern Front; Militants Gone, Caves in North Lie Abandoned By C. J. Chivers, 30 March 2003</ref>

At 5:34&nbsp;a.m. ] time on 20 March 2003 (9:34&nbsp;p.m., 19 March EST) the surprise<ref name="surpr">"Keeping 4th ID in the Mediterranean created element of surprise. Iraq did not expect attack to begin until 4th ID arrived in Kuwait." Rumsfeld, D., Franks, T.: {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120131012120/http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/congress/rumsfeld_franks_9jul03.ppt |date=31 January 2012 }}. Prepared testimony for the Senate Armed Services Committee, 9 July 2003.</ref> military invasion of Iraq began.<ref name=GSorgOIF>{{cite web |title=Operation Iraqi Freedom|work=Target Iraq|publisher=GlobalSecurity.org|date=27 April 2005|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraqi_freedom.htm}}</ref> There was no declaration of war.<ref name="decl">Friedman, G.: {{webarchive |url=https://archive.is/20130123100650/http://www.forbes.com/sites/beltway/2011/03/30/what-happened-to-the-american-declaration-of-war/ |date=23 January 2013 }}, ''Forbes'', 30 March 2011.</ref> The ], led by ] General ], under the code-name '''"Operation Iraqi Freedom"''',<ref name="oil">{{cite news |title=A nation at war: The attack; U.S. and British troops push into Iraq as missiles strike Baghdad compound|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/21/world/nation-war-attack-us-british-troops-push-into-iraq-missiles-strike-baghdad.html?pagewanted=all|author=Patrick E. Tyler|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 21, 2003|page=B8}}</ref> the UK code-name ], and the Australian code-name ]. Coalition forces also cooperated with Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the north. Approximately forty other governments, the "]," participated by providing troops, equipment, services, security, and special forces, with 248,000 soldiers from the United States, 45,000 British soldiers, 2,000 Australian soldiers and 194 Polish soldiers from ] unit ] sent to Kuwait for the invasion.<ref>Australian Department of Defence (2004). {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009194711/http://www.defence.gov.au/publications/lessons.pdf |date=9 October 2016 }}. Page 11.</ref> The invasion force was also supported by Iraqi ]ish ], estimated to number upwards of 70,000.<ref name=MajPeltier>{{cite web|url=http://cgsc.cdmhost.com/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/p4013coll3&CISOPTR=363 |title=Surrogate Warfare: The Role of U.S. Army Special Forces |author=MAJ Isaac J. Peltier |publisher=U.S. Army |page=29 |accessdate=13 September 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211141158/http://cgsc.cdmhost.com/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=%2Fp4013coll3&CISOPTR=363 |archivedate=11 February 2009 |df= }}</ref>

]
According to General Tommy Franks, there were eight objectives of the invasion, "First, ending the regime of Saddam Hussein. Second, to identify, isolate, and eliminate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. Third, to search for, to capture, and to drive out terrorists from that country. Fourth, to collect such intelligence as we can relate to terrorist networks. Fifth, to collect such intelligence as we can relate to the global network of illicit weapons of mass destruction. Sixth, to end sanctions and to immediately deliver humanitarian support to the displaced and to many needy Iraqi citizens. Seventh, to secure Iraq's ]s and resources, which belong to the Iraqi people. And last, to help the Iraqi people create conditions for a transition to a representative self-government."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sale|first1= Michelle |last2=Khan|first2= Javid|title=Missions Accomplished?|url= http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2003/04/11/missions-accomplished| accessdate= 25 June 2012}}</ref>

]
The invasion was a quick and decisive operation encountering major resistance, though not what the U.S., British and other forces expected. The Iraqi regime had prepared to fight both a conventional and irregular war at the same time, conceding territory when faced with superior conventional forces, largely armored, but launching smaller scale attacks in the rear using fighters dressed in civilian and paramilitary clothes.

Coalition troops launched air and ] on the ] to secure the oil fields there and the important ports, supported by warships of the ], ], and ]. The ]' ], attached to 3&nbsp;Commando Brigade and the ] Special Forces unit ] attacked the port of ], while the ]'s ] secured the oil fields in southern Iraq.<ref>{{cite book|first=John |last=Keegan|author-link=John Keegan|title=The Iraq War|publisher=Vintage Books|date=2005|isbn=1-4000-7920-9|page=169}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Allied Participation in Operation Iraqi Freedom|last=Carney|first=Stephen A.|publisher=]|date=2011|url=https://history.army.mil/html/books/059/59-3-1/CMH_59-3-1.pdf|pages=10, 98}}</ref>

] enter a palace during the ].]]

The heavy armor of the ] moved westward and then northward through the western desert toward Baghdad, while the ] moved more easterly along Highway&nbsp;1 through the center of the country, and ] moved northward through the eastern marshland.<ref>Keegan, 145.</ref> The U.S. 1st Marine Division ] in a battle to seize the major road junction.<ref>Keegan, 148-53.</ref> The United States Army 3rd Infantry Division defeated Iraqi forces entrenched in and around ].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gordon|first1=Michael R.|last2=Trainor|first2=Bernard E.|author-link1=Michael R. Gordon|author-link2=Bernard E. Trainor
|title=]|year=2006|publisher=Pantheon|isbn=0-375-42262-5|page=205}}</ref>

With the Nasiriyah and Talil Airfields secured in its rear, the 3rd&nbsp;Infantry Division supported by the ] continued its attack north toward Najaf and Karbala, but a severe sand storm slowed the coalition advance and there was a halt to consolidate and make sure the supply lines were secure.<ref>Keegan, 154-5.</ref> When they started again they secured the Karbala Gap, a key approach to Baghdad, then secured the bridges over the ], and U.S. forces poured through the gap on to Baghdad. In the middle of Iraq, the 1st Marine Division fought its way to the eastern side of Baghdad, and prepared for the attack into Baghdad to seize it.<ref>{{cite book |last=West|first=Bing|authorlink=Bing West|author2=General Ray L. Smith|title=The March Up: Taking Baghdad with the 1st Marine Division|publisher=Bantam Books|date=September 2003 |location=New York|isbn=0-553-80376-X}}{{page needed|date=August 2015}}</ref>

On 9 April, Baghdad fell, ending Saddam's 24‑year rule. U.S.&nbsp;forces seized the deserted ] ministries and, according to some reports later disputed by the Marines on the ground, stage-managed<ref name="articles.latimes.com">{{cite news |url=http://articles.latimes.com/2004/jul/03/nation/na-statue3 |title= Army Stage-Managed Fall of Saddam Statue |work=Los Angeles Times |date=3 July 2004 |accessdate=23 October 2010 |first=David |last=Zucchino}}</ref> the ], photos and video of which became symbolic of the event, although later controversial. Allegedly, though not seen in the photos or heard on the videos, shot with a ], was the chant of the inflamed crowd for ], the radical Shiite cleric.<ref>''The Rachel Maddow Show''. 18 August 2010, MSNBC</ref> The abrupt fall of Baghdad was accompanied by a widespread outpouring of gratitude toward the invaders, but also massive civil disorder, including the ] of public and government buildings and drastically increased crime.<ref>Collier, R. (9 April 2003) {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516050021/http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2003%2F04%2F09%2FMN249161.DTL |date=16 May 2012 }} ''San Francisco Chronicle''</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.defenselink.mil/Transcripts/Transcript.aspx?TranscriptID=2367 |title=Stuff Happens |publisher=Defenselink.mil |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref>

According to ], {{convert|250000|ST}} (of {{convert|650000|ST}} total) of ordnance was looted, providing a significant source of ammunition for the ]. The invasion phase concluded when ], Saddam's home town, fell with little resistance to the ] of ].

In the invasion phase of the war (19 March–30 April), an estimated 9,200 Iraqi combatants were killed by coalition forces along with an estimated 3,750 non-combatants, i.e. civilians who did not take up arms.<ref>Conetta, C. (20 October 2003) {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090902000000/http://www.comw.org/pda/0310rm8.html |date=2 September 2009 }} Research Monograph no. 8 ''Project on Defense Alternatives''</ref> Coalition forces reported the death in combat of 139 U.S. military personnel<ref>{{cite news |title=A Look at U.S. Deaths in the Iraq War|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/25/AR2005102501190.html|accessdate=11 November 2013|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=25 October 2005|author=Reuters}}</ref> and 33 UK military personnel.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.icasualties.org/Iraq/Nationality.aspx?hndQry=UK |title=Operation Iraqi Freedom &#124; Iraq &#124; Fatalities By Nationality |publisher=iCasualties |date=2010-05-28 |accessdate=2014-04-23}}</ref>

==2003–11: Post-invasion phase==
{{Main article|History of Iraq (2003–11)}}
{{Further information|Iraqi insurgency (2003–11)}}

===2003: Beginnings of insurgency===
] ] tank patrols a Baghdad street after its fall in 2003 during Operation Iraqi Freedom.]]
]
] forces in sea operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom]]
]
On 1 May 2003, President Bush visited the ] ] operating a few miles west of ]. At sunset, he held his nationally televised ]", delivered before the ] and ] on the ]: Bush declared victory due to the defeat of Iraq's conventional forces.

Nevertheless, Saddam Hussein remained at large and significant pockets of resistance remained. After Bush's speech, coalition forces noticed a flurry of attacks on its troops began to gradually increase in various regions, such as the "]".<ref>{{cite news |title=Operation Iraqi Freedom Maps|publisher=GlobalSecurity.Org|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraqi_freedom-ops-maps.htm}}</ref> The initial Iraqi insurgents were supplied by hundreds of weapons caches created before the invasion by the Iraqi army and ].

Initially, Iraqi resistance (described by the coalition as "Anti-Iraqi Forces") largely stemmed from ] and Saddam/] loyalists, but soon religious radicals and Iraqis angered by the occupation contributed to the insurgency. The three provinces with the highest number of attacks were ], ], and ]. Those three provinces account for 35% of the population, but by December 2006 they were responsible for 73% of U.S. military deaths and an even higher percentage of recent U.S. military deaths (about 80%.)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://icasualties.org/oif/Province.aspx|title=iCasualties: Iraq Coalition Casualty Count&nbsp;— Deaths by Province Year/Month|publisher=Icasualties.org|accessdate=27 October 2008 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080708203616/http://icasualties.org/oif/Province.aspx |archivedate = 8 July 2008}}</ref>

Insurgents used various ], including mortars, missiles, ]s, ], ]s (IEDs), car bombs, small arms fire (usually with ]s), and RPGs (]), as well as sabotage against the ], water, and electrical infrastructure.

Coalition efforts to establish ] commenced after the fall of Saddam's regime. The coalition nations, together with the United Nations, began to work to establish a stable, compliant ] state capable of defending itself from non-coalition forces, as well as overcoming internal divisions.<ref name=Soriano>{{cite news|title=Poll: Iraqis out of patience|work=USA Today|date=30 April 2004|url=http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/1/13/232154.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050116031824/http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/1/13/232154.shtml|dead-url=yes|archive-date=16 January 2005|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Mariam |last=Karouny |url = http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=49603 |title =Gloom descends on Iraqi leaders as civil war looms |newspaper=Turkish Daily News |agency=Reuters |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930165233/http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=49603 |archivedate=30 September 2007 |date =23 July 2006 |deadurl= yes}}</ref>

Meanwhile, coalition military forces launched several operations around the ] River peninsula and in the Sunni Triangle. A series of similar operations were launched throughout the summer in the Sunni Triangle. Toward late-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 "]", as it coincided with the beginning of the Muslim holy month of ].

To counter this offensive, coalition forces began to use air power and artillery again for the first time since the end of the invasion by striking suspected ambush sites and mortar launching positions. Surveillance of major routes, patrols, and raids on suspected insurgents were stepped up. In addition, two villages, including Saddam's birthplace of ] and the small town of ] were surrounded by barbed wire and carefully monitored.

====Coalition Provisional Authority and the 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}}

] as of September 2003]]
Shortly after the invasion, the multinational coalition created the ] (CPA; {{lang-ar|سلطة الائتلاف الموحدة}}), based in the ], as a ] of Iraq until the establishment of a democratic government. Citing ] (22 May 2003) and the ], the CPA vested itself with ], ], and ] authority over the Iraqi government from the period of the CPA's inception on 21 April 2003 until its dissolution on 28 June 2004.

The CPA was originally headed by ], a former U.S. military officer, but his appointment lasted only until May 11, 2003, when President Bush appointed ]. On May 16, 2003, his first day on the job, Paul Bremer issued ] to exclude from the new Iraqi government and administration members of the Baathist party. This policy, known as ], eventually led to the removal of 85,000 to 100,000 Iraqi people from their job,<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129181004/http://pfiffner.gmu.edu/files/pdfs/Articles/CPA%20Orders%2C%20Iraq%20PDF.pdf |date=29 November 2016 }} "Intelligence and National Security Vol. 25, No. 1, 76–85, February 2010"</ref> including 40,000 school teachers who had joined the Baath Party simply to keep their jobs. U.S. army general Sanchez called the decision a "catastrophic failure".<ref>Sanchez, Wiser in Battle, p.185.</ref> Bremer served until the CPA's dissolution in July 2004.

Another group created by the ] post-invasion was the 1,400-member international ], who conducted a fact-finding mission to find Iraq weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programmes. In 2004, the ISG's ] stated that Iraq did not have a viable WMD program.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/reports/general-reports-1/iraq_wmd_2004/|title=Comprehensive Report of the Special Advisor to the DCI on Iraq's WMD – Central Intelligence Agency|publisher=}}</ref>
{{clear}}

====Capturing former government leaders====
{{See also|Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal|Trial of Saddam Hussein}}
] being pulled from his hideaway in ], 13 December 2003.]]
]

In summer 2003, the multinational forces focused on ] of the former government. On 22 July, a raid by the U.S.&nbsp;] and soldiers from ] killed Saddam's sons (] and ]) along with one of his grandsons. In all, over 300 top leaders of the former government were killed or captured, as well as numerous lesser functionaries and military personnel.

Most significantly, Saddam Hussein himself was captured on 13 December 2003, on a farm near ] in ].<ref>{{cite news |title=Pentagon: Saddam is POW|publisher=CNN|date=10 January 2004|url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/01/09/sprj.nirq.saddam/}}</ref> The operation was conducted by the ]'s ] and members of ]. Intelligence on Saddam's whereabouts came from his family members and former bodyguards.<ref>{{cite news |title=Saddam 'caught like a rat' in a hole|publisher=CNN|date=15 December 2003|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/12/14/sprj.irq.saddam.operation/index.html?iref=newssearch}}</ref>

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 police the country, and the United States promised over {{Nowrap|$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 ] began to agitate for elections and the formation of an ]. Most prominent among these was the ] cleric ]. The Coalition Provisional Authority opposed allowing democratic elections at this time.<ref>{{cite news |title=Why the U.S. is Running Scared of Elections in Iraq |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |date=19 January 2004|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/jan/19/usa.iraq|accessdate=21 November 2006}}</ref> The insurgents stepped up their activities. The two most turbulent centers were the area around ] and the poor ] sections of cities from ] (]) to ] in the south.

===2004: Insurgency expands===
{{Main article|2004 in Iraq}}

:''See also: ] for a list of all Coalition operations for this period, ], ], ], ], ]''
]

] director ] signs over sovereignty to the appointed ], 28 June 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. However, violence did increase during the ] with foreign fighters from around the Middle East as well as ] (an affiliated ] group), led by ] helping to drive the insurgency.{{Citation needed|reason=What is that about? I can find nowhere any specifics of Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn (or AQI) active in any 'insurgency', early 2004… |date=November 2014}}
]
As the insurgency grew 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. An organized Sunni insurgency, with deep roots and both nationalist and Islamist motivations, was becoming more powerful throughout Iraq. The Shia ] 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.

] ] artillery piece firing outside Fallujah in October 2004.]]
The most serious fighting of the war so far began on 31 March 2004, when ] in ] ambushed a ] convoy led by four U.S. ]s who were providing security for food caterers ].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/warriors/contractors/highrisk.html |title=frontline: private warriors: contractors: the high-risk contracting business |publisher=PBS |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref> The four armed contractors, ], Jerko Zovko, Wesley Batalona, and Michael Teague, were killed with grenades and small arms fire. Subsequently, their bodies were dragged from their vehicles by local people, beaten, set ablaze, and their burned corpses hung over a bridge crossing the ].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/03/31/iraq.main/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040406012238/http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/03/31/iraq.main/|archivedate=2004-04-06|last1=Flower|first1=Kevin|last2=Gray|first2=Melissa|last3=Kroll|first3=Sue|last4=Paulsen|first4=Vivian|last5=Sadik|first5=Auday|title=U.S. expects more attacks in Iraq: Residents hang slain Americans' bodies from bridge |publisher=CNN |date=31 March 2004|accessdate=6 April 2004}}</ref>
Photos of the event were released to ] worldwide, causing a great deal of indignation and ] in the United States, and prompting an unsuccessful "pacification" of the city: the ] in April 2004.

The offensive was resumed in November 2004 in the bloodiest battle of the war: the ], described by the U.S. military as "the heaviest ] (that they had been involved in) since the ] in ]."<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115202751/http://osd.dtic.mil/news/Jan2005/n01112005_2005011103.html |date=15 January 2016 }}, ''DefenseLINK News''</ref> During the assault, U.S.&nbsp;forces used ] as an incendiary weapon against insurgent personnel, attracting controversy. The 46‑day battle resulted in a victory for the coalition, with 95 U.S.&nbsp;soldiers killed along with approximately 1,350 insurgents. Fallujah was totally devastated during the fighting, though civilian casualties were low, as they had mostly fled before the battle.<ref>Thomas Ricks (2006) ''Fiasco'': 398–405</ref>

Another major event of that year was the revelation of widespread ] at ], which received international media attention in April 2004. First reports of the ], as well as graphic pictures showing U.S.&nbsp;military personnel taunting and abusing Iraqi prisoners, came to public attention from a '']'' news report (28 April) and a ] article in '']'' (posted online on 30 April.)<ref>Hersh, S. (10 May 2004) {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701233222/http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/05/10/040510fa_fact |date=1 July 2014 }} ''The New Yorker''</ref> Military correspondent ] claimed that these revelations dealt a blow to the moral justifications for the occupation in the eyes of many people, especially Iraqis, and was a turning point in the war.<ref>Thomas E. Ricks (2006) ''Fiasco, The American Military Adventure In Iraq''. Penguin</ref>

2004 also marked the beginning of ] in Iraq, which were teams of U.S. military advisors assigned directly to New Iraqi Army units.

===2005: Elections and transitional government===
{{Further information|2005 in Iraq|Military transition team}}
]
On 31 January, Iraqis ] the ] in order to draft a permanent constitution. Although some violence and a widespread Sunni ] marred the event, most of the eligible Kurd and Shia populace participated. On 4 February, ] announced that 15,000 U.S.&nbsp;troops whose tours of duty had been extended in order to provide election security would be pulled out of Iraq by the next month.<ref>{{cite news |title=U.S. to pull out 15,000 from Iraq|publisher=BBC News|date=4 February 2005|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4235787.stm | accessdate=5 January 2010}}</ref> 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.

The ] on 2 April 2005 was an attack on United States forces at Abu Ghraib prison, which consisted of heavy mortar and rocket fire, under which an estimated 80–120 armed insurgents attacked with grenades, small arms, and two vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED). The U.S. force's munitions ran so low that orders to fix bayonets were given in preparation for hand-to-hand fighting. It was considered to be the largest coordinated assault on a U.S. base since the Vietnam War.<ref>{{cite news |title=Insurgents attack Abu Ghraib prison|date=3 April 2005|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/04/02/iraq.main | accessdate=26 March 2014|publisher=CNN}}</ref>

Hopes for a quick end to the 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 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 ] and at ] in northwestern Iraq as U.S. forces tried to seal off the Syrian border. This led to fighting in the autumn in the small towns of the ] valley between the capital and that border.<ref name="Ricks-2006">Thomas Ricks (2006) ''Fiasco'': 413</ref>

A referendum was held on 15 October in which the new ] was ]. An ] was ], with participation from the Sunnis as well as the Kurds and Shia.<ref name="Ricks-2006"/>

Insurgent attacks increased in 2005 with 34,131 recorded incidents, compared to a total 26,496 for the previous year.<ref>Thomas Ricks (2006) ''Fiasco'': 414</ref>

===2006: Sectarian Violence and permanent Iraqi government===
{{Further information|]}}
{{Further information|Operation Together Forward|Provincial Reconstruction Team}}

] from ] clear a house in ].]]

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 ] in the Iraqi city of Samarra, on 22 February 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.

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 23 February, and at least 165 people are thought to have been killed. In the aftermath of this attack the U.S.&nbsp;military calculated that the average homicide rate in ] tripled from 11 to 33 deaths per day. In 2006 the UN described the environment in Iraq as a "]-like situation".<ref>{{cite news |title=Decrying violence in Iraq, UN envoy urges national dialogue, international support|publisher=UN News Centre|date=25 November 2006|url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=20726&Cr=Iraq&Cr1=}}</ref>

On March 12, five United States Army soldiers of the ] raped the 14-year-old Iraqi girl Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi, and then murdered her, her father, her mother Fakhriya Taha Muhasen and her six-year-old sister Hadeel Qassim Hamza al-Janabi. The soldiers then set fire to the girl's body to conceal evidence of the crime.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130823140457/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C1211562%2C00.html |date=23 August 2013 }} 9 July 2006</ref> Four of the soldiers were convicted of ] and ] and the fifth was convicted of lesser crimes for their involvement in the events, which became known as the ].<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026095318/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30906766/ |date=26 October 2012 }} MSNBC</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/iraqi-familys-relatives-confront-killer-20090529-bpm9.html | work=The Sydney Morning Herald | first=Brett | last=Barrouquere | title=Iraqi family's relatives confront killer | date=29 May 2009}}</ref>

]
On 6 June 2006, the United States was successful in tracking ], the leader of ] who was killed in a ], while attending a meeting in an isolated safehouse approximately {{convert|8|km|mi|abbr=on}} north of Baqubah. Having been tracked by a British UAV, radio contact was made between the controller and two United States Air Force ]C jets, which identified the house and at 14:15&nbsp;GMT, the lead jet dropped two 500‑pound (230&nbsp;kg) guided bombs, a laser-guided GBU‑12 and GPS-guided GBU‑38 on the building where he was located. Six others—three male and three female individuals—were also reported killed. Among those killed were one of his wives and their child.

The government of Iraq took office on 20 May 2006, following approval by the ] of the ]. This followed the ]. The government succeeded the Iraqi Transitional Government, which had continued in office in a ] until the formation of the permanent government.

====Iraq Study Group report and Saddam's execution====
{{Main article|Iraq Study Group|Execution of Saddam Hussein}}

The ] was released on 6 December 2006. The Iraq Study Group, made up of people from both of the major U.S.&nbsp;parties, was led by co-chairs ], a former Secretary of State (Republican), and ], a former U.S.&nbsp;Representative (Democrat). It concluded that "the situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating" and "U.S.&nbsp;forces seem to be caught in a mission that has no foreseeable end." The report's 79&nbsp;recommendations include increasing diplomatic measures with ] and ] and intensifying efforts to train Iraqi troops. On 18 December, a Pentagon report found that insurgent attacks were averaging about 960 attacks per week, the highest since the reports had begun in 2005.<ref>{{cite news |title=Attacks in Iraq at All-Time High, Pentagon Report Says|publisher=PBS|date=19 December 2006|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/july-dec06/iraq_12-19.html}}</ref>

Coalition forces formally transferred control of a province to the Iraqi government, the first since the war. Military prosecutors charged eight U.S. Marines with the murders of 24 Iraqi civilians in ] in November 2005, 10 of them women and children. Four officers were also charged with ] in relation to the event.<ref>{{cite news |title=Marine Officers Charged in Haditha Case|publisher=Washington Post|date=22 December 2006|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/22/AR2006122200143_pf.html | first=Thomas | last=Watkins}}</ref>

Saddam Hussein was hanged on 30 December 2006, after being found guilty of ] by an Iraqi court after a year-long trial.<ref>{{cite news |title=Saddam Hussein executed in Iraq|publisher=BBC News |date=30 December 2006|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6218485.stm | accessdate=5 January 2010}}</ref>

===2007: U.S. troops surge===
]

{{Further information|2007 in Iraq|Iraq War troop surge of 2007|Timeline of the Iraq War troop surge of 2007|Strategic reset}}

In a January 10, 2007, televised address to the U.S.&nbsp;public, Bush proposed 21,500 more troops for Iraq, a job program for Iraqis, more reconstruction proposals, and $1.2&nbsp;billion for these programs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2007/01/20070110-7.html|title=President's Address to the Nation|date=10 January 2007|publisher=The White House}}</ref> On 23 January 2007, in the ], Bush announced "deploying reinforcements of more than 20,000 additional soldiers and Marines to Iraq".

On 10 February 2007, ] was made commander of ] (MNF-I), the four-star post that oversees all coalition forces in country, replacing General ]. In his new position, Petraeus oversaw all coalition forces in Iraq and employed them in the new ] outlined by the Bush administration.<ref>{{cite news |first=John|last=Holusha|title=Petraeus Calls Iraq Situation Dire|work=The New York Times|date=23 January 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Michael|last=Gordon|title=Bush to Name a New General to Oversee Iraq|work=The New York Times|date=5 January 2007}}</ref>

On 10 May 2007, 144 Iraqi Parliamentary lawmakers signed onto a legislative petition calling on the United States to set a timetable for withdrawal.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514040204/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C271210%2C00.html |date=14 May 2013 }} Associated Press, ], 10 May 2007</ref> On 3 June 2007, the Iraqi Parliament voted 85 to 59 to require the Iraqi government to consult with Parliament before requesting additional extensions of the UN Security Council Mandate for Coalition operations in Iraq.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1180960615762&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull |title=Iraqi parliament wants say in extension of US-led forces |newspaper=] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429195224/http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1180960615762&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull |archivedate=29 April 2011 |date=5 June 2007 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> Despite this, the mandate was renewed on 18 December 2007, without the approval of the Iraqi parliament.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bush, Maliki Break Iraqi Law to Renew U.N. Mandate for Occupation|url=http://www.alternet.org/story/71144/|publisher=]|author=Raed Jarrar|author2=Joshua Holland|date=20 December 2007|accessdate=12 June 2008}}</ref>

Pressures on U.S.&nbsp;troops were compounded by the continuing withdrawal of coalition forces.{{citation needed|date=May 2014}} In early 2007, ] Blair announced that following ] British troops would begin to withdraw from ], handing security over to the Iraqis.<ref>BBC News 21 February 2007, {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161205214657/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6380933.stm |date=5 December 2016 }}</ref> In July Danish Prime Minister ] also announced the withdrawal of 441 Danish troops from Iraq, leaving only a unit of nine soldiers manning four observational helicopters.<ref>] English, 21 February 2007, {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161205214657/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6380933.stm |date=5 December 2016 }}</ref>

====Planned troop reduction====
In a speech made to Congress on 10 September 2007, Petraeus "envisioned the withdrawal of roughly 30,000 U.S. troops by next summer, beginning with a Marine contingent ."<ref>Flaherty, A. (10 September 2007) Associated Press</ref> On 13 September, Bush backed a limited withdrawal of troops from Iraq.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bush pledges Iraq troop reduction|publisher=BBC News|date=14 September 2007|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6993721.stm|accessdate=14 September 2007}}</ref> Bush said 5,700 personnel would be home by Christmas 2007, and expected thousands more to return by July 2008. The plan would take troop numbers back to their level before the surge at the beginning of 2007.

====Effects of the surge on security====
] with insurgents in the ] section of Baghdad 7 March 2007.]]

By March 2008, violence in Iraq was reported curtailed by 40–80%, according to a Pentagon report.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/06/23/iraq.security/|title=Pentagon: Violence down in Iraq since 'surge'|publisher=CNN|date=23 June 2008}}</ref> Independent reports<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012022609/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6983841.stm |date=12 October 2016 }} ] 10 September 2007</ref><ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161215103813/http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=3571504 |date=15 December 2016 }} ] 10 September 2007</ref> raised questions about those assessments. An Iraqi military spokesman claimed that civilian deaths since the start of the troop surge plan were 265 in Baghdad, down from 1,440 in the four previous weeks. '']'' counted more than 450 Iraqi civilians killed during the same 28‑day period, based on initial daily reports from ] and hospital officials.

Historically, the daily counts tallied by ''The New York Times'' have underestimated the total death toll by 50% or more when compared to studies by the United Nations, which rely upon figures from the ] and morgue figures.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070315/NEWS/703150441/1052 |title=Baghdad violence decrease debatable |author=Damien Cave |agency=The New York Times |location=Worcester, Mass. |date=15 March 2007 |work=]}}</ref>

The rate of U.S.&nbsp;combat deaths in Baghdad nearly doubled to 3.14 per day in the first seven weeks of the "surge" in security activity, compared to previous period. Across the rest of Iraq it decreased slightly.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/09/world/middleeast/09surge.html|title=Patterns of War Shift in Iraq Amid U.S.&nbsp;Buildup |work=The New York Times |first1=Alissa J. |last1=Rubin |authorlink1=Alissa J. Rubin |first2=Edward |last2=Wong |date=9 April 2007 |accessdate=30 March 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.icasualties.org/oif/SumDetails.aspx?hndRef=6|title=icasualties.org|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410070057/http://icasualties.org/oif/%28rb1qkx45ui3kpa55ngs5pj33%29/SumDetails.aspx?hndRef=6|archivedate=10 April 2008}}</ref>

On 14 August 2007, the ] occurred. Nearly 800&nbsp;civilians were killed by a series of coordinated suicide bomb attacks on the northern Iraqi settlement of ]. More than 100&nbsp;homes and shops were destroyed in the blasts. U.S.&nbsp;officials blamed al‑Qaeda. The targeted villagers belonged to the non-Muslim ] ethnic minority. The attack may have represented the latest in a feud that erupted earlier that year when members of the Yazidi community stoned to death a teenage girl called ] 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 uploaded onto the internet.<ref> ''The Guardian'' 15 August.</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Auer |first=Doug |url=http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22257645-663,00.html |title=Iraq toll could hit 500 |newspaper=Herald Sun |location=Melbourne |date=17 August 2007 |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref><ref> ''The Guardian'' 18 August 2007</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/22/world/middleeast/22iraq-top.html?_r=2&hp&oref=login&oref=slogin |title=Toll in Iraq Bombings Is Raised to More Than 500 |work=The New York Times |date=22 August 2007 |accessdate=15 January 2011 |first1=Damien |last1=Cave |first2=James |last2=Glanz}}</ref>

On 13 September 2007, ] was killed in a bomb attack in the city of ].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6993211.stm|title=Iraqi insurgents kill key U.S.&nbsp;ally|publisher=BBC News|date=13 September 2007|accessdate=14 September 2007}}</ref> He was an important U.S.&nbsp;ally because he led the "]", an alliance of Sunni Arab tribes that opposed al-Qaeda. The latter organisation claimed responsibility for the attack.<ref>{{cite news |last=Compton|first=Ann|author2=Terry McCarthy|author3=Martha Raddatz|title=Top Sunni Sheik Killed in IED Attack|publisher=ABC News|date=13 September 2007|url=http://abcnews.com/Politics/story?id=3596631}}</ref> A statement posted on the Internet by the shadowy ] called Abu Risha "one of the dogs of Bush" and described Thursday's killing as a "heroic operation that took over a month to prepare".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/14/AR2007091402539.html|title=Mourners Vow Revenge at Sheik's Funeral |work=The Washington Post|date=14 September 2007|accessdate=10 September 2008 | first=David | last=Rising}}</ref>

] and its aftermath.]]

There was a reported trend of decreasing U.S.&nbsp;troop deaths after May 2007,<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110428043422/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_casualties.htm |date=28 April 2011 }} GlobalSecurity.org</ref> and violence against coalition troops had fallen to the "lowest levels since the first year of the American invasion".<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819015820/http://www.foxnews.com/story/2007/12/16/us-general-says-iraq-violence-at-lowest-levels-since-2004.html |date=19 August 2016 }} ] 17 December 2007</ref> These, and several other positive developments, were attributed to the surge by many analysts.<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110919191355/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/tim_hames/article3059926.ece |date=19 September 2011 }} ] 17 December 2007</ref>

Data from the Pentagon and other U.S.&nbsp;agencies such as the ] (GAO) found that daily attacks against civilians in Iraq remained "about the same" since February. The GAO also stated that there was no discernible trend in sectarian violence.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091001123336/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0%2C25197%2C22366787-2703%2C00.html |date= 1 October 2009 }} ] 5 September 2007</ref> However, this report ran counter to reports to Congress, which showed a general downward trend in civilian deaths and ethno-sectarian violence since December 2006.<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090826030628/http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/pdfs/FINAL-SecDef%20Signed-20071214.pdf |date=26 August 2009 }} December 2007 Report to Congress, sec. 1.3-Security Environment, p. 18-Overall trends in violence</ref> By late 2007, as the U.S.&nbsp;troop surge began to wind down, violence in Iraq had begun to decrease from its 2006 highs.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/23386.html|title=Despite drop in violence, Pentagon finds little long-term progress in Iraq|publisher=McClatchy|author=Nancy A. Youssef|date=18 December 2007|accessdate=10 September 2008|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917225934/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/23386.html|archivedate=17 September 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Entire neighborhoods in Baghdad were ethnically cleansed by Shia and Sunni militias and ] has broken out in every Iraqi city where there is a mixed population.<ref name="guardian2007">{{cite news |author=Peter Beaumont|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/mar/04/usa.iraq |title=Sects slice up Iraq as U.S.&nbsp;troops 'surge' misfires |work=The Guardian |date= 4 March 2007|accessdate=23 October 2010 |location=London}}</ref><ref name="independent1"/><ref name="ahram2006">{{cite news|url=http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2006/784/sc4.htm |title=There is ethnic cleansing |publisher=Al-Ahram Weekly Online |date=8 March 2006 |accessdate=23 October 2010 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101012224431/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2006/784/sc4.htm |archivedate=12 October 2010 |df= }}</ref>
Investigative reporter ] cites U.S.&nbsp;government sources according to which the U.S.&nbsp;"surge" was not the primary reason for the drop in violence in 2007–08. Instead, according to that view, the reduction of violence was due to newer covert techniques by U.S.&nbsp;military and intelligence officials to find, target and kill insurgents, including working closely with former insurgents.<ref>BBC News, 5 September 2008, {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413235506/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7600077.stm |date=13 April 2016 }} citing the book ''The War Within: A Secret White House History, 2006–2008'' by Bob Woodward</ref>

In the Shia region near ], British forces turned over security for the region to Iraqi Security Forces. Basra is the ninth province of Iraq's 18 provinces to be returned to local security forces' control since the beginning of the occupation.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gW-7Ed_dRI4S2lsuyMWJ2-0GO7aw|title=AFP: Iraq takes control of Basra from British army|publisher=AFP via Google|date=15 December 2007|accessdate=10 September 2008|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527170051/http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gW-7Ed_dRI4S2lsuyMWJ2-0GO7aw|archivedate=27 May 2013}}</ref>

====Political developments====
]
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 UN mandate for foreign forces to be in Iraq, which expires at the end of 2008. It also calls for a timetable for troop withdrawal and a freeze on the size of foreign forces. The UN Security Council mandate for U.S.‑led forces in Iraq will terminate "if requested by the government of Iraq."<ref>Abdul-Zahra, Q. (10 May 2007) {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161115231041/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/10/AR2007051000387.html |date=15 November 2016 }} ''The Washington Post'', Retrieved 10 May 2007</ref> Under Iraqi law, the speaker must present a resolution called for by a majority of lawmakers.<ref>Jarrar, R. and Holland, J. (9 May 2007) {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090513073953/http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/51624/ |date=13 May 2009 }}, AlterNet.org Retrieved 10 May 2007</ref> 59% of those polled in the U.S.&nbsp;support a timetable for withdrawal.<ref>Saad, L. (9 May 2007) {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817021522/http://www.gallup.com/poll/27532/americans-favor-iraq-timetable-dont-foresee-increased-terrorism.aspx |date=17 August 2016 }} ''USA Today/Gallup poll'' Retrieved 10 May 2007</ref>

In mid-2007, the Coalition began a controversial program to recruit Iraqi Sunnis (often former insurgents) for the formation of "Guardian" militias. These Guardian militias are intended to support and secure various Sunni neighborhoods against the Islamists.<ref>{{cite news |title=US uses Sunnis to patrol streets|work=The New York Times|date=20 August 2007|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/us-uses-sunnis-to-patrol-streets/2007/08/19/1187462082102.html |location=Melbourne}}</ref>

====Tensions with Iran====
{{Further information|United States-Iran relations|Karbala provincial headquarters raid}}
In 2007, tensions increased greatly between ] and ] due to the latter's giving sanctuary to the militant Kurdish secessionist group ] (PEJAK.) According to reports, Iran had been shelling PEJAK positions in Iraqi Kurdistan since 16 August. These tensions further increased with an alleged border incursion on 23 August by Iranian troops who attacked several Kurdish villages killing an unknown number of civilians and militants.<ref>{{cite news|last=Collins |first=Chris |author2=Yaseen Taha |title=Iranians attack Kurdish rebels in Iraq |publisher=McClatchy Washington Bureau |date=23 August 2007 |url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/19172.html |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090703071530/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/19172.html |archivedate=3 July 2009 |df= }}</ref>

Coalition forces also ] alleged Iranian ] operatives in Iraq, either ]. The Bush administration and coalition leaders began to publicly state that Iran was supplying weapons, particularly ] devices, to Iraqi insurgents and militias although to date have failed to provide any proof for these allegations. Further sanctions on Iranian organizations were also announced by the Bush administration in the autumn of 2007. On 21 November 2007, Lieutenant General ], who is in charge of training Iraqi security forces, praised Iran for its "contribution to the reduction of violence" in Iraq by upholding its pledge to stop the flow of weapons, explosives and training of extremists in Iraq.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gyE_23JcWcBZt06lpBqxSXqpkOXg|title=US general says Iran helping stop Iraq bloodshed|agency=Agence France-Presse|date=21 November 2007|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527151841/http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gyE_23JcWcBZt06lpBqxSXqpkOXg|archivedate=27 May 2013}}</ref>

====Tensions with Turkey====
{{Further information|2008 Turkish incursion into northern Iraq}}
Border incursions by ] militants based in Northern Iraq have continued to harass Turkish forces, with casualties on both sides. In the fall of 2007, the Turkish military stated their right to cross the Iraqi Kurdistan border in "hot pursuit" of PKK militants and began shelling Kurdish areas in Iraq and attacking PKK bases in the ] region with aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/10/AR2007101000393.html|title=Turkey Bombs Suspected Kurdish Rebels|first=SELCAN|last=HACAOGLU|date=10 October 2007|publisher=|via=washingtonpost.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Robertson|first=Nic|author2=Ingrid Formanek|author3=Talia Kayali|title=Attacks cross Iraq-Turkey border|publisher=CNN|date=14 October 2007|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/10/14/iraq.turkey/}}</ref>
The Turkish parliament approved a resolution permitting the military to pursue the PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan.<ref>{{cite news|last=Meixler|first=Louis|title=Turkey May Attack Kurds Using Airstrikes, Troops|publisher=Bloomberg L.P.|date=23 October 2007|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aa16LVehMeiU&refer=home|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613163056/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087|archivedate=13 June 2010|df=dmy-all}}</ref> In November, Turkish gunships attacked parts of northern Iraq in the first such attack by Turkish aircraft since the border tensions escalated.<ref>{{cite news|last=Barazanji|first=Yahya|title=Turkish Helicopters Strike Inside Iraq|publisher=The Huffington Post|date=13 November 2007|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20071113/iraq-turkey-kurds/|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216052140/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20071113/iraq-turkey-kurds/|archivedate=16 February 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Another series of attacks in mid-December hit PKK targets in the Qandil, Zap, Avashin and Hakurk regions. The latest series of attacks involved at least 50 aircraft and artillery and Kurdish officials reported one civilian killed and two wounded.<ref>{{cite news |last=Tavernise|first=Sabrina|title=Turkey Bombs Kurdish Militant Targets in Iraq|work=The New York Times|date=16 December 2007|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/16/world/middleeast/16cnd-turkey.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin}}</ref>

Additionally, weapons that were given to Iraqi security forces by the U.S.&nbsp;military were being recovered by authorities in Turkey after being used by PKK in that state.<ref>{{cite news |last=Cloud|first=David S.|author2=Eric Schmitt|title=U.S.&nbsp;Weapons, Given to Iraqis, Move to Turkey|work=The New York Times|date=30 August 2007|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/30/washington/30contract.html}}</ref>

====Blackwater private security controversy====
{{Main article|Blackwater Baghdad shootings}}
On 17 September 2007, the Iraqi government announced that it was revoking the license of the U.S. security firm ] over the firm's involvement in the killing of eight civilians, including a woman and an infant,<ref>{{cite news |last=Glanz|first=James|author2=Sabrina Tavernise|title=Blackwater Shooting Scene Was Chaotic|work=The New York Times|date=28 September 2007|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/28/world/middleeast/28blackwater.html?em&ex=1191124800&en=4f97093bf0477829&ei=5087%0A}}</ref> in a firefight that followed a car bomb explosion near a State Department motorcade.

===2008: Civil war continues===
{{Further information|2008 in Iraq}}

]

Throughout 2008, U.S.&nbsp;officials and independent think tanks began to point to improvements in the security situation, as measured by key statistics. According to the ], in December 2008 the "overall level of violence" in the country had dropped 80% since before ] began in January 2007, and the country's murder rate had dropped to prewar levels. They also pointed out that the casualty figure for U.S.&nbsp;forces in 2008 was 314 against a figure of 904 in 2007.<ref name="DecDefLink">{{cite web |url=http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=52539 |title=U.S.&nbsp;Deaths in Iraq Decrease in 2008 |publisher=Defenselink.mil |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref>

According to the ], Iraqi civilian fatalities numbered 490 in November 2008 as against 3,500 in January 2007, whereas attacks against the coalition numbered somewhere between 200 and 300 per week in the latter half of 2008, as opposed to a peak of nearly 1,600 in summer 2007. The number of Iraqi security forces killed was under 100 per month in the second half of 2008, from a high of 200 to 300 in summer 2007.<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304081442/http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Centers/saban/iraq-index/index20081120.PDF |date=4 March 2016 }}, ]</ref>

Meanwhile, the proficiency of the Iraqi military increased as it launched a spring offensive against Shia militias, which Prime Minister ] had previously been criticized for allowing to operate. This began with a March ] against the ] in Basra, which led to fighting in Shia areas up and down the country, especially in the ] district of Baghdad. By October, the British officer in charge of Basra said that since the operation the town had become "secure" and had a murder rate comparable to ] in England.<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091130124033/http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=4304 |date=30 November 2009 }}, U.S.&nbsp;Department of Defense news transcript</ref> The U.S.&nbsp;military also said there had been a decrease of about a quarter in the quantity of Iranian-made explosives found in Iraq in 2008, possibly indicating a change in Iranian policy.<ref>{{cite news |title=U.S.&nbsp;credits Iran for drop in Iraq roadside bombs|work=The Guardian|date=12 December 2008|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/dec/12/iran-iraq | location=London | first=Mark | last=Tran | accessdate=5 May 2010}}</ref>

Progress in Sunni areas continued after members of ] were transferred from U.S.&nbsp;military to Iraqi control.<ref>{{cite news |title=Awakening fears for Iraq's future|publisher=BBC News |date=1 October 2008|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7645647.stm | first=Hugh | last=Sykes}}</ref> In May, the Iraqi army&nbsp;– backed by coalition support&nbsp;– launched an offensive in ], the last major Iraqi stronghold of al-Qaeda. Despite detaining thousands of individuals, the offensive failed to lead to major long-term security improvements in Mosul. At the end of the year, the city remained a major flashpoint.<ref>{{cite news |title=Iraq: Al-Qaida intensifies its stranglehold in the world's most dangerous city|work=The Guardian|date=15 September 2008|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/sep/15/iraq.alqaida | location=London | first=Jonathan | last=Steele | accessdate=5 May 2010}}</ref><ref>, Institute for the Study of War commentary</ref>

]
In the regional dimension, the ongoing conflict between Turkey and ]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.statewatch.org/terrorlists/docs/EUterrorlist-May-06.pdf |title=EU terror list |format=PDF |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref><ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080220152305/https://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/fs/37191.htm |date=20 February 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=NATO chief declares PKK terrorist group|agency=Xinhua News Agency|date=20 December 2005|url=http://english.people.com.cn/200512/20/eng20051220_229424.html}}</ref> intensified on 21 February, when Turkey ] into the Quandeel Mountains of Northern Iraq. In the nine-day-long operation, around 10,000 Turkish troops advanced up to 25&nbsp;km into Northern Iraq. This was the first substantial ground incursion by Turkish forces since 1995.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bentley|first=Mark|title=Turkish Army Begins Ground Assault on PKK in Iraq|publisher=Bloomberg L.P.|date=22 February 2008|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aAwz3G7kM9rE&refer=home|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613163056/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087|archivedate=13 June 2010|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Gov't gives no timetable for return |newspaper=Turkish Daily News |date=26 February 2008 |url=http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=97414 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116042340/http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=97414 |archivedate=16 January 2013 }}</ref>

Shortly after the incursion began, both the Iraqi cabinet and the Kurdistan regional government condemned Turkey's actions and called for the immediate withdrawal of Turkish troops from the region.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kamber|first=Michael|title=Iraq Cabinet Demands Turks Leave Kurdish Area in North|work=The New York Times|date=27 February 2008|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/world/middleeast/27iraq.html?bl&ex=1204261200&en=0667d0ff53b714a8&ei=5087%0A}}</ref> Turkish troops withdrew on 29 February.<ref>{{cite news|last=Torchia |first=Christopher |title=Turkish Troops Withdraw from Iraq |agency=Associated Press |date=29 February 2008 |url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hHDG79AIius7McB6xz3lTQFLIdhQD8V479B00 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}</ref> The fate of the Kurds and the future of the ethnically diverse city of ] remained a contentious issue in Iraqi politics.

U.S. military officials met these trends with cautious optimism as they approached what they described as the "transition" embodied in the ], which was negotiated throughout 2008.<ref name="DecDefLink"/> The commander of the coalition, U.S. General ], noted that "in military terms, transitions are the most dangerous time" in December 2008.<ref name="DecDefLink"/>

====Spring offensives on Shiite militias====
{{Further information|Iraq Spring Fighting of 2008|Siege of Sadr City|Battle of Basra (2008)}}
]
At the end of March, the Iraqi Army, with Coalition air support, launched an offensive, dubbed "Charge of the Knights", in Basra to secure the area from militias. This was the first major operation where the Iraqi Army did not have direct combat support from conventional coalition ground troops. The offensive was opposed by the ], one of the militias, which controlled much of the region.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dagher|first=Sam|title=Across Iraq, battles erupt with Mahdi Army|work=The Christian Science Monitor|date=26 March 2008|page=2|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0326/p01s13-woiq.html?page=2}}</ref><ref name=driveinbasra>{{cite news |author=Stephen Farrell and Ahmar Karim|title=Drive in Basra by Iraqi Army Makes Gains|work=The New York Times|date=12 May 2008|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/12/world/middleeast/12basra.html?ref=middleeast|accessdate=12 May 2008}}</ref> Fighting quickly spread to other parts of Iraq: including ], ], ] and others. During the fighting Iraqi forces met stiff resistance from militiamen in Basra to the point that the Iraqi military offensive slowed to a crawl, with the high attrition rates finally forcing the Sadrists to the negotiating table.

Following talks with Brig. Gen. ], commander of the ] of Iran's ], and the intercession of the ], on 31 March 2008, al‑Sadr ordered his followers to ceasefire.<ref>{{cite news|last=Fadel |first=Leila |title=After Iranian mediation, firebrand Iraqi cleric orders halt to attacks |publisher=McClatchy Newspapers |date=30 March 2008 |url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20080331/wl_mcclatchy/2895005_1 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The militiamen kept their weapons.

By 12 May 2008, Basra "residents overwhelmingly reported a substantial improvement in their everyday lives" according to '']''. "Government forces have now taken over Islamic militants' headquarters and halted the death squads and 'vice enforcers' who attacked women, Christians, musicians, alcohol sellers and anyone suspected of collaborating with Westerners", according to the report; however, when asked how long it would take for lawlessness to resume if the Iraqi army left, one resident replied, "one day".<ref name=driveinbasra/>

In late April roadside bombings continued to rise from a low in January—from 114 bombings to more than 250, surpassing the May 2007 high.

====Congressional testimony====
] in testimony before Congress on 8 April 2008]]

Speaking before the Congress on 8 April 2008, General ] urged delaying troop withdrawals, saying, "I've repeatedly noted that we haven't turned any corners, we haven't seen any lights at the end of the tunnel," referencing the comments of then President Bush and former Vietnam-era General ].<ref>Zremski, J. (4/09/08) ''Buffalo News'' {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415182548/http://www.buffalonews.com/180/story/318826.html |date=15 April 2008 }}</ref> When asked by the Senate if reasonable people could disagree on the way forward, Petraeus said, "We fight for the right of people to have other opinions."<ref>Smith, S.A. (9 April 2008) Indiana ''Journal-Gazette'' {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222220349/http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20080409%2FNEWS03%2F804090318%2F1002%2FLOCAL |date=22 February 2014 }}</ref>

Upon questioning by then Senate committee chair ], Ambassador Crocker admitted that ] in Iraq was less important than the Al Qaeda organization led by ] along the Afghan-Pakistani border.<ref>Ambinder, M. (9 April 2002) {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091012114823/http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/04/bidens_audition.php |date=12 October 2009 }} ''The Atlantic''</ref> Lawmakers from both parties complained that U.S.&nbsp;taxpayers are carrying Iraq's burden as it earns billions of dollars in oil revenues.

====Iraqi security forces rearm====
] helicopter for a counterinsurgency mission in ] in 2007.]]

Iraq became one of the top purchasers of U.S.&nbsp;military equipment with their army trading its ] assault rifles for the U.S. ] and ] rifles, among other equipment.<ref>{{cite news |last=Michaels |first=Jim |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2008-05-21-iraqarms_N.htm |title=Iraqi forces load up on U.S.&nbsp;arms |work=USA Today |date=22 May 2008 |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref> In 2008 alone, Iraq accounted for more than {{Nowrap|$12.5 billion}} of the {{Nowrap|$34 billion}} U.S. weapon sales to foreign countries (not including the potential F-16 fighter planes.).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JI24Ak02.html |title=Business as usual for U.S.&nbsp;arms sales |work=Asia Times |date=24 September 2008 |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref>

Iraq sought 36 ], the most sophisticated weapons system Iraq has attempted to purchase. The Pentagon notified Congress that it had approved the sale of 24 American attack helicopters to Iraq, valued at as much as $2.4&nbsp;billion. Including the helicopters, Iraq announced plans to purchase at least {{Nowrap|$10 billion}} in U.S.&nbsp;tanks and armored vehicles, transport planes and other battlefield equipment and services. Over the summer, the Defense Department announced that the Iraqi government wanted to order more than 400 armored vehicles and other equipment worth up to {{Nowrap|$3 billion}}, and six C-130J transport planes, worth up to {{Nowrap|$1.5 billion}}.<ref> (''Wall St. Journal'') {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513020947/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122056503871901333.html.html |date=13 May 2013 }}</ref><ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609143536/http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2009/01/14/re-arming-iraq/ |date=9 June 2016 }} (''Center for American Progress'')</ref> From 2005 to 2008, the United States had completed approximately $20 billion in arms sales agreements with Iraq.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.armscontrolcenter.org/policy/iraq/articles/080708_us_surges_11_billion_in_arms_sales_to_iraq/ |title=Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation: U.S. Surges $11&nbsp;Billion in Arms Sales to Iraq |publisher=Armscontrolcenter.org |date=6 August 2008 |accessdate=23 October 2010 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100713020435/http://www.armscontrolcenter.org/policy/iraq/articles/080708_us_surges_11_billion_in_arms_sales_to_iraq/ |archivedate=13 July 2010 }}</ref>

====Status of forces agreement====
{{Main article|U.S.–Iraq Status of Forces Agreement}}

The ] was approved by the Iraqi government on 4 December 2008.<ref name=Zawya>{{cite web|url=http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidANA20081204T131005ZTKH99/Iraq%20presidential%20council%20endorses%20US%20security%20pact |title=Iraq presidential council endorses U.S.&nbsp;security pact |publisher=Zawya.com |accessdate=23 October 2010 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511180133/http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidANA20081204T131005ZTKH99/Iraq%20presidential%20council%20endorses%20US%20security%20pact |archivedate=11 May 2011 }}</ref> It established that U.S.&nbsp;combat forces would withdraw from Iraqi cities by 30 June 2009, and that all U.S.&nbsp;forces would be completely out of Iraq by 31 December 2011. The pact was subject to possible negotiations which could have delayed withdrawal and a referendum scheduled for mid-2009 in Iraq, which might have required all U.S.&nbsp;forces to completely leave by the middle of 2010.<ref name=bbcsofa>BBC News (27 November 2008) {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161206100202/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7752580.stm |date=6 December 2016 }}</ref><ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527195513/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/infocus/iraq/SE_SOFA.pdf |date=27 May 2010 }}</ref> The pact required criminal charges for holding prisoners over 24 hours, and required a warrant for searches of homes and buildings that are not related to combat.<ref name="sofatext">{{cite news|url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/56116.html |title=Status of Forces Agreement |publisher=McClatchyDC |accessdate=23 October 2010 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090801061936/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/56116.html |archivedate=1 August 2009 |df= }}</ref>

U.S.&nbsp;contractors working for U.S.&nbsp;forces will be subject to Iraqi criminal law, while contractors working for the State Department and other U.S.&nbsp;agencies may retain their immunity. If U.S.&nbsp;forces commit still undecided "major premeditated felonies" while off-duty and off-base, they will be subject to the still undecided procedures laid out by a joint U.S.‑Iraq committee if the United States certifies the forces were off-duty.<ref name=Juris>"On the other hand, Iraq has primary legal jurisdiction over off-duty soldiers and civilians who commit "major and premeditated crimes" outside of U.S.&nbsp;installations. These major crimes will need to be defined by a joint committee and the United States retains the right to determine whether or not its personnel were on- or off-duty. Iraq also maintains primary legal jurisdiction over contractors (and their employees) that have contracts with the United States. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128062748/http://www.armscontrolcenter.org/policy/iraq/articles/112408_how_comfortable_iraq_sofa/ |date=28 January 2015 }}</ref><ref name=JMOCC>"Committees assigned to deal with U.S.-led combat operations and jurisdiction over U.S. military personnel are among those that have not met even as Iraq moves toward sovereignty, U.S. Army Gen. Ray Odierno told reporters." {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223103138/http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq-transition24-2008dec24%2C0%2C5731621.story |date=23 February 2009 }}</ref><ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite news|url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/56116.html |title=Status of Forces Agreement (Unofficial Translation) |publisher=McClatchyDC |accessdate=23 October 2010 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090801061936/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/56116.html |archivedate=1 August 2009 |df= }}</ref><ref name=ihtsofa>] (27 November 2008) ''International Herald Tribune''{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

Some Americans have discussed "loopholes"<ref name=Silent>{{cite news|url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/56474.html |title=U.S. staying silent on its view of Iraq pact until after vote |publisher=McClatchyDC |date=25 November 2008 |accessdate=23 October 2010 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081231033639/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/56474.html |archivedate=31 December 2008 |df= }}</ref> and some Iraqis have said they believe parts of the pact remain a "mystery".<ref name=WPSist>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/29/AR2008112900341_pf.html |title=Top Shiite Cleric in Iraq Raises Concerns About Security Pact |work=The Washington Post |date=29 November 2008 |accessdate=23 October 2010 |first1=Sudarsan |last1=Raghavan |first2=Saad |last2=Sarhan}}</ref> U.S.&nbsp;Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has predicted that after 2011 he would expect to see "perhaps several tens of thousands of American troops" as part of a residual force in Iraq.<ref name=GatesResidual>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/22/washington/22combat.html?_r=1&hp |title=Trying to Redefine Role of U.S.&nbsp;Military in Iraq |work=The New York Times |date=22 December 2008 |accessdate=15 January 2011 |first=Elisabeth |last=Bumiller}}</ref>

Several groups of Iraqis protested the passing of the SOFA accord<ref name=SadrProtests> (''Associated Press'') {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201103604/http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/28/news/ML-Iraq-Al-Sadr.php |date=1 December 2008 }}</ref><ref name=AMS>{{cite news |url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JL02Ak01.html |title=SOFA not sitting well in Iraq |work=Asia Times |date=2 December 2008 |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref><ref name=Refugees>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=98188 |title=Iraqi refugees in Syria protest against military pact with U.S |publisher=Daily Star |date=3 December 2008 |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref> as prolonging and legitimizing the occupation. Tens of thousands of Iraqis burned an ] of ] in a ] where U.S. troops five years previously organized a tearing down of a statue of Saddam Hussein.<ref name="articles.latimes.com"/><ref name="WPSist"/><ref name="aljazeera.com">{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/newsfull.php?newid=188761 |title=Iraqi people will judge on U.S. pact |publisher=Al Jazeera |accessdate=23 October 2010 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Some Iraqis expressed skeptical optimism that the U.S. would completely end its presence by 2011.<ref name=IHT_Mixed>{{cite news|last=Robertson |first=Campbell |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/11/28/africa/security.php |title=Feelings are mixed as Iraqis ponder U.S. security agreement |work=International Herald Tribune |date=28 October 2008 |accessdate=26 December 2011 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> On 4 December 2008, Iraq's presidential council approved the security pact.<ref name=Zawya/>

A representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali Husseini al‑Sistani expressed concern with the ratified version of the pact and noted that the government of Iraq has no authority to control the transfer of occupier forces into and out of Iraq, no control of shipments, and that the pact grants the occupiers immunity from prosecution in Iraqi courts. He said that Iraqi rule in the country is not complete while the occupiers are present, but that ultimately the Iraqi people would judge the pact in a referendum.<ref name="aljazeera.com"/> Thousands of Iraqis have gathered weekly after Friday prayers and shouted anti‑U.S. and anti-Israeli slogans protesting the security pact between Baghdad and Washington. A protester said that despite the approval of the Interim Security pact, the Iraqi people would break it in a referendum next year.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/newsfull.php?newid=193493 |title=Iraqis hold anti‑U.S. rally in Baghdad |publisher=Al Jazeera |accessdate=23 October 2010}}{{Dead link|date=April 2014}}</ref>

===2009: Coalition redeployment===
{{Further information|2009 in Iraq}}

====Transfer of Green Zone====
], Baghdad International Airport, and the contiguous Victory Base Complex in Baghdad]]
On 1 January 2009, the United States handed control of the ] and Saddam Hussein's presidential palace to the Iraqi government in a ceremonial move described by the country's prime minister as a restoration of Iraq's sovereignty. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said he would propose 1 January be declared national "Sovereignty Day". "This palace is the symbol of Iraqi sovereignty and by restoring it, a real message is directed to all Iraqi people that Iraqi sovereignty has returned to its natural status", al‑Maliki said.

The U.S.&nbsp;military attributed a decline in reported civilian deaths to several factors including the U.S.‑led "troop surge", the growth of U.S.-funded ], and Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's call for his militia to abide by a cease fire.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/01/31/iraq.civilians/index.html?iref=newssearch |title=Iraqi civilian deaths down in January |publisher=CNN |date=31 January 2009 |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref>

====Provincial elections====
{{Main article|Iraqi governorate elections, 2009}}

].]]
On 31 January, Iraq held provincial elections.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/08/weekinreview/08myers.html |author=Steven Lee Myers |title=America's Scorecard in Iraq |date=8 February 2009 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> Provincial candidates and those close to them faced some political assassinations and attempted assassinations, and there was also some other violence related to the election.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dagher |first=Sam |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/world/middleeast/22iraq.html?ref=world |title=A Top Sunni Survives an Attack in Iraq |work=The New York Times |date=21 January 2009 |accessdate=26 December 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.trend.az/index.shtml?show=news&newsid=1407389&lang=en |title=Gunmen kill Iraqi soldier south of Baghdad |publisher=News.trend.az |accessdate=23 October 2010 }}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/16/AR2009011604191.html?hpid=topnews |title= Province Candidate Killed In Iraq |work=The Washington Post |date=17 January 2009|accessdate=23 October 2010 |first=Saad |last=Sarhan}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Dagher |first=Sam |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/13/world/middleeast/13iraq.html?ref=world |title=Violence Across Iraq Kills 13, Including a Sunni Politician |work=The New York Times |date=12 February 2009 |accessdate=26 December 2011}}</ref>

Iraqi voter turnout failed to meet the original expectations which were set and was the lowest on record in Iraq,<ref name=ProvVote> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212014733/http://www.centredaily.com/505/story/1105833.html |date=12 February 2009 }}</ref> but U.S.&nbsp;Ambassador Ryan Crocker characterized the turnout as "large".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq-turnout2-2009feb02,0,5997336.story |title=Iraq vote turnout fails to meet expectations |work=Los Angeles Times|date=2 February 2009 |accessdate=23 October 2010 |first=Monte |last=Morin}}</ref> Of those who turned out to vote, some groups complained of disenfranchisement and fraud.<ref name=ProvVote/><ref>{{cite news |author=Nabil Al-jurani |agency=Associated Press |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29022158/ |title=Iraq: Sunni tribal leader says he can prove fraud |publisher=MSNBC |date=4 February 2009 |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.middle-east-online.com/ENGLISH/?id=30269 |title=Iraq's Sadrists complain of vote fraud |publisher=Middle-east-online.com |date=7 February 2009 |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref> After the post-election curfew was lifted, some groups made threats about what would happen if they were unhappy with the results.<ref>{{cite news|last=Lee |first=Steven |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/10/mideast/anbar.1-426529.php |title=Election results spur threats and infighting in Iraq |work=International Herald Tribune |date=10 February 2009 |accessdate=26 December 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214012058/http://iht.com/articles/2009/02/10/mideast/anbar.1-426529.php |archivedate=14 February 2009 }}</ref>
]

====Exit strategy announcement====
On 27 February, United States ] ] gave a speech at ] in the U.S. state of ] announcing that the U.S. combat mission in Iraq would end by 31 August 2010. A "transitional force" of up to 50,000 troops tasked with training the ], conducting ] operations, and providing general support may remain until the end of 2011, the president added. However, the insurgency in 2011 and the rise of ISIS in 2014 caused the war to continue<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/us/politics/27obama-text.html?pagewanted=1|title=Obama's Speech at Camp Lejeune, N.C.|work=The New York Times|date=27 February 2009}}</ref>

The day before Obama's speech, Prime Minister of Iraq ] said at a press conference that the ] had "no worries" over the impending departure of U.S.&nbsp;forces and expressed confidence in the ability of the Iraqi Security Forces and police to maintain order without U.S. military support.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.france24.com/en/20090226-iraq-not-fazed-pending-us-pullout-maliki |agency=AFP |title=Iraq not fazed by pending U.S.&nbsp;pullout: Maliki |first=Ines |last=Bel Aiba |date=26 February 2009 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}</ref>

====Sixth anniversary protests====
On 9 April, the 6th anniversary of Baghdad's fall to coalition forces, tens of thousands of Iraqis thronged Baghdad to mark the anniversary and demand the immediate departure of coalition forces. The crowds of Iraqis stretched from the Sadr City slum in northeast Baghdad to the square around {{convert|5|km|mi|abbr=on}} away, where protesters burned an effigy featuring the face of U.S.&nbsp;President George W. Bush.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/4/9/worldupdates/2009-04-09T142416Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-389681-2&sec=Worldupdates |title=Six years on, huge protest marks Baghdad's fall |work=The Star |accessdate=23 October 2010 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501175302/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2009%2F4%2F9%2Fworldupdates%2F2009-04-09T142416Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-389681-2&sec=Worldupdates |archivedate=1 May 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> There were also Sunni Muslims in the crowd. Police said many Sunnis, including prominent leaders such as a founding sheikh from the ], took part.<ref name=MH040909>{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

====Coalition forces withdraw====
On 30 April, the United Kingdom formally ended combat operations. ] ] characterized the operation in Iraq as a "success story" because of UK troops' efforts. Britain handed control of Basra to the United States Armed Forces.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8026136.stm |title=UK combat operations end in Iraq |publisher=BBC News |date=30 April 2009 |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref>

On 28 July, Australia withdrew its combat forces as the Australian military presence in Iraq ended, per an agreement with the Iraqi government.

The withdrawal of U.S.&nbsp;forces began at the end of June, with 38 bases to be handed over to Iraqi forces. On 29 June 2009, U.S.&nbsp;forces withdrew from Baghdad. On 30 November 2009, Iraqi ] officials reported that the civilian death toll in Iraq fell to its lowest level in November since the 2003 invasion.<ref>{{cite news |last=Christie |first=Michael |title=Iraqi civilian deaths drop to lowest level of war |agency=Reuters |date=30 November 2009 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/middleeastCrisis/idUSGEE5AT2AD |accessdate=30 November 2009}}</ref>

====Iraq awards oil contracts====
] and Coast Guard personnel stand guard aboard the ] in July 2009.]]
On 30 June and 11 December 2009, the ] awarded contracts to international oil companies for some of ]. The winning oil companies enter joint ventures with the Iraqi ministry of oil, and the terms of the awarded contracts include extraction of oil for a fixed fee of approximately $1.40 per barrel.<ref name="aljazeera091211">{{cite news |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/12/200912117243440687.html |title=Oil firms awarded Iraq contracts|publisher=Al Jazeera |date=11 December 2009 |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref><ref name="aljazeera090630">{{cite news |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/06/200963093615637434.html |title=BP group wins Iraq oil contract|publisher=Al Jazeera |date=30 June 2009 |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref><ref name="iraq123 news">{{cite web |url=http://www.iraqidinar123.com/us-report-iraq-of-leading-oil-producers-2040/ |title=US report: Iraq of leading oil producers 2040 |date=18 February 2014 |accessdate=26 February 2014}}</ref> The fees will only be paid once a production threshold set by the Iraqi ministry of oil is reached.

===2010: U.S. drawdown and Operation New Dawn {{anchor|2010:_US_Drawdown_and_Operation_New_Dawn}}===
{{Further information|2010 in Iraq|Withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq}}

On 17 February 2010, U.S.&nbsp;Secretary of Defense ] announced that as of 1 September, the name "Operation Iraqi Freedom" would be replaced by "Operation New Dawn".<ref>{{cite news |date=18 February 2010 |url=http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/02/exclusive-war-in-iraq-to-be-given-new-name.html |title=Exclusive: War in Iraq to Be Given New Name |publisher=ABC News}}</ref>

On 18 April, U.S. and Iraqi forces killed ] the leader of ] in a joint American and Iraqi operation near ], ].<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701141957/http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/04/19/iraqi-al-qaeda-leader-killed-countrys-intelligence-team-pm-maliki-says/ |date=1 July 2015 }} FoxNews, 19 April 2010</ref> The coalition forces believed al-Masri to be wearing a suicide vest and proceeded cautiously. After the lengthy exchange of fire and bombing of the house, the Iraqi troops stormed inside and found two women still alive, one of whom was al-Masri's wife, and four dead men, identified as al-Masri, ], an assistant to al-Masri, and al-Baghdadi's son. A suicide vest was indeed found on al-Masri's corpse, as the Iraqi Army subsequently stated.<ref> {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161113100011/http://rss.msnbc.msn.com/id/36664251/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/ |date=13 November 2016 }} MSNBC, 20 April 2010</ref>
Iraqi Prime Minister ] announced the killings of Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al-Masri at a news conference in Baghdad and showed reporters photographs of their bloody corpses. "The attack was carried out by ground forces which surrounded the house, and also through the use of missiles," Mr Maliki said. "During the operation computers were seized with e-mails and messages to the two biggest terrorists, Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri", Maliki added. U.S.&nbsp;forces commander Gen. ] praised the operation. "The death of these terrorists is potentially the most significant blow to al‑Qaeda in Iraq since the beginning of the insurgency", he said. "There is still work to do but this is a significant step forward in ridding Iraq of terrorists."

U.S. Vice President ] stated that the deaths of the top two al‑Qaeda figures in Iraq are "potentially devastating" blows to the terror network there and proof that Iraqi security forces are gaining ground.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8630213.stm | publisher=BBC News | title=Iraqi al-Qaeda leaders 'killed' | date=19 April 2010}}</ref>

On 20 June, Iraq's Central Bank was bombed in an attack that left 15 people dead and brought much of downtown Baghdad to a standstill. The attack was claimed to have been carried out by the ]. This attack was followed by another attack on Iraq's Bank of Trade building that killed 26 and wounded 52 people.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/21/world/middleeast/21iraq.html |title=Car Bombs Hit Crowds Outside Bank in Baghdad |first1=Khalid D.|last1=Ali|first2=Timothy|last2=Williams |date=20 June 2010 |work=The New York Times}}</ref>
] training under the supervision of soldiers from the U.S. ] in December 2010.]]
In late August 2010, insurgents conducted ] with at least 12 car bombs simultaneously detonating from Mosul to Basra and killing at least 51. These attacks coincided with the U.S. plans for a withdrawal of combat troops.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/26/world/middleeast/26iraq.html?_r=1&hp |work=The New York Times |title=Insurgents Assert Their Strength With Wave of Bombings Across Iraq |first=Anthony |last=Shadid |date=25 August 2010}}</ref>

From the end of August 2010, the United States attempted to dramatically cut its combat role in Iraq, with the withdrawal of all U.S.&nbsp;ground forces designated for active combat operations. ]. Convoys of U.S. troops had been moving out of Iraq to ] for several days, and ] broadcast live from Iraq as the last convoy crossed the border. While all combat brigades left the country, an additional 50,000 personnel (including Advise and Assist Brigades) remained in the country to provide support for the Iraqi military.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38744453/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/|publisher=MSNBC|title=U.S. ending combat operations in Iraq|date=18 August 2010|accessdate=18 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/08/201081818840122963.html|title=U.S. ends combat operations in Iraq|publisher=Al Jazeera English|date=18 August 2010|accessdate=18 August 2010}}</ref> These troops are required to leave Iraq by 31 December 2011 under an ] between the U.S.&nbsp;and Iraqi governments.<ref>{{cite news |title=Final U.S. combat brigade pulls out of Iraq|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/18/AR2010081805644.html?sid=ST2010081805662|work=The Washington Post|accessdate=19 August 2010|date=18 August 2010 |first=Ernesto |last=Londoño}}</ref>

The desire to step back from an active counter-insurgency role did not however mean that the Advise and Assist Brigades and other remaining U.S.&nbsp;forces would not be caught up in combat. A standards memo from the Associated Press reiterated "combat in Iraq is not over, and we should not uncritically repeat suggestions that it is, even if they come from senior officials".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/03/ap-memo-iraq-war_n_705446.html |title=AP Issues Standards Memo: 'Combat In Iraq Is Not Over' |publisher=The Huffington Post |date=3 September 2010|accessdate=23 October 2010 |first=Jason |last=Linkins}}</ref>

State Department spokesman P.&nbsp;J.&nbsp;Crowley stated "... we are not ending our work in Iraq, We have a long-term commitment to Iraq."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11020270|title=Last U.S.&nbsp;combat brigade exits Iraq|publisher=BBC News|date=19 August 2010|accessdate=19 December 2011}}</ref> On 31 August, Obama announced the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom from the Oval Office. In his address, he covered the role of the United States' soft power, the effect the war had on the United States economy, and the legacy of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/01/world/01obama-text.html?pagewanted=1&ref=world |work=The New York Times |title=President Obama's Address on Iraq |date=31 August 2010}}</ref>

On the same day in Iraq, at a ceremony at one of ]'s former residences at ] in Baghdad, a number of U.S.&nbsp;dignitaries spoke in a ceremony for television cameras, avoiding overtones of the ] present in U.S. announcements made earlier in the war. Vice President ] expressed concerns regarding the ongoing lack of progress in forming a new Iraqi government, saying of the Iraqi people that "they expect a government that reflects the results of the votes they cast". Gen. ] stated that the new era "in no way signals the end of our commitment to the people of Iraq". Speaking in ] earlier in the day, Gates said that U.S.&nbsp;forces "have accomplished something really quite extraordinary here, how it all weighs in the balance over time I think remains to be seen". When asked by reporters if the seven-year war was worth doing, Gates commented that "It really requires a historian's perspective in terms of what happens here in the long run". He noted the Iraq War "will always be clouded by how it began" regarding Saddam Hussein's supposed ], which were never confirmed to have existed. Gates continued, "This is one of the reasons that this war remains so controversial at home".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/02/world/middleeast/02iraq.html?hp|work=The New York Times |title=U.S. Formally Begins a New Era in Iraq |first=Michael |last=Gordon |date=1 September 2010}}</ref>
On the same day Gen. ] was replaced by ] as Commander of U.S. forces in Iraq.

]
On 7 September, two U.S.&nbsp;troops were killed and nine wounded in an incident at an Iraqi military base. The incident is under investigation by Iraqi and U.S.&nbsp;forces, but it is believed that an Iraqi soldier opened fire on U.S.&nbsp;forces.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/08/world/middleeast/08baghdad.html?_r=1&ref=world |work=The New York Times |title=G.I. Deaths Are First for U.S. After Combat Mission's End |date=7 September 2010}}</ref>

On 8 September, the U.S.&nbsp;Army announced the arrival in Iraq of the first specifically-designated Advise and Assist Brigade, the ]. It was announced that the unit would assume responsibilities in five southern provinces.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.army.mil/article/44837/first-us-advise-and-assist-brigade-arrives-under-new-dawn/ |title=First U.S. Advise and Assist Brigade arrives under New Dawn &#124; Article &#124; The United States Army |publisher=U.S. Army |date=8 September 2010 |accessdate=22 September 2012}}</ref> From 10–13 September, Second Advise and Assist Brigade, ] ] near ].

According to reports from Iraq, hundreds of members of the Sunni ] may have switched allegiance back to the Iraqi insurgency or al Qaeda.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/world/middleeast/17awakening.html?_r=1 |work=The New York Times |first1=Timothy |last1=Williams |first2=Duraid |last2=Adnan |title=Sunnis in Iraq Allied With U.S. Rejoin Rebels |date=16 October 2010}}</ref>

In October, ] disclosed ].<ref name=spiegel>{{cite news |title=The WikiLeaks Iraq War Logs: Greatest Data Leak in U.S. Military History |newspaper=] |date=22 October 2010 |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,724845,00.html |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref><ref name=guardian>{{cite news |title=Iraq war logs: secret files show how U.S. ignored torture |first1=Nick |last1=Davies |first2=Jonathan |last2=Steele |first3=David |last3=Leigh |newspaper=] |date=22 October 2010 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/oct/22/iraq-war-logs-military-leaks |accessdate=23 October 2010 |location=London}}</ref><ref name=AlJazeera>{{cite news |title=WikiLeaks releases secret Iraq file |first=Gregg |last=Carlstrom |publisher=Al Jazeera English |date=22 October 2010 |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/secretiraqfiles/2010/10/2010102217631317837.html |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref> Approximately, 58&nbsp;people were killed with another 40 wounded in an attack on the Sayidat al‑Nejat church, a Chaldean Catholic church in Baghdad. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Islamic State in Iraq organization.<ref>{{cite news |author=Martin Chulov in Baghdad |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/nov/01/baghdad-church-siege-survivors-speak |title=Baghdad church siege survivors speak of taunts, killings and explosions &#124; World news |work=The Guardian |date= 1 November 2010|accessdate=15 January 2011 |location=London}}</ref>

Coordinated attacks in primarily Shia areas struck throughout Baghdad on 2 November, killing approximately 113 and wounding 250 with around 17&nbsp;bombs.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq-bombings-20101103,0,202463.story |title=Iraq bombings: 113 killed in bombings in Baghdad |work=Los Angeles Times |date=3 November 2010 |accessdate=15 January 2011 |first1=Ned |last1=Parker |first2=Jaber |last2=Zeki}}</ref>

====Iraqi arms purchases====
As U.S. forces departed the country, the ] solidified plans to purchase advanced military equipment from the United States. Plans in 2010 called for $13&nbsp;billion of purchases, to include 140 ] ]s.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2010-08-31-Iraq-arms-deal_N.htm | work=USA Today | first=Jim | last=Michaels | title=Iraq to spend $13B on U.S. arms, equipment | date=1 September 2010}}</ref> In addition to the $13&nbsp;billion purchase, the Iraqis also requested 18 ] as part of a $4.2&nbsp;billion program that also included aircraft training and maintenance, ] ]s, ]s and reconnaissance equipment.<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite news |url=http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2010/10/01/US-plans-42-billion-arms-sale-to-Iraq/UPI-31991285953914/ |title=U.S. plans $4.2 billion arms sale to Iraq |publisher=UPI |date=1 October 2010 |accessdate=15 January 2011}}</ref> All Abrams tanks were delivered by the end of 2011,<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928210528/http://www.army.mil/article/64944/Iraqi_Army_receives_last_shipment_of_Abrams_tanks/ |date=28 September 2013}}. Army.mil, 6 September 2011.</ref> but the first F-16s did not arrive in Iraq until 2015, due to concerns that the Islamic State might overrun ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thehill.com/policy/defense/247718-us-delivers-first-f-16-fighters-to-iraq|publisher=The Hill|accessdate=7 November 2017|date=13 July 2015|author=Martin Matishak|title=US delivers first F-16 fighters to Iraq}}</ref>

The Iraqi navy also purchased 12 U.S.‑built Swift-class patrol boats, at a cost of $20&nbsp;million each. Delivery was completed in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|publisher=U.S. Navy| title = US Navy Delivers Final Coastal Patrol Boat to Iraq| accessdate = 2017-11-07| url =http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=75317|date=11 July 2013}}</ref> The vessels are used to protect the oil terminals at ] and ].<ref name=autogenerated2 /> Two U.S.‑built offshore support vessels, each costing $70&nbsp;million, were delivered in 2011.<ref name="CordesmanKhazai2014">{{cite book|author1=Anthony H. Cordesman|author2=Sam Khazai|title=Iraq in Crisis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oovOAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA255|date=4 June 2014|publisher=Center for Strategic & International Studies|isbn=978-1-4422-2856-6|page=255}}</ref>

] tanks in Iraqi service, January 2011]]

====UN lifts restrictions on Iraq====
In a move to legitimize the existing Iraqi government, the United Nations lifted the Saddam Hussein-era UN&nbsp;restrictions on Iraq. These included allowing Iraq to have a civilian nuclear program, permitting the participation of Iraq in international nuclear and chemical weapons treaties, as well as returning control of Iraq's oil and gas revenue to the government and ending the ].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.voanews.com/english/news/UN-Security-Council-Lifts-Some-Restrictions-On-Iraq-111951129.html |title=UN Security Council Lifts Some Restrictions On Iraq |publisher=Voice of America |date=15 December 2010 |accessdate=15 January 2011}}</ref>

===2011: U.S. withdrawal===
{{Main article|Withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq}}
{{Further information|2011 in Iraq}}

Muqtada al-Sadr returned to Iraq in the holy city of Najaf to lead the Sadrist movement after being in exile since 2007.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/world/middleeast/06iraq.html?_r=1&hpw |work=The New York Times |first1=Anthony |last1=Shadid |first2=John |last2=Leland |title=Moktada al-Sadr Returns to Iraq |date=5 January 2011}}</ref>

On 15 January 2011, three U.S.&nbsp;troops were killed in Iraq. One of the troops was killed on a military operation in central Iraq, while the other two troops were deliberately shot by one or two Iraqi soldiers during a training exercise.<ref>{{cite news |author=Lara Jakes |url=http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/15/3-american-soldiers-killed-in-iraq/ |title=3 American Soldiers Killed in Iraq |publisher=Aolnews.com |accessdate=26 December 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120110034001/http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/15/3-american-soldiers-killed-in-iraq/ |archivedate=10 January 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

On 6 June, five U.S.&nbsp;troops were killed in an apparent rocket attack on JSS Loyalty.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/06/20116611830864342.html |title=Five US troops killed in Iraq attack |publisher=Al Jazeera |accessdate=26 December 2011}}</ref> A sixth soldier, who was wounded in the attack, died 10&nbsp;days later of his wounds.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=14587 |title=DOD Identifies Army Casualty |publisher=U.S. Department of Defense |date=12 March 2009 |accessdate=26 December 2011}}</ref>

On 13 June 2011, two U.S.&nbsp;troops were killed in an IED attack located in Wasit Province.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://kut.org/post/two-texas-soldiers-die-ied-attacks|title=Two U.S. soldiers die in IED attack|publisher=KUT | date= 16 June 2011|access-date=14 January 2017}}</ref>

On 26 June 2011, a U.S.&nbsp;troop was killed.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://patch.com/massachusetts/falmouth/falmouth-soldier-killed-in-iraq|title=Falmouth soldier killed in Iraq|publisher=Falmouth Patch | date=1 July 2011| access-date=14 January 2017}}</ref> Sergeant Brent McBride was sentenced to four years, two months for the death.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://archive.capenews.net/communities/falmouth/news/1754|title=Soldiers to serve prison time for role in Matthew Gallagher's death|publisher=The Enterprise|date=30 March 2012|access-date=14 January 2017|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116162848/http://archive.capenews.net/communities/falmouth/news/1754|archivedate=16 January 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

On 29 June, three U.S.&nbsp;troops were killed in a rocket attack on a U.S.&nbsp;base located near the border with Iran. It was speculated that the militant group responsible for the attack was the same one which attacked JSS Loyalty just over three weeks before.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13976476|title=Three U.S. soldiers killed in southern Iraq|publisher=BBC News | date=30 June 2011}}</ref> With the three deaths, June 2011, became the bloodiest month in Iraq for the U.S.&nbsp;military since June 2009, with 15 U.S.&nbsp;soldiers killed, only one of them outside combat.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/30/501364/main20075656.shtml |title=June bloodiest month for U.S. in Iraq in 2 years |publisher=CBS News |date=30 June 2011 |accessdate=26 December 2011}}</ref>

In September, Iraq signed a contract to buy 18 Lockheed Martin F-16 warplanes, becoming the 26th nation to operate the F-16. Because of windfall profits from oil, the Iraqi government is planning to double this originally planned 18, to 36 F-16s. Iraq is relying on the U.S.&nbsp;military for air support as it rebuilds its forces and battles a stubborn Islamist insurgency.<ref>{{cite news |title=Iraq to buy US warplanes worth around $3&nbsp;billion|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44681548/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/#.ToHJrOxE5_A |publisher=MSNBC}}</ref>

With the collapse of the discussions about extending the stay of any U.S.&nbsp;troops beyond 2011, where they would not be granted any immunity from the Iraqi government, on 21 October 2011, President Obama announced at a White House press conference that all remaining U.S.&nbsp;troops and trainers would leave Iraq by the end of the year as previously scheduled, bringing the U.S.&nbsp;mission in Iraq to an end.<ref name="LeaveIn2011">{{cite news |title=Barack Obama: All U.S. troops to leave Iraq in 2011|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15410154|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=21 October 2011|date=21 October 2011}}</ref> The last American soldier to die in Iraq before the withdrawal was killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad on 14 November.<ref name=cnndec16>{{cite news |last=Johnson|first=Craig|title=N.C. soldier reportedly last to die in Iraq war|url=http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/16/n-c-soldier-reportedly-last-to-die-in-iraq-war/|accessdate=16 December 2011|publisher=CNN|date=16 December 2011}}</ref>

In November 2011, the U.S.&nbsp;Senate voted down a resolution to formally end the war by bringing its authorization by Congress to an end.<ref name="Antle_November_2011">{{cite news|last=Antle|first=W. James|title=Senate Tackles Iraq War Powers, Indefinite Detention|url=http://spectator.org/blog/2011/11/30/senate-tackles-iraq-war-powers|work=The Spectacle Blog|publisher='']''|accessdate=23 February 2015|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523095150/http://spectator.org/blog/2011/11/30/senate-tackles-iraq-war-powers|archivedate=23 May 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

] closing the gate between Kuwait and Iraq on 18 December 2011.]]
The last U.S.&nbsp;troops withdrew from Iraq on 18 December, although the U.S. embassy and consulates continue to maintain a staff of more than 20,000 including U.S. ]s and between 4,000 and 5,000 ].<ref name="Denselow">{{cite news |last=Denselow|first=James|title=The US departure from Iraq is an illusion|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/oct/25/us-departure-iraq-illusion|accessdate=10 February 2014|newspaper=The Guardian|date=25 October 2011|location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/last-us-troops-cross-iraqi-border-into-kuwait/2011/12/17/gIQArEyX1O_story.html|title=Last U.S. troops cross Iraqi border into Kuwait|last=Jaffe|first=Greg|work=The Washington Post|date=18 December 2011|accessdate=19 December 2011}}</ref> The next day, Iraqi officials issued an arrest warrant for the Sunni Vice-President ]. He has been accused of involvement in assassinations and fled to the Kurdish part of Iraq.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16256830|title=Arrest warrant for Iraq Vice-President Tariq al-Hashemi|publisher=BBC News|date=12 January 2012|accessdate=12 January 2012}}</ref>

==Aftermath – post U.S. withdrawal==
{{main article|Iraqi insurgency (2011–13)}}
{{see also|Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014)|Northern Iraq offensive (August 2014)}}
{{see also|American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present)}}
]}}{{legend|#b4b2ae|Controlled by the ] (ISIS)}}{{legend|#d7e074|Controlled by ]}}{{legend|#ebc0b3|Controlled by ]}}{{legend|#cae7c4|Controlled by ]}}{{legend|#e2d974|Controlled by ]}}]]
The invasion and occupation led to sectarian violence which caused widespread displacement among Iraqi civilians. The Iraqi Red Crescent organization estimated the total internal displacement was around 2.3 million in 2008, with as many as 2 million Iraqis having left the country. Poverty led many Iraqi women to turn to prostitution to support themselves and their families, attracting sex tourists from regional lands. The invasion led to a constitution which supported democracy as long as laws did not violate traditional Islamic principles, and a parliamentary election was held in 2005. In addition the invasion preserved the autonomy of the Kurdish region, and stability brought new economic prosperity. Because the Kurdish region is historically the most democratic area of Iraq, many Iraqi refugees from other territories fled into the Kurdish land.<ref>{{cite book |last=DeFronzo |first=James |editor=Karl Yambert |chapter=Impacts of the Iraq War |title=The Contemporary Middle East |edition=Third |location=Boulder, Colorado |publisher=Westview Press |year=2012 |pages=210–211 |isbn=978-0813348391}}</ref>

] surged in the aftermath of the ] as insurgent groups, primarily radical Sunni, fought against the central government. Some 1,000 people were killed across Iraq within the first two months after U.S.&nbsp;withdrawal.

Sectarian violence continued in the first half of 2013. At least 56 people died in April when a Sunni protest in Hawija was interrupted by a government-supported helicopter raid and a series of violent incidents occurred in May. On 20 May 2013, at least 95 people died in a wave of car bomb attacks that was preceded by a car bombing on 15 May that led to 33 deaths; also, on 18 May, 76 people were killed in the Sunni areas of Baghdad. Some experts have stated that Iraq could return to the brutal sectarian conflict of 2006.<ref>{{cite news |title=Is Iraq heading toward civil war?|url=http://theweek.com/article/index/244677/is-iraq-heading-toward-civil-war |work=The Week |accessdate=28 May 2013|author=Keith Wagstaff|date=27 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Attacks Kill 95 in Iraq, Hint of Syrian Spillover |url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/iraq-car-bombs-basra-kill-least-10-people|accessdate=28 May 2013|publisher=Associated Press|date=20 May 2013|author=Sinan Salaheddin}}</ref>

On 22 July 2013, at least five hundred convicts, most of whom were senior members of al-Qaida who had received death sentences, broke out of Iraq's Abu Ghraib jail when comrades launched a military-style assault to free them. The attack began when a suicide bomber drove a car packed with explosives into prison gates.<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/22/iraq-prison-attacks-kill-dozens |title=Iraq: hundreds escape from Abu Ghraib jail |newspaper=The Guardian |date=22 July 2013 |accessdate=19 January 2014 |location=London}}</ref> James F. Jeffrey, the United States ambassador in Baghdad when the last American troops exited, said the assault and resulting escape "will provide seasoned leadership and a morale boost to Al Qaeda and its allies in both Iraq and Syria ... it is likely to have an electrifying impact on the Sunni population in Iraq, which has been sitting on the fence."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/24/world/middleeast/al-qaeda-asserts-responsibility-for-iraqi-prison-breaks.html |title=Brazen Attacks at Prisons Raise Worries of Al Qaeda's Strength in Iraq |newspaper=The New York Times |author=Michael R. Gordon |author2=Duraid Adnan |date=24 July 2013}}</ref>

By mid-2014 the country was in chaos with a new government yet to be formed following national elections, and the insurgency reaching new heights. In early June 2014 the ] (ISIS) took over the cities of Mosul and Tikrit and said it was ready to march on Baghdad, while Iraqi Kurdish forces took control of key military installations in the major oil city of Kirkuk. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki asked his parliament to declare a state of emergency that would give him increased powers, but the lawmakers refused.<ref name="IraqImploding">{{cite news |title=Iraq crisis: Isis gains strength near Baghdad as Kurdish forces seize Kirkuk|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/12/crisis-in-iraq-insurgents-take-major-cities-live-blog|accessdate=12 June 2014|publisher=The Guardian}}</ref>

In the summer of 2014 President Obama announced the return of U.S. forces to Iraq, but only in the form of aerial support, in an effort to halt the advance of ISIS forces, render humanitarian aid to stranded refugees and stabilize the political situation.<ref name="AirSupport">{{cite news |title=Obama Authorizes Air Strikes in Iraq|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/08/world/middleeast/obama-weighs-military-strikes-to-aid-trapped-iraqis-officials-say.html?_r=0|date=8 August 2014|accessdate=22 August 2014|publisher=The New York Times}}</ref> On 14 August 2014, Prime Minister ] succumbed to pressure at home and abroad to step down. This paved the way for ] to take over on 19 August 2014. In what was claimed to be revenge for the aerial bombing ordered by President Obama, ISIS, which by this time had changed their name to the Islamic State, beheaded an American journalist, ], who had been kidnapped two years previously. Despite U.S. bombings and breakthroughs on the political front, Iraq remained in chaos with the Islamic State consolidating its gains, and sectarian violence continuing unabated. On 22 August 2014, suspected Shia militants opened fire on a Sunni mosque during Friday prayers, killing 70 worshippers. Separately, Iraqi forces in helicopters killed 30 Sunni fighters in the town of Dhuluiya.<ref name="CrownRebrand">{{cite news |title=Attack on Sunni Mosque in Iraq kills dozens|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/08/dozens-dead-attack-sunni-mosque-iraq-2014822121452319807.html|date=22 August 2014|accessdate=23 August 2014|work=]}}</ref> A day later, apparently in retaliation for the attack on the mosque, three bombings across Iraq killed 35 people.<ref name="RevengeAttacks">{{cite news |title=UN calls for immediate action to prevent new ISIS massacre in Iraq|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/23/us-iraq-security-idUSKBN0GM0L620140823|date=23 August 2014|accessdate=23 August 2014|publisher=Reuters}}</ref>

==Casualty estimates==
{{Main article|Casualties of the Iraq War}}
{{See also|Foreign hostages in Iraq|List of bombings during the Iraq War}}

], Germany, for medical treatment (February 2007)]]
]
For coalition death totals see the infobox at the top right. See also ], which has casualty numbers for coalition nations, contractors, non-Iraqi civilians, journalists, media helpers, aid workers, and the wounded. Casualty figures, especially Iraqi ones, are highly disputed.

There have been several attempts by the media, coalition governments and others to estimate the Iraqi casualties. The table below summarizes some of these estimates and methods.

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Source
! Iraqi casualties
! March 2003 to&nbsp;...
|- valign=top
|''']'''
|'''151,000''' violent deaths.
|June 2006
|- valign=top
|''']'''
|'''601,027''' violent deaths out of '''654,965''' excess deaths.
|June 2006
|- valign=top
|'''PLOS Medicine Study'''
|'''460,000''' excess deaths including '''132,000''' violent deaths from conflict violent deaths from the conflict.<ref name="Hagopian">{{cite journal|last=Hagopian|first=Amy|last2 = Flaxman | first2 = Abraham D. | last3 = Takaro | first3 = Tim K. | last4 = Esa Al Shatari | first4 = Sahar A. | last5 = Rajaratnam | first5 = Julie | last6 = Becker | first6 = Stan | last7 = Levin-Rector | first7 = Alison | last8 = Galway | first8 = Lindsay | last9 = Hadi Al-Yasseri | first9 = Berq J. | last10 = Weiss | first10 = William M. | last11 = Murray | first11 = Christopher J. | last12 = Burnham | first12 = Gilbert | last13 = Mills | first13 = Edward J. | title=Mortality in Iraq Associated with the 2003–2011 War and Occupation: Findings from a National Cluster Sample Survey by the University Collaborative Iraq Mortality Study|journal=PLoS Medicine|date=15 October 2013|volume=10|issue=10|doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.1001533|url=http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1001533|accessdate=2013-10-23 | pmid=24143140 | pmc=3797136 | pages=e1001533}}</ref>
|June 2011
|- valign=top
|''']'''
|'''1,033,000''' violent deaths from the conflict.
|August 2007
|- valign=top
|''']'''
|'''87,215''' violent deaths per death certificates issued.<br />Deaths prior to January 2005 unrecorded.<br />Ministry estimates up to 20% more deaths are undocumented.
|January 2005 to<br />February 2009
|- valign=top
|''']'''
|'''110,600''' violent deaths.<br />Health Ministry death certificates plus AP estimate of casualties for 2003–04.
|April 2009
|- valign=top
|''']'''
|'''105,052–114,731''' violent civilian deaths.<br />compiled from commercial news media, NGO and official reports.<br />Over '''162,000''' civilian and combatant deaths
|January 2012
|- valign=top
|''']. Classified ]'''
|'''109,032''' violent deaths including 66,081 civilian deaths.
|January 2004 to<br />December 2009
|}

==Criticism and cost==
{{Further information|Criticism of the Iraq War|Opposition to the Iraq War|Legitimacy of the 2003 invasion of Iraq|Legality of the Iraq War|Views on the 2003 invasion of Iraq|Protests against the Iraq War|American popular opinion on invasion of Iraq|Governmental positions on the Iraq War prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq|Media coverage of the Iraq War|Public relations preparations for 2003 invasion of Iraq}}
{{See also|Iraq War misappropriations|Habbush letter|The Way of the World (book)}}

] heavily damaged by the fighting in 2006]]
]

The Bush Administration's ] has faced heavy criticism from an array of popular and official sources both inside and outside the United States, with many U.S.&nbsp;citizens finding many parallels with the ].<ref>Vietnam war-eyewitness booksW.; ''Iraq and Vietnam: Differences, Similarities and Insights'', (2004: Strategic Studies Institute)</ref> For example, a former CIA officer described the ] as a group of ]s who were dangerous to U.S. national security and a threat to world peace, and stated that the group lied and manipulated intelligence to further its agenda of removing Saddam.<ref> ''Sunday Herald'', Neil Mackay, 8 June 2003</ref> The ] alleges that the ] made a total of 935 false statements between 2001 and 2003 about Iraq's alleged threat to the United States.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18319248 |title=Group: 'Orchestrated Deception' by Bush on Iraq |publisher=NPR |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref>

Both proponents and ] of the invasion have also criticized the prosecution of the war effort along a number of other lines. Most significantly, critics have assailed the United States and its allies for not devoting enough troops to the mission, not adequately planning for ], and for permitting and perpetrating human rights abuses. As the war has progressed, critics have also railed against the high human and financial costs. In 2016, the United Kingdom published the ], a public inquiry which was broadly critical of the actions of the British government and military in making the case for the war, in tactics and in planning for the aftermath of the war.<ref name="GuardianReport">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jul/06/chilcot-report-crushing-verdict-tony-blair-iraq-war|title=Chilcot delivers crushing verdict on Blair and the Iraq war |author=Luke Harding|newspaper=The Guardian|date=6 July 2016|accessdate=6 July 2016}}</ref><ref name="TelegraphReport">{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/06/chilcot-inquiry-judgement-day-for-tony-blair-as-iraq-war-report/|title=Chilcot report: 2003 Iraq war was 'unnecessary', invasion was not 'last resort' and Saddam Hussein was 'no imminent threat'|author=Leon Watson|date=6 July 2016|accessdate=6 July 2016|newspaper=The Telegraph}}</ref><ref name="BBCReport">{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-36721645|title=Chilcot report: Findings at a glance|date=6 July 2016|accessdate=6 July 2016|publisher=BBC News}}</ref>

[[File:State positions Iraq war.svg|thumb|{{legend|#ea6400|States participating in the invasion of Iraq}}
{{legend|#fad91f|States in support of an invasion}}
{{legend|#0f83bb|States in opposition to an invasion}}
{{legend|#ababab|States with an uncertain or no official standpoint}}
]]
Criticisms include:
* ] of the ]<ref>, ''The Guardian'', 20 November 2003</ref><ref>, ''The Guardian'', 18 November 2008</ref>
* ]
* Human rights violations such as the ]
* Insufficient post-invasion plans, in particular inadequate troop levels (a ] study stated that 500,000 troops would be required for success)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rand.org/publications/randreview/issues/summer2003/burden.html|title=RAND Review &#124; Summer 2003 – Burden of Victory|publisher=Rand.org|accessdate=10 September 2008}}</ref>
* ] with approximately {{Nowrap|$612 billion}} spent as of 4/09 the ] has estimated the total cost of the war in Iraq to the United States will be around {{Nowrap|$1.9 trillion}}.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN2450753720071024|title=U.S. CBO estimates $2.4&nbsp;trillion long-term war costs |agency=Reuters|date=24 October 2007|accessdate=10 September 2008}}</ref>
* Adverse effect on U.S.-led global "]"<ref>, ''The Guardian'', 28 September 2006</ref><ref>, ''The Washington Post'', 23 September 2006</ref>
* Damage to U.S.' traditional alliances and influence in the region, especially ]<ref>, BBC News, 7 February 2003</ref> and ].<ref>, BBC News, 17 February 2003</ref>
* Endangerment and ] of religious and ethnic minorities by insurgents<ref name="independent1">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iraq-is-disintegrating-as-ethnic-cleansing-takes-hold-478937.html |title=Iraq is disintegrating as ethnic cleansing takes hold |work=The Independent |date=20 May 2006 |accessdate=23 October 2010 |location=London |first=Patrick |last=Cockburn |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100202194816/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iraq-is-disintegrating-as-ethnic-cleansing-takes-hold-478937.html |archivedate=2 February 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Crawford |first=Angus |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6412453.stm |title=Iraq's Mandaeans 'face extinction' |publisher=BBC News |date=4 March 2007 |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20294868/ |title=Iraq's Yazidis fear annihilation |publisher=MSNBC |date=16 August 2007 |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Sabah |first=Zaid |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-03-22-christians-iraq_N.htm |title=Christians, targeted and suffering, flee Iraq |work=USA Today |date=23 March 2007 |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=33109 |title=Assyrians Face Escalating Abuses in "New Iraq" |publisher=IPS News |date=3 May 2006 |accessdate=23 October 2010 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528234208/http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=33109 |archivedate=28 May 2010 }}</ref>
* Disruption of Iraqi ] production and related energy security concerns (the ])<ref>{{cite web |url=http://futures.tradingcharts.com/chart/CO/M|title=Light Crude Oil (CL, NYMEX): Monthly Price Chart|publisher=Futures.tradingcharts.com|accessdate=10 September 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/10/business/ME-Iraq-China-Oil.php |title=Iraq to revive oil deal with China |work=International Herald Tribune |date=29 March 2009 |accessdate=23 October 2010 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919025109/http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/08/10/business/ME-Iraq-China-Oil.php |archivedate=19 September 2008 }}</ref>

After President Barack Obama was inaugurated in 2009, some anti-war groups decided to stop protesting even though the war was still going on. Some of them decided to stop because they felt they should give the new President time to establish his administration, and others stopped because they believed that Obama would end the war.<ref>, ''Times-Herald'', 20 March 2009</ref>

===Financial cost===
In March 2013, the total cost of the Iraq War to date was estimated at $1.7 trillion by the Watson Institute of International Studies at ].<ref>'']'' 15 March 2013</ref> Some argue that the total cost of the war to the U.S. economy will range from $3&nbsp;trillion<ref>{{cite news | last=Trotta | first=Daniel | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN2921527420080302 | title=Iraq war hits U.S. economy: Nobel winner | agency=Reuters | date= 2 March 2008 | accessdate=2018-01-16 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012124052/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy-iraq/iraq-war-hits-u-s-economy-nobel-winner-idUSN2921527420080302 | archive-date=2017-10-12 | dead-url=no }}</ref> to {{Nowrap|$6 trillion}},<ref>{{cite news | last=Trotta | first=Daniel | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/14/us-iraq-war-anniversary-idUSBRE92D0PG20130314 | title=Iraq war costs US more than $2&nbsp;trillion: study | agency=Reuters | date=14 March 2013 | accessdate=2018-01-16 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170919024821/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-war-anniversary/iraq-war-costs-u-s-more-than-2-trillion-study-idUSBRE92D0PG20130314 | archive-date=2017-09-19 | dead-url=no }}</ref> including interest rates, by 2053, as described in the Watson Institute's report. The upper ranges of these estimates include long-term veterans costs and economic impacts. For example, Harvard's public finance expert Linda J. Bilmes has estimated that the long-term cost of providing disability compensation and medical care to U.S. troops injured in the Iraq conflict will reach nearly $1 trillion over the next 40 years,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Bilmes |first=Linda |title=The Financial Legacy of Iraq and Afghanistan: How Wartime Spending Decisions Will Constrain Future National Security Budgets |date=March 26, 2013 |ssrn=2281275 |doi=10.2139/ssrn.2281275 |journal=SSRN Electronic Journal}}. HKS Working Paper No. RWP13-006.</ref> and that the war in Iraq diverted resources from the war in Afghanistan, led to rising oil prices, increased the federal debt, and contributed to a global financial crisis.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Stiglitz|first1=Joseph E.|last2=Bilmes|first2=Linda J.|title=The true cost of the Iraq war: $3 trillion and beyond|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/03/AR2010090302200.html|accessdate=6 December 2017|publisher=Washington Post|date=5 September 2010}}</ref>

A ] report noted that the United States-led interim government, the ] lasting until 2004 in Iraq had lost $8.8&nbsp;billion in the ]. In June 2011, it was reported by CBS News that $6 billion in neatly packaged blocks of $100&nbsp;bills was air-lifted into Iraq by the George W. Bush administration, which flew it into Baghdad aboard C‑130 military cargo planes. In total, the ''Times'' says $12&nbsp;billion in cash was flown into Iraq in 21 separate flights by May 2004, all of which has disappeared. An inspector general's report mentioned that "'Severe inefficiencies and poor management' by the Coalition Provisional Authority would leave no guarantee that the money was properly used", said Stuart W. Bowen,&nbsp;Jr., director of the ]. "The CPA did not establish or implement sufficient managerial, financial and contractual controls to ensure that funds were used in a transparent manner."<ref> Monday, 31 January 2005. CNN</ref> Bowen told the Times the missing money may represent "the largest theft of funds in national history."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/report-6b-missing-in-iraq-may-have-been-stolen/ |title=Report: $6B missing in Iraq may have been stolen |publisher=CBS News |date=14 June 2011|accessdate=19 January 2014}}</ref>

==Humanitarian crises==
{{Main article|Humanitarian crises of the Iraq War|Refugees of Iraq}}
]
The child ] rate rose to 28%.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://in.reuters.com/article/2007/07/30/idINIndia-28727320070730 |title=Hunger, disease spread in Iraq – Oxfam report |publisher=Reuters |date=30 July 2007 |accessdate=14 July 2014}}</ref> Some 60–70% of Iraqi children were reported to be suffering from psychological problems in 2007.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.irinnews.org/report/73258/iraq-traumatised-iraqi-children-suffer-psychological-damage |title=Iraq: Traumatised Iraqi children suffer psychological damage |publisher=Alertnet.org |date=16 July 2007 |accessdate=14 July 2014}}</ref> Most Iraqis had no access to safe drinking water. A ] in northern Iraq was thought to be the result of poor water quality.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2914413.ece |title=Cholera spreads in Iraq as health services collapse |work=The Independent |date=31 August 2007 |accessdate=14 July 2014 |location=London |first=Patrick |last=Cockburn |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015050932/http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article2914413.ece |archivedate=15 October 2007}}</ref> As many as half of Iraqi doctors left the country between 2003 and 2006.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article1904962.ece |title=Medics beg for help as Iraqis die needlessly |work=The Independent |date=20 October 2006 |accessdate=14 July 2014 |location=London |first=Jeremy |last=Laurance |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013081317/http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article1904962.ece |archivedate=13 October 2008 |df= }}</ref> The use of depleted uranium and white phosphorus by the U.S. military has been blamed for birth defects and cancers in the Iraqi city of Fallujah.<ref>. '']'' 20 March 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2014.</ref><ref>
Ross Caputi (25 October 2012). . '']''. Retrieved 1 January 2014.</ref><ref>. ]. 22 July 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2014.</ref>

By the end of 2015, according to the ], 4.4&nbsp;million Iraqis had been internally displaced.<ref>{{cite web|author=UNHCR|title=Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2015|url=http://www.unhcr.org/576408cd7|accessdate=18 July 2016}}</ref> The population of ] dropped dramatically during the war, from 1.5 million in 2003 to 500,000 in 2015,<ref>{{Cite news| issn = 0362-4331| last = Griswold| first = Eliza| title = Is This the End of Christianity in the Middle East?| work = The New York Times| accessdate = 2016-07-18| date = 2015-07-22| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/magazine/is-this-the-end-of-christianity-in-the-middle-east.html}}</ref> and perhaps only 275,000 in 2016.

The Foreign Policy Association reported that "Perhaps the most perplexing component of the Iraq refugee crisis ... has been the inability for the United States to absorb more Iraqis following the 2003 invasion of the country. To date, the United States has granted around 84,000 Iraqis refugee status, of the more than two million global Iraqi refugees. By contrast, the United States granted asylum to more than 100,000 Vietnamese refugees during the ]."<ref>"Global Views: Iraq's refugees", by R. Nolan, Foreign Policy Association Features, Resource Library, 12 June 2007.</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Flight From Iraq |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/13/magazine/13refugees-t.html?pagewanted=all |newspaper=The New York Times|accessdate=23 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Iraqi Refugee Processing Fact Sheet |url=http://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/refugees-asylum/refugees/iraqi-refugee-processing-fact-sheet|publisher=]|accessdate=23 March 2014}}</ref>

==Human rights abuses==
{{Main article|Human rights in post-invasion Iraq}}
{{Prose|date=July 2013}}
Throughout the entire Iraq war, there have been ] abuses on all sides of the conflict.

===Iraqi government===
* The use of torture by Iraqi security forces.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/01/26/iraq10053.htm|title=Iraq: Torture Continues at Hands of New Government|publisher=Human Rights News|date=25 January 2005}}</ref>
* Iraqi police from the Interior Ministry accused of forming ] and committing numerous massacres and tortures of Sunni Arabs<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1129-08.htm |newspaper=The New York Times |title=Sunnis Accuse Iraqi Military of Kidnappings and Slayings |author=Dexter Filkins |date=29 November 2005 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060418132739/http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1129-08.htm |archivedate=18 April 2006 }}</ref> and the ] have compounded the problems.

===Coalition forces and private contractors===
{{Main article|Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse}}
] released in 2006 shows a pyramid of naked Iraqi prisoners.]]
* Deaths of civilians as a result of bombing and missile strikes that fail to take all feasible precautions with regards to civilians casualties.<ref>{{cite web|title=Off Target: The Conduct of the War and Civilian Casualties in Iraq|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/2003/usa1203/4.htm|website=Human Rights Watch|accessdate=21 October 2015}}</ref>
* ] by U.S. Army personnel.<ref>{{cite news | first = Seymour M. | last = Hersh | title = Chain of Command | date = May 17, 2004 | url = http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/05/17/040517fa_fact2?currentPage=all | work = The New Yorker | accessdate =September 13, 2011 | quote = NBC News later quoted U.S. military officials as saying that the unreleased photographs showed American soldiers "severely beating an Iraqi prisoner nearly to death, having sex with a female Iraqi prisoner, and 'acting inappropriately with a dead body.' The officials said there also was a videotape, apparently shot by U.S. personnel, showing Iraqi guards raping young boys."}}</ref>
* ] of 24 civilians (ongoing with some charges dropped)
* ]
* Rape and murder of an Iraqi girl, and murder of her family.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6156656.stm|title=Iraq rape soldier jailed for life|publisher=BBC News|date=16 November 2006|accessdate=10 September 2008}}</ref>
* The torture and killing of ], Iraqi Air Force commander, ]
* ]
* ]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sundayherald.com/42229 |title=Iraq: The Wedding Party Massacre |newspaper=Sunday Herald |date=14 March 2004 |author=Neil Mackay |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090107223109/http://www.sundayherald.com/42229 |archivedate=7 January 2009 }}</ref> where 42 civilians were allegedly killed by coalition forces.
* Planting weapons on noncombatant, unarmed Iraqis by three U.S. Marines after killing them.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/07/01/africa/01iraq.php |title=2 GI's charged with murder of Iraqis&nbsp;— International Herald Tribune |work=International Herald Tribune |accessdate=10 September 2008 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918001602/http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/07/01/africa/01iraq.php |archivedate=18 September 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12658&Itemid=128 |title=Multi-National Force&nbsp;– Iraq&nbsp;— Additional Soldier charged with murder |publisher=Mnf-iraq.com |accessdate=10 September 2008 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070816140724/http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12658&Itemid=128 |archivedate=16 August 2007 }}</ref> According to a report by '']'', other similar acts have been witnessed by U.S. soldiers.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thenation.com/docprint.mhtml?i=20070730&s=hedges |title=The Other War: Iraq Vets Bear Witness |work=The Nation |author=] |accessdate=10 September 2008 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Members of ] tell similar stories.{{dubious|date=January 2014}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Antiwar_veterans_group_War_crimes_are_0121.html|title=The Raw Story &#124; Anti-war veterans' group: War crimes are 'encouraged'|publisher=Rawstory.com|accessdate=10 September 2008 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501130308/http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Antiwar_veterans_group_War_crimes_are_0121.html |archivedate=1 May 2008}}</ref>
* ]
* Allegations of beatings, ], ]s, and ] by British troops were presented to the ] (ICC) by Public Interest Lawyers (PIL) and the ] (ECCHR) on 12 January 2014.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/exclusive-devastating-dossier-on-abuse-by-uk-forces-in-iraq-goes-to-international-criminal-court-9053735.html |title=Exclusive: Devastating dossier on 'abuse' by UK forces in Iraq goes to International Criminal Court |work=The Independent|date=12 January 2014|location=London|first=Jonathan|last=Owen}}</ref>

===Insurgent groups===
{{main article|Iraq War insurgent attacks}}
{{further information|Suicide bombings in Iraq since 2003|Tactics of the Iraqi insurgency}}

]
* Killing over 12,000 Iraqis from January 2005 to June 2006, according to Iraqi Interior Minister ], giving the first official count for the victims of bombings, ambushes and other deadly attacks.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/02/AR2005060201098.html|title=Iraq Puts Civilian Toll at 12,000|work=The Washington Post|author=Ellen Knickmeyer|date=3 June 2005}}</ref> The insurgents have also conducted numerous ]s on the Iraqi civilian population, mostly targeting the majority Shia community.<ref>{{cite news |author=Paul McGeough|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/After-Saddam/Handicapped-boy-made-into-bomb/2005/02/01/1107228705132.html|title=Handicapped boy who was made into a bomb|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=2 February 2005}}</ref><ref>. '']'' 2 July 2006</ref> An October 2005 report from ] examines the range of civilian attacks and their purported justification.<ref>. ] October 2005.</ref>
* Attacks against civilians including children through bombing of market places and other locations reachable by suicide bombers.
* Attacks against civilians by sectarian death squads primarily during the ]. Iraq Body Count project data shows that 33% of civilian deaths during the Iraq War resulted from execution after abduction or capture. These were overwhelmingly carried out by unknown actors including insurgents, sectarian militias and criminals.<ref> by Madelyn Hsiao-Rei Hicks, M.D., M.R.C.Psych., Hamit Dardagan, Gabriela Guerrero Serdán, M.A., Peter M. Bagnall, M.Res., John A. Sloboda, Ph.D., F.B.A., and Michael Spagat, Ph.D., The New England Journal of Medicine.</ref>
* Attacks on diplomats and diplomatic facilities including; the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad in August 2003 killing the top UN representative in Iraq and 21 other UN staff members;<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june06/iraq_6-12.html |title=Who are the Iraq Insurgents? |work=NewsHour with Jim Lehrer |publisher=PBS |date=12 June 2006 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615080821/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june06/iraq_6-12.html |archivedate=15 June 2006 }}</ref> beheading several diplomats: two Algerian diplomatic envoys Ali Belaroussi and Azzedine Belkadi,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://freeinternetpress.com/story.php?sid=4107 |title=Kidnappers Kill Algerian Diplomats |publisher=Free Internet Press |date=27 July 2005 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927235252/https://freeinternetpress.com/story.php?sid=4107 |archivedate=27 September 2007 |df= }}</ref> Egyptian diplomatic envoy al-Sherif,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4660909.stm|title=Captors kill Egypt envoy to Iraq|publisher=BBC News|date=8 July 2005 | accessdate=5 January 2010}}</ref> and four Russian diplomats.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5118702.stm|title=Russian diplomat deaths confirmed|publisher=BBC News|date=26 June 2006 | accessdate=5 January 2010}}</ref>
* The February 2006 bombing of the ], destroying one of the holiest Shiite shrines, killing over 165 worshipers and igniting ] and reprisal killings.<ref>Alex Rodriguez, (paid archive), ''The Chicago Tribune'' 29 June 2006.</ref>
* The publicised killing of several contractors; ], ], ], Ivaylo Kepov and Georgi Lazov (Bulgarian truck drivers.)<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2004/07/13/bulgarian_iraq040713.html|title=Insurgents kill Bulgarian hostage: Al-Jazeera|publisher=CBC News|date=14 July 2004}}</ref> Other non-military personnel murdered include: translator ], ], ] (Italian), charity worker ], reconstruction engineer ], photographer Salvatore Santoro (Italian)<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/iraq/hostages.html#killed |title=Foreign hostages in Iraq |publisher=CBC News |date=22 June 2006 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060807115040/http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/iraq/hostages.html |archivedate=7 August 2006 }}</ref> and supply worker ] (Iraqi.) 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.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/mmedia/apdaily/033104-11v.htm |title=4 Contractors murdered by al Qaeda |work=The Washington Post |date=31 March 2004 |accessdate=23 October 2010}}</ref>
* Torture or killing of members of the ],<ref>{{cite news |author=Sabrina Tavernise|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/19/international/middleeast/19torture.html?ex=1276833600&en=8711248f5a2b9fe6&ei=5088|title=Iraqis Found in Torture House Tell of Brutality of Insurgents|work=The New York Times|date=19 June 2005}}</ref> and assassination of civilians associated with the ], such as ], or the ], such as ] and ], or other foreign civilians, such as those from Kenya.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3920119.stm|title=Iraq kidnappings stun Kenya press|publisher=BBC News|date=23 July 2004 | accessdate=5 January 2010}}</ref>

==Public opinion on the war==
{{Main article|Public opinion on the Iraq War}}

===International opinion===
], where over 150,000 marched]]
According to a January 2007 ] poll of more than 26,000 people in 25 countries, 73% of the global population disapproved of U.S. handling of the Iraq War.<ref>{{cite news |title=World View of U.S.&nbsp;Role Goes from Bad to Worse|publisher=]|date=23 January 2007|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/23_01_07_us_poll.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=23 May 2007}}</ref> A September 2007 poll conducted by the BBC found that two-thirds of the world's population believed the U.S. should withdraw its forces from Iraq.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6981553.stm|publisher=BBC News |title=Most people 'want Iraq pull-out'|date=7 September 2007 | accessdate=5 January 2010}}</ref>

In 2006 it was found that majorities in the UK and Canada believed that the war in Iraq was "unjustified" and&nbsp;– in the UK&nbsp;– were critical of their government's support of U.S.&nbsp;policies in Iraq.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.icmresearch.co.uk/pdfs/2006_july_guardian_july_poll.pdf |title=Guardian July Poll |date=July 2006 |publisher=ICM Research |format=PDF |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527234221/http://www.icmresearch.co.uk/pdfs/2006_july_guardian_july_poll.pdf |archivedate=27 May 2008 |df= }}</ref>

According to polls conducted by the ], four years after the invasion of Iraq, 83% of Egyptians had a negative view of the U.S.&nbsp;role in Iraq; 68% of Saudi Arabians had a negative view; 96% of the Jordanian population had a negative view; 70% of the population of the United Arab Emirates and 76% of the ] population also described their view as negative.<ref>{{cite web|last=Zogby |first=James |publisher=] |date=March 2007 |url=http://www.aaiusa.org/page/-/Polls/2007_poll_four_years_later_arab_opinion.pdf |title=Four Years Later: Arab Opinion Troubled by Consequences of Iraq War |format=PDF |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128061143/http://www.aaiusa.org/page/-/Polls/2007_poll_four_years_later_arab_opinion.pdf |archivedate=28 January 2015 }}</ref> The Pew Global Attitudes Project reports that in 2006 majorities in the ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ] believed the world was safer before the Iraq War and the toppling of Saddam, while pluralities in the ] and ] believe the world is safer without Saddam Hussein.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Pew Research Center|work=Pew Global Attitudes Project|date=28 February 2006|url=http://pewglobal.org/commentary/display.php?AnalysisID=1002|title=India: Pro-America, Pro-Bush}}</ref>

===Iraqi opinion===
] soldier from 2nd Company, 5th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division to let a suspected insurgent free during a raid near ], ]]]

Directly after the invasion, polling suggested that a slight majority supported the U.S. invasion.<ref> The Indian Express</ref> Polls conducted between 2005 and 2007 showed 31–37% of Iraqi's wanted U.S. and other Coalition forces to withdraw once security was restored and that 26–35% wanted immediate withdrawal instead.<ref name="WorldPublicOpinion">{{cite web|url=http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/pdf/sep06/Iraq_Sep06_rpt.pdf |title=The Iraqi Public on the U.S.&nbsp;Presence and the Future of Iraq |format=PDF |publisher=World Public Opinion |date=27 September 2006 |accessdate=23 November 2008 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160824163145/http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/pdf/sep06/Iraq_Sep06_rpt.pdf |archivedate=24 August 2016 |df= }}</ref><ref name="bbcpoll"> conducted by ] for the BBC, ABC News, ARD German TV and USA Today. More than 2,000 people were questioned in more than 450 neighbourhoods and villages across all 18&nbsp;provinces of Iraq between 25 February and 5 March 2007. The margin of error is + or&nbsp;– 2.5%.</ref><ref> (Oil Change International, Institute for Policy Studies, War on Want, PLATFORM and Global Policy Forum)</ref> Despite a majority having previously been opposed to the U.S. presence, 60% of Iraqis opposed American troops leaving directly prior to withdrawal, with 51% saying withdrawal would have a negative effect.<ref> The Indian Express {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111222200328/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iPXciunRc2PXMN3VHyMfi1DIsIuQ |date=22 December 2011 }}</ref><ref> Arab Times {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221193808/http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/158748/reftab/36/Default.aspx |date=21 February 2015 }}</ref> In 2006, a poll conducted on the Iraqi public revealed that 52% of the ones polled said Iraq was going in the right direction and 61% claimed it was worth ousting Saddam Hussein.<ref name="WorldPublicOpinion" />

==Relation to the Global War on Terrorism==
{{Main article|Iraq War and U.S. Global War on Terror}}
{{Further information|Criticism of the War on Terrorism|Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda|Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda timeline}}

Though explicitly stating that Iraq had "nothing" to do with 9/11,<ref>{{Cite book |author= ] |year= 2010 |title= Administration of George W. Bush, 2006: Book II, July 1 to December 31, 2006 |series= ] |location= Washington, DC |publisher= United States Government Printing Office |page= |display-authors=etal}}</ref> erstwhile President George W. Bush consistently referred to the Iraq war as "the central front in the ]", and argued that if the United States pulled out of Iraq, "terrorists will follow us here".<ref>{{cite web |last=Bush|first=President George W.|publisher=The White House|date=9 September 2003|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/09/20030909.html|title=A Central Front in the War on Terror}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Garamone |first=Jim |publisher=American Forces Press Service |date=19 September 2002 |url=http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Sep2002/n09192002_200209194.html |title=Iraq Part of Global War on Terrorism, Rumsfeld Says |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929203848/http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Sep2002/n09192002_200209194.html |archivedate=29 September 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Bush|first=President George W.|url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/08/20060821.html|title=Press Conference by the President|date=21 August 2006|work=Peace in the Middle East|publisher=The White House}}</ref> While other proponents of the war regularly echoed this assertion, as the conflict dragged on, members of the U.S.&nbsp;Congress, the U.S.&nbsp;public, and even U.S.&nbsp;troops questioned the connection between Iraq and the fight against anti-U.S.&nbsp;terrorism. In particular, a consensus developed among intelligence experts that the Iraq war actually increased terrorism. ] expert ] frequently referred to the invasion of Iraq as a "fatal mistake".<ref>{{cite journal|last=Gunaratna|first=Rohan|title=The Post-Madrid Face of Al Qaeda|journal=Washington Quarterly|volume=27|issue=3|date=Summer 2004|url=http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/016366004323090278|doi=10.1162/016366004323090278|page=98}}{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

London's ] concluded in 2004 that the occupation of Iraq had become "a potent global recruitment pretext" for ] and that the invasion "galvanised" al-Qaeda and "perversely inspired insurgent violence" there.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sengupta |first=Kim |title=Occupation Made World Less Safe, Pro-War Institute Says |work=] |date=26 May 2004 |url=http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0526-05.htm |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060920050852/http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0526-05.htm |archivedate=20 September 2006 }}</ref> The U.S. ] concluded in a January 2005 report that the war in Iraq had become a breeding ground for a new generation of terrorists; David Low, the national intelligence officer for transnational threats, indicated that the report concluded that the war in Iraq provided terrorists with "a training ground, a recruitment ground, the opportunity for enhancing technical skills&nbsp;... There is even, under the best scenario, over time, the likelihood that some of the jihadists who are not killed there will, in a sense, go home, wherever home is, and will therefore disperse to various other countries." The Council's chairman ] said, "At the moment, Iraq is a magnet for international terrorist activity."<ref>{{cite news |last=Priest|first=Dana|title=Iraq New Terror Breeding Ground|work=The Washington Post|date=14 January 2005|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7460-2005Jan13.html}}</ref> And the 2006 ], which outlined the considered judgment of all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies, held that "The Iraq conflict has become the 'cause célèbre' for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of U.S. involvement in the ] and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement."<ref>{{cite press release|title=Declassified Key Judgments of the National Intelligence Estimate "Trends in Global Terrorism: Implications for the United States" |publisher=Office of the Director of National Intelligence |date=April 2006 |url=http://www.dni.gov/press_releases/Declassified_NIE_Key_Judgments.pdf |format=PDF |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060930220648/http://www.dni.gov/press_releases/Declassified_NIE_Key_Judgments.pdf |archivedate=30 September 2006 }}</ref>

==Foreign involvement==

===Role of Saudi Arabia and non-Iraqis===
{{see also|Saudi Arabia and terrorism}}
{{bar box
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According to studies, most of the suicide bombers in ] are foreigners, especially ]s.<ref name=suicide-bombers-in-iraq>{{cite news |last=Bernstein-Wax|first=Jessica|title=Studies: Suicide bombers in Iraq are mostly foreigners|url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2007/08/08/18791/studies-suicide-bombers-in-iraq.html |publisher=]|date=8 August 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Glasser|first=Susan B.|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/14/AR2005051401270.html|title='Martyrs' In Iraq Mostly Saudis|work=]|date=15 May 2005}}</ref><ref>See also: Hafez, Mohammed M. . United States Institute of Peace Press. {{ISBN|1601270046}}.</ref>

=== Role of China and Russia ===
As an ally of Iraq, Russia was opposed to the invasion of Iraq. Russia gave information to Saddam's government about the Bush administration's plans. The information included troop deployments, equipment, and their locations.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-provided-iraq-with-details-of-the-uss-planned-invasion-in-2003-2016-4|title=Russia provided Iraq with details of the US's planned invasion in 2003|work=Business Insider|access-date=2017-10-28|language=en}}</ref>

Though the Chinese and Russian governments opposed the Iraq War, both China and Russia have benefited from the Iraq War while suffering none of the losses incurred by the countries that invaded. Two of the biggest Iraqi oil contracts went to China and Russia,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1948787,00.html|title=U.S. Companies Shut Out as Iraq Auctions Its Oil Fields|first=Vivienne|last=Walt|date=19 December 2009|publisher=|accessdate=26 February 2017|via=content.time.com}}</ref> while the war itself allowed China to present itself as an alternative source of investment to the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rubincenter.org/2014/09/ten-years-later-who-won-the-iraq-war-the-us-or-china/|title=TEN YEARS LATER: WHO WON THE IRAQ WAR, THE US OR CHINA?|website=www.rubincenter.org|language=en-US|access-date=2017-10-28}}</ref>

===Iranian involvement===
Although some military intelligence analysts have concluded there is no concrete evidence, U.S. Major General Rick Lynch has claimed that Iran has provided training, weapons, money, and intelligence to Shiite insurgents in Iraq and that up to 150 Iranian intelligence agents, plus members of the ] are believed to be active in Iraq at any given time.<ref>{{cite news |title=Troops Authorized to Kill Iranian Operatives in Iraq |first=Dafna |last=Linzer |date=26 January 2007 |page=A.1 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/25/AR2007012502199.html |work=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/19/AR2007081901394.html |title=Iran Trains Militiamen Inside Iraq, U.S. Says |work=] |date= 20 August 2007|accessdate=23 October 2010 |first=Megan |last=Greenwell}}</ref> Lynch thinks that members of the Iranian ] and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard have trained members of the Qazali terror network in explosives technology and also provided the network with arms, munitions, and military advisors. Many explosive devices, including improvised explosives (]) and explosively-formed projectiles (EFPs), used by insurgents are claimed by Lynch to be Iranian-made or designed.

According to two unnamed U.S.&nbsp;officials, ] is examining the possibility that the ], in which insurgents managed to infiltrate an American base, kill five U.S.&nbsp;soldiers, wound three, and destroy three humvees before fleeing, was supported by Iranians. In a speech on {{Nowrap|31 January 2007}}, Iraqi ] ] stated that Iran was supporting attacks against Coalition forces in Iraq<ref>{{cite news |title=Al-Maliki: Iraq won't be battleground for U.S., Iran |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/01/31/iraq.main/ |publisher=CNN |date=31 January 2007 |accessdate=31 January 2007 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202013010/http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/01/31/iraq.main/ |archivedate=2 February 2007}}</ref> and some Iraqis suspect that the raid may have been perpetrated by the ]'s ] in retaliation for the detention of five Iranian officials by U.S.&nbsp;forces in the northern Iraqi city of ] on {{Nowrap|11 January}}.<ref>{{cite news |title=Iran involvement suspected in Karbala compound attack |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/01/30/iraq.main/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=31 January 2007 |accessdate=31 January 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Robert |last=Baer |authorlink=Robert Baer |title=Are the Iranians Out for Revenge? |url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1583523,00.html?cnn=yes |work=] |date=30 January 2007 |accessdate=31 January 2007}}</ref>

In 2011, U.S. ambassador ] stated "that Iranian proxies accounted for roughly a quarter of US combat casualties in Iraq—around 1,100 deaths and many thousands more injuries."<ref>{{cite news |last=Chulov|first=Martin|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jul/28/qassem-suleimani-iran-iraq-influence|title=Qassem Suleimani: the Iranian general 'secretly running' Iraq|newspaper=The Guardian|date=2011-07-28|accessdate=2014-08-20}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal |Iraq |Military of the United States |War |2000s|2010s}}
{{colbegin||20em}}
* ] (associated with ] in 2010)
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* '']''
{{colend}}

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|group=nb}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last=Bellavia|first=David|title=House to House: An Epic Memoir of War|year=2007|publisher=]|isbn=978-1416574712|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=74DRCVfzqkgC&dq=House+to+House:+an+Epic+of+Urban+Warfare&source=gbs_navlinks_s}}
* {{cite news |author=Dexter Filkins |title=General Principles: How good was David Petraeus? |work=The New Yorker |date=17 December 2012 |pages=76–81 |url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/12/17/general-principles}}
* {{cite book |last=Gates |first=Robert M. |authorlink=Robert M. Gates |title=] |publisher=]
|year=2014 |location=New York |isbn=9780307959478}} 318 pages
* {{cite book |last=Gordon|first=Michael R.|title=Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq|year=2006|publisher=Pantheon|isbn=978-1557782328|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CyuUZlAFXHUC&dq=michael+gordon+cobra+II&source=gbs_navlinks_s}}
* {{cite book |last=Larson|first=Luke S.|title=Senator's Son: An Iraq War Novel|year=2008|publisher=Key Edition Incorporated|location=Phoenix, Arizona|isbn=978-1449969868|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bLJ0dUsDjuoC&dq=Senator's+Son:+An+Iraq+War+Novel&source=gbs_navlinks_s}}
* {{cite book |last=North|first=Richard|title=Ministry of Defeat: The British War in Iraq 2003–2009|year=2009|publisher=Continuum Publishing Corporation|isbn=978-1441169976}}
* {{cite book |title=Counterinsurgency in Iraq (2003–2006)|year=2008|publisher=Rand Corporation|location=Santa Monica, CA|isbn=978-0-8330-4297-2|author=Bruce R. Pirnie|author2=Edward O'Connell}}
* {{cite book |title=Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq|year=2006|publisher=Penguin|isbn=9781594201035|url=https://books.google.com/books/about/Fiasco.html?id=7s-uIICROyYC|author=]}}
* {{cite report |title=A Bitter Legacy: Lessons of Debaathification in Iraq|url= https://www.ictj.org/publication/bitter-legacy-lessons-de-baathification-iraq| publisher =International Center for Transitional Justice}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikinews category|Iraq War}}
{{Wikiquote}}

*
* : total U.S.&nbsp;cost of the Iraq War
* , by Rupert Cornwell, '']'', March 2007
* , GulfWarrior.org
* on the evening of 19 March 2003, announcing war against Iraq.
* : The Second U.S. – Iraq War (2003– )
* "''''". Zogby International, 10 September 2003.
* . Chronological polls of Americans 18 and older
* pdf Legal dissertation by Thomas Dyhr from University of Copenhagen.
* , a ''Guardian'' and ''Observer'' archive in words and pictures documenting the human and political cost, ''The Guardian'', April 2009.
* . ].
*

{{Iraq War}}
{{War on Terrorism}}
{{Armed Iraqi groups in the Iraq War and the Iraq Civil War}}
{{Middle East conflicts}}
{{American conflicts}}
{{Iraq topics}}
{{United States topics}}
{{US history}}
{{Post-Cold War Asian conflicts}}
{{Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant}}

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