War in Iraq Began in 2003; Saddam Hussein was the president of Iraq
Dec 30, 2015
War in IraqBegan in 2003;
Saddam Hussein was the president of Iraq
The Background
• 1980-88 War between Iran and Iraq.
• The U.S. secretly supported Iran with weapons sales (Iran-Contra Scandal!), and more openly supported Iraq.
• Iran was a theocracy, led by radical Ayatollah Khomeini
• Under Saddam Hussein, Iraq was a secular state.
Kurds
• Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons against the Kurds, an ethnic minority in northern Iraq
Persian Gulf War, 1991
• Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait
• The U.S. and many countries in the United Nations attacked Iraq and drove the Iraqis out of Kuwait
• The war lasted 6 weeks; Saddam Hussein surrendered.
1991-2003
• As part of the peace agreement, Saddam Hussein had to allow the United Nations to send in weapons inspectors, who were looking for Weapons of Mass Destruction.
• Saddam Hussein tried to avoid these inspections regularly for 12 years
Weapons of Mass Destruction
• Nuclear weapons—Iraq was not accused of having these but was apparently working on developing one
• Biological weapons (example—anthrax or other deadly diseases that could be used against millions of people)
• Chemical weapons (example—mustard gas or cyanide--chemicals that cause severe burns, suffocation, death)
Operation Iraqi Freedom
• The U.S. attacked Iraq in 2003 because we believed Saddam Hussein was hiding weapons of mass destruction. No such weapons have been found since the US invasion.
• Baghdad is the capital of Iraq.
What happened to Saddam?
• He fled from Baghdad.
• He was later found and arrested.
• He was put on trial for crimes against his own people (killing 148 Shiites).
• He was found guilty and hanged.
Troop Surge• In summer 2007,
President Bush sent thousands more troops to try to end the violence in Iraq and establish peace and security.
• By a year later, most people agreed the troop surge was successful in reducing violence by insurgents, or rebels.
Iraqi Government• Iraq had its first
democratic elections in 2005
• The 2010 elections ended without a clear majority: Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and President Allawi are from opposing parties.
• It took 9 months after the February election for them to form a coalition government.
Troop Withdrawal
• US combat operations officially ended in August 2010
• A full withdrawal took place in December 2011. About 200 U.S. military personnel will stay in Baghdad as members of the U.S. diplomatic mission.
• 4,486 US troops died in Iraq since 2003
Why did we stay so long in Iraq?
• Helped end civil war between Sunnis and Shiites, both trying to control Iraq
• U.S. was trying to keep peace and establish security, supporting the elected Iraqi government
• We will continue to give support through our Embassy