Reference Entry
IRAQ WAR BEGINS
In the wake of the September 11th attacks and years of tense inspections and sanctions, the United States and a coalition of partners confronted Iraq over weapons of mass destruction and compliance with international demands. After issuing a final ultimatum to Saddam Hussein’s regime, American forces launched the opening strikes of what would become known as the Iraq War on March 19th, 2003.
Dated Historical Context
A RECORDED MOMENT IN HISTORY
The Iraq War begins
In the wake of the September 11th attacks and years of tense inspections and sanctions, the United States and a coalition of partners confronted Iraq over weapons of mass destruction and compliance with international demands. After issuing a final ultimatum to Saddam Hussein’s regime, American forces launched the opening strikes of what would become known as the Iraq War on March 19th, 2003. Cruise missiles and aircraft hit leadership and command targets in and around Baghdad, while ground forces prepared to push north from Kuwait in the hours that followed. Within weeks, Iraqi government control in major cities collapsed and conventional resistance crumbled, but the conflict did not end with the fall of Baghdad. A prolonged insurgency, sectarian violence, and multiple phases of counterinsurgency and stabilization operations placed heavy demands on soldiers, Marines, aircrews, and sailors. The war’s effects on strategy, force structure, and veterans’ lives continue to shape American military history in the twenty-first century.
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