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The Beginning
President George W. Bush announces that U.S. Soldiers have begun a military operation in Iraq. The President then states that the initial air strike to decapitate Iraq's leadership failed but cleared a way for U.S. Troops -
Iraqi Regime Under Pressure
U.S., U.K. and coalition forces overwhelm the Iraqi forces. Though they miss the people that will form insurgencies afterwards. Three weeks after the invasion, U.S. Soldiers pull down a statue of Saddam in Baghdad. -
End of Combat Operations
In may of 2003 President George W. Bush declared an end of Combat Operations in Iraq. But this did not mean it was over -
Iraqi Army Disarmed/Disbanded
For only being two weeks on the job L. Paul Bremer III, Head of the coalition provisional authority in Iraq, signs an order disbanding the Iraqi army. -
Saddam's Sons Killed
In June 22nd 2003, A raid took place in the northern city of Mosul and U.S. Troops shot and killed Saddam's Sons, Uday and Qusay. -
Suicide Bombing
On August 19th 2003 A suicide bomber driving a concrete mixer filled with explosives rushes to the UN building and explodes, destroying everything in the process as well as killing top UN officials. -
Saddam Captured
On The 14th of December U.S. Soldiers found Saddam hiding in a hole near his childhood home in Tikrit. They take him in hopes that violence with stop. -
Waves of suicide bombings
Al-Qaeda mounts waves of suicide bombings against Shiite Muslim Holy Sites in Baghdad and Karbala. -
Battle for Fallujah
Iraq's national election is coming up and fifteen thousand U.S. and Iraqi service members join to meet insurgents in their stronghold in central Iraq. With that 38 U.S. Troops die and 6 Iraqi's die with at least 800 civilian casualties while 1,200 insurgents died as well. -
Iraqi Elections come to a close
Once the elections were done the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance came into power and later it brings Nouri al-Maliki to the position of prime minister. -
Saddam Is Executed
On December 30th 2006 Saddam, A former dictator ruling for a quarter of a century is brought to trial and hanged to death while clutching a Quran. -
General Visits Iraq
On February 10th 2007 A General by the name of David H. Petraeus just got out of leading the rewriting of the U.S. Counterinsurgency strategy, assumes command of U.S. Forces. He then proceeds to put a heavy security situation in Iraq following Iran being accused of supplying Shiite Muslims with bombs -
The Casualties
In 2007 alone around 900 U.S. Servicemembers died while in Iraq, making it the deadliest yet for the U.S. Soldiers. -
Crackdown on Shiite Militias
Baghdad and the Port city Basra erupt in violence as loyalists to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr attack U.S. and Iraqi security forces. In Response Prime Minister Maliki launches a crackdown on those militants. -
Obama wins the White House
Barack Obama, campaigning on a vow to withdraw combat troops in Iraq within sixteen months of taking office, is elected the forty-fourth President of the United States on November 4th. -
The Drawdown Begins
Making good on a campaign pledge, President Obama announces plans to remove combat brigades from Iraq by August 2010. -
U.S. Troops withdraw from cities
U.S. combat troops withdraw from Baghdad and other Iraqi cities in accordance with a status of Forces agreement. More than 150 U.S. bases and outposts were shut down. -
Combat Operations End
After seven more years of war, 4,400 U.S. Casualties, and tens of thousands of Iraqis killed, The United States finally ends its combat mission in Iraq. -
Ending the War
In accordance with prior security agreements, Obama announces that the remaining thirty-nine thousand U.S. Troops will return from Iraq by the end of 2011. -
Final U.S. Troops Leave
The last U.S. Troops leave Iraq, ending a nearly nine year military-mission. Since 2003, more than one million airmen, soldiers, sailors, and Marines served in the country. The costs of the conflict were high: 800 billion from the U.S. Department of Treasury, with nearly 4,500 and well over 100,000 Iraqis killed. U.S. Troops brought the mission to an official close with a ceremony in Baghdad.