George W. Bush Announces "Operation Iraqi Freedom"
It was on March 19, 2003 (9 years ago today) that President George W. Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq, beginning what the US government termed "Operation Iraqi Freedom". A combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and ended the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations. The invasion concluded with the capture of the Iraq capital Baghdad by United States forces.
The initial invasion phase lasted from March 19th to April 9th, 2003. The United States supplied 148,000 troops, along with 45,000 from the United Kingdom, 2000 from Australia and 194 from Poland. In preparation, 100,000 U.S. troops were assembled in Kuwait by February 18th. The United States also received support from Kurdish irregulars in Iraqi Kurdistan.
According to President Bush, the purpose of the mission was "to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, to end Saddam Hussein's support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people." But many were skeptical of Bush's intentions. Richard Clarke, the former chief counter-terrorism adviser on the National Security Council, has accused President Bush of coming into office with a plan to invade Iraq. In 2005, the Central Intelligence Agency released a report saying that no weapons of mass destruction had been found in Iraq.
At the time the war was supported by a majority of the American public. In a January 2003 CBS poll 64% of those Americans polled approved of military action against Iraq. Internationally however the invasion of Iraq was strongly opposed by some traditional U.S. allies, including the governments of France, Germany, New Zealand, and Canada, whose leaders argued that there was no evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. On February 15, 2003, worldwide protests against the Iraq war were organized, including a rally of three million people in Rome, which is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest ever anti-war rally. Some sources estimate that between January and April of 2003, 36 million people across the globe took part in almost 3,000 protests against the Iraq war.
The invasion was preceded by an air strike on the Presidential Palace in Baghdad on 19 March 2003. The following day coalition forces launched an incursion into Basra Province from their massing point close to the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border. While the special forces launched an amphibious assault from the Persian Gulf to secure Basra and the surrounding petroleum fields, the main invasion army moved into southern Iraq, occupying the region and engaging in the Battle of Nasiriyah on March 23rd. Massive air strikes across the country threw the defending army into chaos and prevented an effective resistance. On March 26th the 173rd Airborne Brigade was airdropped near the northern city of Kirkuk where they joined forces with Kurdish rebels and fought several actions against the Iraqi army to secure the northern part of the country. The main body of coalition forces continued their drive into the heart of Iraq and met with little resistance. Most of the Iraqi military was quickly defeated and Baghdad was occupied on April 9th. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and the central leadership went into hiding as the coalition forces completed the occupation of the country. On 1 May an end of major combat operations was declared, ending the invasion period and beginning the military occupation period.
Following is a YouTube video of President Bush announcing the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom on March 19, 2003.
The initial invasion phase lasted from March 19th to April 9th, 2003. The United States supplied 148,000 troops, along with 45,000 from the United Kingdom, 2000 from Australia and 194 from Poland. In preparation, 100,000 U.S. troops were assembled in Kuwait by February 18th. The United States also received support from Kurdish irregulars in Iraqi Kurdistan.
According to President Bush, the purpose of the mission was "to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, to end Saddam Hussein's support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people." But many were skeptical of Bush's intentions. Richard Clarke, the former chief counter-terrorism adviser on the National Security Council, has accused President Bush of coming into office with a plan to invade Iraq. In 2005, the Central Intelligence Agency released a report saying that no weapons of mass destruction had been found in Iraq.
At the time the war was supported by a majority of the American public. In a January 2003 CBS poll 64% of those Americans polled approved of military action against Iraq. Internationally however the invasion of Iraq was strongly opposed by some traditional U.S. allies, including the governments of France, Germany, New Zealand, and Canada, whose leaders argued that there was no evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. On February 15, 2003, worldwide protests against the Iraq war were organized, including a rally of three million people in Rome, which is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest ever anti-war rally. Some sources estimate that between January and April of 2003, 36 million people across the globe took part in almost 3,000 protests against the Iraq war.
The invasion was preceded by an air strike on the Presidential Palace in Baghdad on 19 March 2003. The following day coalition forces launched an incursion into Basra Province from their massing point close to the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border. While the special forces launched an amphibious assault from the Persian Gulf to secure Basra and the surrounding petroleum fields, the main invasion army moved into southern Iraq, occupying the region and engaging in the Battle of Nasiriyah on March 23rd. Massive air strikes across the country threw the defending army into chaos and prevented an effective resistance. On March 26th the 173rd Airborne Brigade was airdropped near the northern city of Kirkuk where they joined forces with Kurdish rebels and fought several actions against the Iraqi army to secure the northern part of the country. The main body of coalition forces continued their drive into the heart of Iraq and met with little resistance. Most of the Iraqi military was quickly defeated and Baghdad was occupied on April 9th. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and the central leadership went into hiding as the coalition forces completed the occupation of the country. On 1 May an end of major combat operations was declared, ending the invasion period and beginning the military occupation period.
Following is a YouTube video of President Bush announcing the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom on March 19, 2003.