Iraq War Begins
The United States and a “coalition of the willing” invaded Iraq on March 20, 2003, toppling Saddam Hussein in three weeks. The stated justifications — weapons of mass destruction and links to Al-Qaeda — proved false. The occupation was plagued by de-Baathification, the dissolution of the Iraqi army, a Sunni insurgency, and sectarian civil war (2006-2008). The war killed over 100,000 Iraqi civilians, created the conditions for ISIS's emergence, and fractured the Western alliance. It is widely regarded as one of the most consequential strategic failures in modern American history.
- Year: 2003 CE
- Category: Military
