Timeline of the Iraq War

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Timeline of the Iraq War

Contents 1 1991-2003: U.N. Inspectors and the no-fly zones 2 2001-2003: Iraq disarmament crisis 3 2003: Invasion 3.1 April 2003: Coalition Provisional Authority and the Iraq Survey Group 3.1.1 May 2003: "End of major combat" 3.2 December 2003: Saddam captured 4 2004: The insurgency expands 4.1 April 2004: The First Battle of Fallujah 4.2 June 2004: Iraqi Interim government and the Battle of Najaf 4.3 November 2004: The Second Battle of Fallujah 5 2005: Elections and sovereignty transferred to Iraqi Transitional Government 5.1 August 2005: Increasing instability and renewed fighting 5.2 December 2005: Iraqi legislative election 6 2006: Permanent Iraqi government and possible outbreak of civil war 6.1 February 2006: Al-Askari shrine bombing and Sunni-Shia fighting 6.2 May 2006: Permanent Iraqi Government takes power 6.3 June 2006: al-Maliki proposes U.S. withdrawal plan 6.4 Fall 2006: Increased sectarian violence 6.5 November 2006: Change at the Pentagon, Sadr City bombing 6.6 December 2006: Iraq Study Group report and Saddam's execution 7 2007: U.S. troop surge 7.1 Early 2007: Bush's "new way forward" confronts Iran and greater demands on troops 7.2 March 2007 7.3 April 2007 7.3.1 April 10: Baghdad Wall 7.3.2 April 12: Bombing strikes the Iraqi parliament 7.3.3 April 18: Disagreement in Washington 7.3.4 April 23: Baghdad Wall 7.3.5 April 29: Anbar Province 7.4 May 2007 7.4.1 May 8: Iraqi lawmakers reject occupation 7.4.2 May 9: VP Cheney's second visit to Baghdad 7.4.3 May 10: G.O.P. moderates warn Bush Iraq must show gains 7.4.4 May 14: Changing political loyalties 7.4.5 Increased Fighting just outside Baghdad 7.4.6 May 25: Congress extends funding for the war 8 References 9 External links

[edit] 1991-2003: U.N. Inspectors and the no-fly zones

See also: Operation Northern Watch, and Oil-for-Food Programme

Following the 1991 Gulf War, the United Nations mandated that Iraqi chemical, biological, nuclear, and long range missile programs be halted and all such weapons destroyed under a U.N. verification program. U.N. weapons inspectors inside Iraq were able to verify the destruction of a large amount of WMD-material, but substantial issues remained unresolved after they left Iraq in 1998 due to the lack of cooperation by the Iraqi government.

In addition to the inspection regime, the United States and the United Kingdom (along with France until 1998) had been engaged in a low-level conflict with Iraq, by enforcing northern and southern Iraqi no-fly zones. These zones were created following the Persian Gulf War to protect the northern Kurd areas and the southern Shia areas. Iraqi air-defense installations and American and British air patrols constantly exchanged fire during this period.

Approximately nine months after the 9/11 attacks, the United States initiated Operation Southern Focus as a change to its response strategy, by increasing the overall number of missions and selecting targets throughout the no-fly zones in order to disrupt the military command structure in Iraq. The weight of bombs dropped increased from none in March 2002 and 0.3 in April 2002 to between 8 and 14 tons per month in May-August, reaching a pre-war peak of 54.6 tons in September 2002.

[edit] 2001-2003: Iraq disarmament crisis

Main articles: Iraq disarmament crisis timeline 2001-2003 and 2002 in Iraq

See also: Governments' pre-war positions on invasion of Iraq, Public relations preparations for 2003 invasion of Iraq, and American government position on invasion of Iraq

The issue of Iraq's disarmament reached a crisis in 2002-2003, when U.S. President George W. Bush demanded a complete end to alleged Iraqi production and use of weapons of mass destruction and that Iraq comply with UN Resolutions requiring UN inspectors unfettered access to areas those inspectors thought might have weapons production facilities. Iraq had been banned by the United Nations from developing or possessing such weapons since the 1991 Gulf War. It was also required to permit inspections to confirm Iraqi compliance. Bush repeatedly backed demands for unfettered inspection and disarmament with threats of invasion.

After further action by the U.N. Security Council, Iraq reluctantly agreed to new inspections in late 2002. The inspectors didn't find any WMD stockpiles, but they did not view Iraqi declarations as credible either.

In early 2003, the United States, United Kingdom, and Spain proposed another resolution on Iraq, which they called the "eighteenth resolution" to give Iraq a deadline to comply with previous resolutions before a possible military intervention. This proposed resolution was subsequently withdrawn for lack of support on the U.N. Security Council. In particular, NATO members France and Germany, together with Russia, were opposed to a military intervention in Iraq, on the ground that it would be very risky, in terms of security, for the international community, and defended a diplomatic process of disarmament. On January 20, 2003, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin declared "...we believe that military intervention would be the worst solution".^[1]

In March 2003 the U.S. government announced that "diplomacy has failed" and that it would proceed with a coalition of allied countries, named the "coalition of the willing", to rid Iraq of its alleged weapons of mass destruction. In the same month the U.S. government also advised U.N. weapons inspectors to begin pulling out of Baghdad. Iraq's disarmament was supported by a majority of Congress, who passed the Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq on the 11 October 2002. This authorization was used by the Bush Administration as the legal basis for the United States to invade Iraq.

On September 16, 2004 Kofi Annan, the Secretary General of the United Nations, speaking on the invasion, said, "I have indicated it was not in conformity with the UN charter. From our point of view, from the charter point of view, it was illegal."^[2]

[edit] 2003: Invasion

Main articles: 2003 in Iraq, 2003 Iraq war timeline, and List of people associated with the 2003 invasion of Iraq

See also: Coalition military operations of the Iraq War, Iraq War order of battle

The 2003 invasion of Iraq began on March 20, under the U.S. codename "Operation Iraqi Freedom." The British military's codename for their participation in the invasion was called Operation Telic. The coalition forces cooperated with Kurdish peshmerga forces in the north. Approximately forty other nations, dubbed the "coalition of the willing", also participated by providing equipment, services and security as well as special forces. The initial coalition military forces were roughly 300,000, of which 98% were U.S. and British troops.[6] The invasion, on March 20, 2003, marked the beginning of the war.

[edit] April 2003: Coalition Provisional Authority and the Iraq Survey Group

See also: Iraqi Governing Council, International Advisory and Monitoring Board, CPA Program Review Board, Development Fund for Iraq, Reconstruction of Iraq

Shortly after the invasion, the multinational coalition created the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) سلطة الائتلاف الموحدة, based in the Green Zone, as a transitional government of Iraq until the establishment of a democratic government. Citing UN Security Council Resolution 1483 (2003), and the laws of war, the CPA vested itself with executive, legislative, and judicial authority over the Iraqi government from the period of the CPA's inception on April 21, 2003, until its dissolution on June 28, 2004.

The CPA was originally headed by Jay Garner, a former U.S. military officer, but his appointment lasted for only a brief time. After Garner resigned, President Bush appointed L. Paul Bremer as the head the CPA and he served until the CPA's dissolution in July 2004. Another group created in the spring of 2003 was the Iraq Survey Group (ISG). This was a fact-finding mission sent by the multinational force in Iraq after the 2003 Invasion of Iraq to find weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programmes developed by Iraq under the regime of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Its final report is commonly called the Duelfer Report. It consisted of a 1,400-member international team organised by The Pentagon and CIA to hunt for suspected stockpiles of WMD, such as chemical and biological agents, and any supporting research programmes and infrastructure that could be used to develop WMD. The ISG has been unable to find these.

[edit] May 2003: "End of major combat"

Main article: Post-invasion Iraq, 2003–2007

Further information: U.S. list of most-wanted Iraqis

On May 1, 2003, President Bush staged a dramatic visit to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln while the ship was a few miles west of San Diego. The Lincoln was on its way home to Everett, Washington from a long deployment which had included service in the Persian Gulf. The visit climaxed at sunset with his now well-known "Mission Accomplished" speech. In this nationally-televised speech, delivered before the sailors and airmen on the flight deck, Bush effectively declared victory due to the defeat of Iraq's conventional forces. However, Saddam Hussein remained at large and significant pockets of resistance remained.

After Bush's speech, the coalition military noticed a gradually increasing flurry of attacks on its troops in various regions, especially in the "Sunni Triangle". In the initial chaos after the fall of the Iraqi government, there was massive looting of infrastructure, including government buildings, official residences, museums, banks, and military depots. According to The Pentagon, 250,000 tons (of 650,000 tons total) of ordnance was looted, providing a significant source of ammunition for Iraqi insurgents. The insurgents were further helped by hundreds of weapons caches created by the conventional Iraqi army and Republican Guard beforehand.

Initially, the resistance largely stemmed from fedayeen and loyalists of Saddam Hussein or the Ba'ath Party,^{[citation needed]} but soon religious radicals and Iraqis angered by the occupation contributed to the insurgency. The insurgents are generally known to the Coalition forces as "Anti-Iraqi Forces."

Most initial insurgency was concentrated in the Sunni Triangle, which includes Baghdad.^[3] The three provinces that had the highest number of attacks were Baghdad, Anbar, and Salah Ad Din. -Those 3 provinces account for 35% of the population, but are responsible for 73% of U.S. military deaths (as of December 5, 2006), and an even higher percentage of recent U.S. military deaths (about 80%).^[4] This resistance has been described as a type of guerrilla warfare. Insurgent tactics include mortars, missiles, suicide bombers, snipers (cf. Juba, the Baghdad Sniper), improvised explosive devices (IEDs), roadside bombs, car bombs, small arms fire (usually with assault rifles), and RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades), as well as sabotage against the oil, water, and electrical infrastructure.

Post-invasion Iraq coalition efforts commenced after the fall of the Hussein regime. The coalition nations, together with the United Nations, began to work to establish a stable democratic state capable of defending itself,^[5] holding itself together^[6] as well as overcoming insurgent attacks and internal divisions.

Meanwhile, coalition military forces launched several operations around the Tigris River peninsula and in the Sunni Triangle. A series of similar operations were launched throughout the summer in the Sunni Triangle. Toward the end of 2003, the intensity and pace of insurgent attacks began to increase. A sharp surge in guerrilla attacks ushered in an insurgent effort that was termed the "Ramadan Offensive", as it coincided with the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Coalition forces brought to bear the use of air power for the first time since the end of the invasion. Suspected ambush sites and mortar launching positions were struck from the air and with artillery fire. Surveillance of major routes, patrols, and raids on suspected insurgents were stepped up. In addition, two villages, including Saddam’s birthplace of al-Auja and the small town of Abu Hishma were wrapped in barbed wire and carefully monitored.

However, the failure to restore basic services to above pre-war levels, where over a decade of sanctions, bombing, corruption, and decaying infrastructure had left major cities functioning at much-reduced levels, also contributed to local anger at the IPA government headed by an executive council. On July 2, 2003, President Bush declared that American troops would remain in Iraq in spite of the attacks, challenging the insurgents with "My answer is, bring 'em on", a line the President later expressed misgivings about having used.^[7] In the summer of 2003, the multinational forces also focused on hunting down the remaining leaders of the former regime. On July 22, 2003, during a raid by the U.S. 101st Airborne Division and soldiers from Task Force 20, Saddam Hussein's sons (Uday and Qusay) and one of his grandsons were killed. In all, over 300 top leaders of the former regime were killed or captured, as well as numerous lesser functionaries and military personnel.

[edit] December 2003: Saddam captured

See also: Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal and Trial of Saddam Hussein

In the wave of intelligence information fueling the raids on remaining Ba'ath Party members connected to insurgency, Saddam Hussein himself was captured on December 13, 2003 on a farm near Tikrit in Operation Red Dawn. The operation was conducted by the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division and members of Task Force 121.

With the capture of Saddam and a drop in the number of insurgent attacks, some concluded the multinational forces were prevailing in the fight against the insurgency. The provisional government began training the New Iraqi Security forces intended to defend the country, and the United States promised over $20 billion in reconstruction money in the form of credit against Iraq's future oil revenues. Oil revenues were also used for rebuilding schools and for work on the electrical and refining infrastructure.

Shortly after the capture of Saddam, elements left out of the Coalition Provisional Authority began to agitate for elections and the formation of an Iraqi Interim Government. Most prominent among these was the Shia cleric Ali al-Sistani. The Coalition Provisional Authority opposed allowing democratic elections at this time, preferring instead to eventually hand-over power to the Interim Iraqi Government.^[8] Due to the internal fight for power in the new Iraqi government more insurgents stepped up their activities. The two most turbulent centers were the area around Fallujah and the poor Shia sections of cities from Baghdad (Sadr City) to Basra in the south.

[edit] 2004: The insurgency expands

Main article: 2004 in Iraq

See also: Military operations of the Iraq War for a list of all Coalition operations for this period, 2004 in Iraq, Iraqi coalition counter-insurgency operations, History of Iraqi insurgency, United States occupation of Fallujah, Iraq Spring Fighting of 2004

The start of 2004 was marked by a relative lull in violence. Insurgent forces reorganised during this time, studying the multinational forces' tactics and planning a renewed offensive. Guerrilla attacks were less intense. However, in late 2004 foreign fighters from around the Middle East as well as al-Qaeda in Iraq (an affiliated al-Qaeda group), led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi would help to drive the insurgency.

As the insurgent activity increased, there was a distinct change in targeting from the coalition forces towards the new Iraqi Security Forces, as hundreds of Iraqi civilians and police were killed over the next few months in a series of massive bombings. One hypothesis for these increased bombings is that the relevance of Saddam Hussein and his followers was diminishing in direct proportion to the influence of radical Islamists, both foreign and Iraqi. An organised Sunni insurgency, with deep roots and both nationalist and Islamist motivations, was becoming more powerful throughout Iraq. The Mahdi Army also began launching attacks on coalition targets in an attempt to seize control from Iraqi security forces. The southern and central portions of Iraq were beginning to erupt in urban guerrilla combat as multinational forces attempted to keep control and prepared for a counteroffensive.

The coalition and the Coalition Provisional Authority decided to face the growing insurgency with a pair of assaults: one on Fallujah, the center of the "Mohammed's Army of Al-Ansar", and another on Najaf, home of an important mosque that had become the focal point for the Mahdi Army and its activities.

On March 31, 2004 - Iraqi insurgents in Fallujah ambushed a convoy containing four American private military contractors from Blackwater USA who were conducting delivery for food caterers ESS.^[9] The four armed contractors, Scott Helvenston, Jerko Zovko, Wesley Batalona and Michael Teague, were killed with grenades and small arms fire, their bodies dragged from their vehicles, beaten and set ablaze. Their burned corpses were then dragged through the streets before being hung over a bridge crossing the Euphrates.^[10] Photos of the event were released to news agencies worldwide, causing a great deal of indignation and moral outrage in the United States, and prompting the announcement of an upcoming "pacification" of the city.

[edit] April 2004: The First Battle of Fallujah

After this incident, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force began plans to re-establish a coalition presence in Fallujah. On April 4, the multinational forces began assaults to clear Fallujah of insurgents. On April 9, the multinational force allowed more than 70,000 women, children and elderly residents to leave the besieged city, reportedly also allowing males of military age to leave. Meanwhile, insurgents were taking advantage of the lull in combat to prepare defenses for a second assault. On April 10, the military declared a unilateral truce to allow for humanitarian supplies to enter Fallujah. Troops pulled back to the outskirts of the city; local leaders reciprocated the ceasefire, although lower-level intense fighting on both sides continued. During the assault, U.S. forces used white phosphorus as one of the weapons on the insurgents. This use of an incendiary weapon attracted controversy.

When the Iraqi Governing Council protested against the U.S. assault to retake Fallujah, the U.S. military halted its efforts. In the April battle for Fallujah, Coalition troops killed about 600 insurgents and a number of civilians, while 40 Americans died and hundreds were wounded in a fierce battle. The Marines were ordered to stand-down and cordon off the city, maintaining a perimeter around Fallujah. A compromise was reached in order to ensure security within Fallujah itself by creating the local "Fallujah Brigade". While the Marines attacking had a clear advantage in ground firepower and air support, LtGen Conway decided to accept a truce and a deal which put a former Ba'athist general in complete charge of the town's security. The Fallujah Brigade's responsibility was to secure Fallujah and put a stop to insurgent mortar attacks on the nearby U.S. Marine bases. This compromise soon fell apart and insurgent attacks returned, causing Marine commanders to begin preparations for a second attack in the coming fall. By the end of the spring uprising, the cities of Fallujah, Samarra, Baquba, and Ramadi had been left under guerrilla control with coalition patrols in the cities at a minimum.^{[citation needed]}

Meanwhile, the fighting continued in the Shiite south, and Italian and Polish forces were having increasing difficulties retaining control over Nasiriya and Najaf. United States Marines were then shifted there to put down the overt rebellion and proceeded to rout Muqtada al-Sadr's Shiite militia. In all, April, May and early June saw more fighting. Over the next three months, the multinational forces took back the southern cities. Also, various insurgent leaders entered into negotiations with the provisional government to lay down arms and enter the political process.

[edit] June 2004: Iraqi Interim government and the Battle of Najaf

On June 28, 2004, the Coalition Provisional Authority transferred the "sovereignty" of Iraq to a caretaker government, whose first act was to begin the trial of Saddam Hussein. However, fighting continued in the form of the Iraqi insurgency. The new government began the process of moving towards open elections, though the insurgency and the lack of cohesion within the government itself, had led to delays.

One of the results of this weakened government was an increase in power of the sectarian militias. This was most clearly seen when the religious and militia leader Muqtada al-Sadr took control of the holy city of Najaf. After negotiations broke down between Sadr and the Interim Iraqi government, the government asked the Coalition for help in dislodging him. So in July and August, coalition forces and the Mahdi Army fought in the Battle of Najaf which culminated in the siege of the Imam Ali Mosque. Fighting ended only after a peace deal brokered by Grand Ayatollah Sistani in late August.

[edit] November 2004: The Second Battle of Fallujah

Further information: United States occupation of Fallujah

The First Battle of Fallujah in April 2004 created an area of extreme instability and a de facto insurgent safe zone. After several months of this situation, in November 2004 coalition forces attacked and successfully captured Fallujah in the Second Battle of Fallujah. This battle resulted in the reputed death of around 1,200 insurgent fighters. The U.S. Marines (the main coalition force in combat) also took substantial casualties with 95 dead and around 500 wounded in action. According to local sources, hundreds of civilians were also killed and much of the city was destroyed in the battle.

[edit] 2005: Elections and sovereignty transferred to Iraqi Transitional Government

Main article: 2005 in Iraq

On January 31, Iraqis elected the Iraqi Transitional Government in order to draft a permanent constitution. Although some violence and lack of widespread Sunni Arab participation marred the event, most of the eligible Kurd and Shia populace participated. On February 4, Paul Wolfowitz announced that 15,000 U.S. troops whose tours of duty had been extended in order to provide election security would be pulled out of Iraq by the next month.^[11] February, March and April proved to be relatively peaceful months compared to the carnage of November and January, with insurgent attacks averaging 30 a day from the prior average of 70.

Hopes for a quick end to an insurgency and a withdrawal of U.S. troops were dashed at the advent of May, Iraq's bloodiest month since the invasion by U.S. forces in March and April 2003. Suicide bombers, believed to be mainly disheartened Iraqi Sunni Arabs, Syrians and Saudis, tore through Iraq. Their targets were often Shia gatherings or civilian concentrations mainly of Shias. As a result, over 700 Iraqi civilians died in that month, as well as 79 U.S. soldiers.

During early and mid-May, the U.S. also launched Operation Matador, an assault by around 1,000 Marines in the ungoverned region of western Iraq. Its goal was the closing of suspected insurgent supply routes of volunteers and material from Syria, and with the fight they received their assumption proved correct. Fighters armed with flak jackets (unseen in the insurgency before this time) and using sophisticated tactics met the Marines, eventually inflicting 31 U.S. casualties by the operation's end, and suffering 125 casualties themselves. The Marines were unable to recapture the region due to their limited numbers and the continual insurgent IED attacks and ambushes. The operation continued all the way to the Syrian border, where they were forced to stop (Syrian residents living near the border heard the American bombs very clearly during the operation). The vast majority of these armed and trained insurgents quickly dispersed before the U.S. could bring the full force of its firepower on them, as it did in Fallujah.

[edit] August 2005: Increasing instability and renewed fighting

On August 14, 2005 The Washington Post^[12] quoted one anonymous U.S. senior official expressing that "the United States no longer expects to see a model new democracy, a self-supporting oil industry or a society in which the majority of people are free from serious security or economic challenges... 'What we expected to achieve was never realistic given the timetable or what unfolded on the ground'". On September 22, 2005, Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, said that he had warned the Bush administration in recent days that Iraq was hurtling toward disintegration, and that the election planned for December was unlikely to make any difference.^[13] U.S. officials immediately made statements rejecting this belief.^[14]

[edit] December 2005: Iraqi legislative election

Main article: Iraqi legislative election, December 2005

Following the ratification of the Constitution of Iraq on October 15, 2005, a general election was held on 15 December to elect a permanent 275-member Iraqi National Assembly.

[edit] 2006: Permanent Iraqi government and possible outbreak of civil war

Main article: 2006 in Iraq

The beginning of 2006 was marked by government creation talks, growing sectarian violence, and continuous anti-coalition attacks. The United Nations has recently described the environment in Iraq as a "civil war-like situation."^[15] A 2006 study by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has estimated that more than 601,000 Iraqis have died in violence since the U.S. invasion and that fewer than one third of these deaths came at the hands of Coalition forces.^[16] The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Iraqi government estimate that more than 365,000 Iraqis have been displaced since the bombing of the al-Askari Mosque, bringing the total number of Iraqi refugees to more than 1.6 million.^[17]

[edit] February 2006: Al-Askari shrine bombing and Sunni-Shia fighting

On February 22, 2006, at 6:55 a.m. local time (0355 UTC) high detonation explosives planted around the golden dome of Samarra's Askari shrine were set off by a group of eight militants led by local al Qaeda leader Haitham al-Badri, according to the National Security Adviser. The men, apparently disguised in security uniform, tied the shrine's Sunni guards before entering the Al Askari Mosque just after dawn. The explosions at the mosque completely destroyed its golden dome and severely damaged the mosque.^[18]

Shi'ite militiamen across Baghdad expressed their outrage by burning some Sunni mosques and killing dozens, the first time Iraqi Shi'ites had retaliated after two and a half years of bombings, murders and intimidation from crap fighting. Religious leaders of both sides called for calm amid fears this could erupt into a long-feared Sunni-Shia civil war in Iraq.^[19]

On March 2 the director of the Baghdad morgue fled Iraq explaining, "7,000 people have been killed by death squads in recent months."^[20] The Boston Globe reported that around eight times the number of Iraqis killed by terrorist bombings during March 2006 were killed by sectarian death squads during the same period. A total of 1,313 were killed by sectarian militias while 173 were killed by suicide bombings.^[21] The LA Times later reported that about 3,800 Iraqis were killed by sectarian violence in Baghdad alone during the first three months of 2006.^[22] During April 2006, morgue numbers showed that 1,091 Baghdad residents were killed by sectarian executions.^[23] Insurgencies, frequent terrorist attacks and sectarian violence led to harsh criticism of U.S. Iraq policy and fears of a failing state and civil war. The concerns were expressed by several U.S. think tanks^{[24][25][26][27]} as well as the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad.^[28]

In early 2006, a handful of high-ranking retired generals began to demand United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's resignation due in part to the aforementioned chaos that resulted from his management of the war.

[edit] May 2006: Permanent Iraqi Government takes power

Main article: Government of Iraq from 2006

The current government of Iraq took office on May 20, 2006 following approval by the members of the Iraqi National Assembly. This followed the general election in December 2005. The government succeeded the Iraqi Transitional Government which had continued in office in a caretaker capacity until the new government was agreed.

[edit] June 2006: al-Maliki proposes U.S. withdrawal plan

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki proposed a plan for US withdrawal.^[29] The plan includes US troop withdrawal "under conditions that take into account the formation of Iraqi armed forces so as to guarantee Iraq's security", amnesty for all insurgents who attacked U.S. and Iraqi military targets, the release of all security detainees from U.S. and Iraqi prisons, and compensation for victims of coalition military operations. Several US politicians objected to portions of the proposal.

[edit] Fall 2006: Increased sectarian violence

In September 2006, The Washington Post reported that the commander of the Marine forces in Iraq filed "an unusual secret report" concluding that the prospects for securing the Anbar province are dim, and that there is almost nothing the U.S. military can do to improve the political and social situation there.^[30]

Iraq was listed fourth on the 2006 Failed States Index compiled by the American Foreign Policy magazine and the Fund for Peace think-tank. The list was topped by Sudan.^[31][32]

As of October 20 the U.S military announced that Operation Together Forward had failed to stem the tide of violence in Baghdad, and Shiite militants under al-Sadr seized several southern Iraq cities.^[33]

[edit] November 2006: Change at the Pentagon, Sadr City bombing

Main article: 23 November 2006 Sadr City bombings

On November 7, 2006, United States elections removed George W. Bush's Republican Party from control of both the United States House and the Senate. The failings in the Iraq war was cited as one of the main causes for these election results.

On November 23, 2006, the deadliest attack since the beginning of the Iraq war occurred. According to The Associated Press, suspected Sunni-Arab militants used five suicide car bombs and two mortar rounds on the capital's Shiite Sadr City slum to kill at least 215 people and wound 257. Shiite mortar teams quickly retaliated, firing 10 shells at Sunni Islam's most important shrine in Baghdad, badly damaging the Abu Hanifa mosque and killing one person. Eight more rounds slammed down near the offices of the Association of Muslim Scholars, the top Sunni Muslim organisation in Iraq, setting nearby houses on fire. Two other mortar barrages on Sunni neighborhoods in west Baghdad killed nine and wounded 21, police said.^[34]

On November 28, 2006, another Marine Corps intelligence report was released confirming the previous report on Anbar stating that, "U.S. and Iraqi troops 'are no longer capable of militarily defeating the insurgency in al-Anbar,' and 'nearly all government institutions from the village to provincial levels have disintegrated or have been thoroughly corrupted and infiltrated by Al Qaeda in Iraq.'"^[35]

[edit] December 2006: Iraq Study Group report and Saddam's execution

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A bipartisan report by the Iraq Study Group was released on December 6, 2006. The group was led by former secretary of state James Baker and former Democratic congressman Lee Hamilton, and concludes that "the situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating" and "U.S. forces seem to be caught in a mission that has no foreseeable end." The report's 79 recommendations include increasing diplomatic measures with Iran and Syria and intensifying efforts to train Iraqi troops. On December 18, a Pentagon report finds that attacks on Americans and Iraqis average about 960 a week, the highest since the reports began in 2005.^[36]

Coalition forces formally transferred control of a province to the Iraqi government. The shift is the first of its kind since the war began. Military prosecutors charged 8 Marines with the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha that allegedly occurred in November 2005. Ten of the casualties were reported to be women and children. Four officers were also charged with dereliction of duty in relation to the event.^[37]

After being captured in December 2003, Saddam Hussein was hanged on December 30, 2006 after being found guilty of crimes against humanity.^[38]

Also, in December 2006 officials of various Shiite parties formed a coalition favoring reconciliation and met with Ayatollah Al-Sistani, spiritual head of Iraq's Shiite community, to seek his approval for this effort.^[39] Moqtada Al-Sadr, leader of the Mahdi Army, did not initially join this coalition, but eventually decided to join the coalition.^[40][41] This Shiite coalition asserted that their goal was to assert reconciliation, stability and the rule of law, and that private armies would not be continued once the Shiite coalition produced some stability.^[42]

[edit] 2007: U.S. troop surge

Main article: 2007 in Iraq

Further information: 2007 in Iraq, Iraq War troop surge of 2007, and 2007 State of the Union Address

Following the 2006 United States midterm elections in which the Republicans lost control of the United States Congress, the Bush administration attempted to distance itself from its earlier "stay the course" rhetoric.^[43]

[edit] Early 2007: Bush's "new way forward" confronts Iran and greater demands on troops

Further information: Kill or Capture strategy

On January 10, 2007, Bush made a televised address to the American public in which he proposed an increase in the number of troops in Iraq. In his speech, he made references to changes to be made, including a "surge" of 21,500 more troops for Iraq, a job programme for Iraqis, more reconstruction proposals, and 1.2 billion dollars for these programmes.^[44] Asked why he thought his plan would work this time, Bush said: "Because it has to."^[45]

Maintaining higher troop levels in the face of higher casualties required two changes in the army. Tours of duty were increased and the exclusions of volunteers with a history of criminal acts were relaxed. Both of these changes are expected to increase the probability of violence against Iraqi non combatants. A defense department sponsored report^[46] described increased length of tours leading to higher stress which increase manifestations of anger and disrespect for civilians.

The so called Moral Waiver have implications for killing of non combatants: John D. Hutson, dean and president of the Franklin Pierce Law Center in New Hampshire and former judge advocate general of the Navy, said the military must tread carefully in deciding which criminals to accept. There is a reason, he said, why allowing people with criminal histories into the military has long been the exception rather than the rule. If you are recruiting somebody who has demonstrated some sort of antisocial behavior and then you are a putting a gun in their hands, you have to be awfully careful about what you are doing, Mr. Hutson said. You are not putting a hammer in their hands, or asking them to sell used cars. You are potentially asking them to kill people.^[47]

Before and during the Surge, Iran has been taken a more active role in Iraq. Talks between the two nations (Iran and Iraq) have been successful, with Iran even going so far as to build a major Iranian Bank branch inside Iraq.^[48] In reaction to Iran's increased role in Iraq, American troops raided an Iranian liaison office in northern Iraq on 11 January 2007 and detained five employees.^[49] "Around 5.00 a.m., after disarming the guards they (U.S. troops) broke into the office, without giving any explanation and arrested five employees", the official IRNA news agency reported, adding that documents and computers were seized.^[50][51] The fate of the kidnapped Iranian officials is not known.

In addition to confronting Iran, Coalition and Iraqi forces launched a new security plan for Baghdad. Under the new Surge plan, Baghdad is to be divided into ten zones, with Iraqi and American soldiers working side-by-side to "clear and hold" each sector of Shiite militias and Sunni insurgents to stabilise the city. The U.S. military commander in Iraq, David Petraeus, has gone so far as to say Iraq will be 'doomed' if this current plan fails.^[52]

Chlorine bombings in Iraq began in late January 2007, when terrorists in Al Anbar province started using chlorine gas in conjunction with conventional vehicle-borne explosive devices. The inaugural chlorine attacks in Iraq were described as poorly executed, ^[53] however subsequent attacks resulted in hundreds of injuries, causing widespread panic, with large numbers of civilians suffering non life-threatening, but nonetheless highly traumatic, injuries.

In February, Joint Security Stations began to get set up in Baghdad neighborhoods.

On February 21, 2007 British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced that following the success of Operation Sinbad the United Kingdom will reduce its troops in Iraq as it handed off Basra Governorate to the Iraqis. He said that the 7,100 serving troops would be cut to 5,500 in the coming months, with hopes that 500 more will leave by late summer.^[54] He also stated that British forces would remain into 2008 and he did not predict how many troops are likely to be there next year.^[55] Cheney hailed this as proof of success in Iraq. Danish prime ministers Anders Fogh Rasmussen also announced the withdrawal of Danish troops from Iraq. The 450 Danish troops will leave the country in August and will be replaced by a unit of nine soldiers manning four observational helicopters.^[56]

[edit] March 2007

A March 7, 2007 survey of more than 2,000 Iraqis commissioned by the BBC and three other news organisations found that 51% of the population consider attacks on coalition forces "acceptable", up from 17% in 2004 and 35% in 2006. Also:

• 64% described their family's economic situation as being somewhat or very bad, up from 30% in 2005.
• 88% described the availability of electricity as being either somewhat or very bad, up from 65% in 2004.
• 69% described the availability of clean water as somewhat or very bad, up from 48% in 2004.
• 88% described the availability of fuel for cooking and driving as being somewhat or very bad.
• 58% described reconstruction efforts in the area in which they live as either somewhat or very ineffective, and 9% described them as being totally nonexistent.^[57]

By mid-March 2007, violence in Baghdad was reported by US sources close to the military as having been curtailed by 80%.^[58] However, independent reports have raised questions about such assessments. An Iraqi military spokesman claims that civilian deaths since the start of the troop surge plan were 265 in Baghdad, down from 1,440 in the four previous weeks. The New York Times (NYT) has found more than 450 Iraqi civilians were killed during the same 28-day period, based on initial daily reports from Interior Ministry and hospital officials. Historically, the daily counts tallied by the NYT have underestimated the total death toll by 50 percent or more when compared to studies by the United Nations, which rely upon figures from the Iraqi Health Ministry and morgue figures.^[59]

Moqtada al-Sadr issued a statement which urged Iraqis not to cooperate with U.S. forces, and to remain united against occupation.^[60] This was followed by what appears to be a protest by thousands of residents of Sadr City,^[61][62] and by the imposition of a curfew in Hilla south of Baghdad, apparently designed to prevent a similar large protest there.^[63]

Late March, 2007, the US congress passed supplemental funding authorisation bills to pay $122 billion for emergency war operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, including requirements that the US withdraw its troops from Iraq by August, 2008. Bush threatened to veto any bill including such a withdraw provision.^[64]The United States Senate approved on March 30, 2007 the goal of getting all combat soldiers out by March 31, 2008. The Senate's shorter timetable is a goal, not a requirement on Bush and is designed to win the support of centrist Democrats.^[65]

Despite a massive security crackdown in Baghdad associated with the "surge" in coalition troop strength, the monthly death toll in Iraq rose 15 percent in March. 1,869 Iraqi civilians were killed and 2,719 were wounded in March, compared to 1,646 killed and 2,701 wounded in February. In March, 165 Iraqi policemen were killed against 131 the previous month, while 44 Iraqi soldiers died compared to 29 in February. US military deaths in March were nearly double those of the Iraqi army, despite US claims that Iraqi forces led the security crackdown in Baghdad. The death toll among insurgent militants fell to 481 in March, compared to 586 killed in February. However, the number of arrests jumped to 5,664 in March against 1,921 in February.^[66][67]

[edit] April 2007

In a report entitled "Civilians without Protection: The Ever-Worsening Humanitarian Crisis in Iraq", produced well after the stepped-up American-led military operations in Baghdad began February 14, the Red Cross said that millions of Iraqis are in a disastrous situation that is getting worse, with medical professionals fleeing the country after their colleagues were killed or abducted. Mothers are appealing for someone to pick up the bodies on the street so their children will be spared the horror of looking at them on their way to school. Red Cross Director of Operations Pierre Kraehenbuehl said that hospitals and other key services are desperately short of staff, with more than half the doctors said to have already left the country.^[68]

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced that all active-duty Army soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan will serve for sixteen months, instead of the twelve month tours they expected. "Without this action, we would have had to deploy five Army active-duty brigades sooner than the 12-month at-home goal", Gates said.^[69] Statistics released in April indicated that more and more soldiers have been deserting their duty, a sharp rise from the years before.^[70]

After recommendations by Newt Gingrich and others, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley planned to create a high-powered "czar" to oversee the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The new "execution manager", as the position is termed, would talk directly with Army General David Petraeus, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, and others to help make progress on the ground. At least five retired four-star generals have declined to be considered for the post.^[71]

[edit] April 10: Baghdad Wall

On April 10, 2007, the United States military began constructing a 3.5 metre tall concrete wall around the predominantly Sunni Baghdad district of Adhamiyah. (The Guardian) (BBC)

[edit] April 12: Bombing strikes the Iraqi parliament

On April 12, 2007, a suicide bomber detonated a bomb inside the Iraq parliament building, killing at least eight, including three members of Parliament. At least 30 people were wounded in the attack. The bomber struck at lunchtime inside a cafeteria outside of the Parliament chamber. Later reports published from NBC News said that the suicide bomber was a guard for a member of Parliament. The Parliament building was located inside the Green Zone, a heavily fortified section of Baghdad. The bombing was videotaped by Alhurra television while a member of Parliament was being interviewed during the lunch hour. Bush and the State Department quickly condemned the bombings, with Bush reiterating that "we stand with [Iraq]." ^[72]

The Iraqi parliament attack followed another bombing that destroyed the Al-Sarafiya bridge, a 75-year old bridge in Baghdad spanning the Tigris River, that was constructed by the British. The bridge connected the Sunni neighborhood of Waziriyah with the Shiite area of Utafiyah and was bombed by suicide truck bombs, according to the Associated Press.^[73]

Iraqi Forces took charge of security in the region of Maysan on 18 April 2007. It borders Iran and is the fourth province which came under full Iraqi security control since the 2003 U.S. invasion.^[74]

[edit] April 18: Disagreement in Washington

President Bush met with House and Senate leaders in the White House for nearly an hour, for the first time since the House and Senate passed emergency Iraq spending bills to end the war. Democrats said they would send the president legislation by the end of next week, even though he said he is going to veto it. Bush was taken aback and became angry when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid compared the war to the Vietnam War, and didn’t like to hear people in the room say that the war couldn’t be won militarily. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said the meeting was productive.^[75]

[edit] April 23: Baghdad Wall

On April 23, 2007, the Prime Minister of Iraq, Nouri Maliki, called for construction to be halted on the three-mile wall being built by the United States military around the predominantly Sunni Baghdad district of Adhamiyah (The Guardian) (BBC). The Prime Minister emphasised that he "oppose[s] the building of the wall, and its construction will stop." ^[76]

[edit] April 29: Anbar Province

An April 29 New York Times article entitled, "Anbar province revitalized as it tames insurgents", [7] describes the long troubled province of Anbar as, "undergoing a surprising transformation. Violence is ebbing in many areas, shops and schools are reopening, police forces are growing and the insurgency appears to be in retreat." "Yet for all the indications of a heartening turnaround in Anbar, the situation, as it appeared during more than a week spent with American troops in Ramadi and Fallujah in early April, is at best uneasy and fragile."

[edit] May 2007

[edit] May 8: Iraqi lawmakers reject occupation

More than half of the members of Iraq's parliament rejected the continuing occupation of their country for the first time. 144 of the 275 lawmakers signed onto a legislative petition that would require the Iraqi government to seek approval from parliament before it requests an extension of the U.N. mandate for foreign forces to be in Iraq expiring at the end of 2007. It also calls for a timetable for the troop withdrawal and a freeze on the size of the foreign forces. The U.N. Security Council mandate for U.S.-led forces in Iraq will terminate "if requested by the government of Iraq."^[77] Under Iraqi law, the speaker must present a resolution called for by a majority of lawmakers.^[78] 59% of those polled in the U.S. support a timetable for withdrawal.^[79]

[edit] May 9: VP Cheney's second visit to Baghdad

Keeping up the Bush administration’s drumbeat of pressure on Iraqi leaders, Mr. Cheney began his tour of the Middle East with a previously unannounced visit to Baghdad, his second since the invasion. In 12 hours of meetings with Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki and other leaders, he urged the Iraqis to act decisively on issues that have divided Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds, and he told them that political progress in Baghdad is essential if American military support is to be sustained in the face of strong Congressional and popular opposition in the United States. (NY Times)

[edit] May 10: G.O.P. moderates warn Bush Iraq must show gains

Moderate Republicans gave President Bush a blunt warning on his Iraq policy at a private White House meeting this week, telling the president that conditions needed to improve markedly by fall or more Republicans would desert him on the war. Participants in the Tuesday meeting between Mr. Bush, senior administration officials and 11 members of a moderate bloc of House Republicans said the lawmakers were unusually candid with the president, telling him that public support for the war was crumbling in their swing districts. (NY Times)

[edit] May 14: Changing political loyalties

In May, many insurgent groups repudiated their loyalties to Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) . The rifts came into the open in April when the Islamic Army of Iraq accused al-Qaida of killing 30 of its members. The 1920 Revolution Brigades accused al-Qaida in March of assassinating one of its leaders, Harith Dhaher al-Dhari. [8] A new group called Jihad and Reform Front formed in opposition to AQI, but also in opposition to the US occupation and the Maliki government. Almost simultaneously with this announcement, Harith al-Dhari (a man sometimes known as the "spiritual leader of the insurgency") did an interview with Time magazine that essentially took the same stand. [9] The Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) also elimnminiated the word "revolution" from their name to reflect what they called the changing situation in Iraq. ^[80]

Additionally, an article entitled "Gathering the Tribes" in the upcoming June 4, 2007 issue of Newsweek describes improvements in relations between US forces and tribal leaders in Anbar province, particularly Ramadi. ^[81]

[edit] Increased Fighting just outside Baghdad

Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility for the second-largest capture of American soldiers serving in the Iraq War, which occurred when Iraqi insurgents attacked a military outpost in Amiriyah, Baghdad, killing four US soldiers and an Iraqi aide before capturing Spc. Alex Jimenez, Pfc. Joseph Anzack and Pvt. Byron Fouty on May 12, 2007. The search for the soldiers in the Triangle of Death south of Baghdad currently occupies 4,000 troops^[82], approximately 2.75% of all American soldiers stationed in Iraq. Pfc. Anzacks' body was recovered on May 23 from the Euphrates river bearing signs of torture. Fighting in Diyala province to the east of Baghdad also increased, leading to many in this province fleeing their homes. [10] [11]

[edit] May 25: Congress extends funding for the war

On May 24, 2007, the US congress passed H.R. 2206, a supplemental funding authorisation bill to pay almost $95 billion for emergency war operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The bill established benchmarks for the Iraqi government, but continued U.S. military spending is not tied to these benchmarks. Bush signed the bill on May 25.^[83]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Comparison between Vietnam and Iraq Timelines.