On March 19, 2003, American and British forces began the Third Persian Gulf War, a conflict which

may
become popularly known as "Gulf War 2" or the "Second Iraq War," or some other designation. The U.S.
government already calls this conflict "Operation Iraqi Freedom." Regardless of what it is called, this conflict is
by far the first truly major war of the 21st Century. While considered by many to be another part of the "War on
Terror," it is in many ways separate and unique in its own right. In scope of preparation and potential
consequences, the new war in Iraq by far overshadows the earlier invasion of Afghanistan.

**Note: The History Guy Website considers this the Third Persian Gulf War, following two previous major
international wars involving Iraq in the Persian Gulf region. The First Persian Gulf War lasted from 1980 to
1988 and pitted Iraq against Iran. The Second Persian Gulf War began in 1990 with Iraq's invasion and
occupation of Kuwait and ended in 1991 with a Coalition of nations under United Nations authority and led by
the United States which forcibly ejected the Iraqi military from Kuwait.

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NAME OF CONFLICT: The Third Persian Gulf War

ALTERNATE NAMES: The War on Iraq, "Operation Iraqi Freedom", The Second U.S.-Iraq War, Gulf War II
(US), "Operation Telic", 5th Anglo-Iraq War (UK), "Operation Falconer" (AUS)

BELLIGERENTS:

United States, Great Britain, Australia, Poland, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, United
Arab Emirates, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)

**Nations and groups in red denote actual combat involvement thus far.

vs.

Iraq, Ansar al-Islam (Supporters of Islam) terrorist/guerrilla group & Komala Islami Kurdistan (Islamic
Society of Kurdistan) terrorist/guerrilla group

DATES OF CONFLICT:

BEGAN: March 19, 2003 -Coalition bombing of Iraq began

ENDED: Continuing

TYPE(S) OF CONFLICT: Inter-State

RELATED CONFLICTS:
PREDECESSOR: (Related conflicts which occurred before)

The Second Persian Gulf War (1990-1991)

Iraqi Shiite Revolt of 1991

Iraqi Kurdish Revolt of 1991

The "No-Fly Zone War" (1991-2003)

CONCURRENT: (Related conflicts occurring at the same time)

The War on Terror (2001- )

Afghanistan War (2001- )

SUCCESSOR: (Related conflicts that occur later)

CAUSES OF CONFLICT:

There are several basic reasons for the second major war between a United States-led coalition and Iraq. First,
there was the lingering tension and hostility left over from the Gulf War of 1991, in which Iraqi occupation
troops were forced out of Kuwait. As a result of this war, the Iraqi government agreed to surrender and/or
destroy several types of weapons, including SCUD missiles and various Weapons of Mass Destruction
(WOMDs). The United Nations were allowed to send weapons inspectors to confirm the destruction of Iraqi
weapons and also to search for prohibited weapons believed to be in hiding. Also, two "No Fly Zones" were
established over northern and southern Iraq for the protection of Iraqi minority groups in opposition to the
Saddam Hussein government. Over these two zones, Allied aircraft patrolled the air in order to prevent Iraqi
aircraft from attacking northern Kurds or southern Shiites. Over the years, Iraqi air-defense forces fired missiles
and other weapons at the Allied warplanes (mostly American and British planes) in unsuccessful attempts to
shoot them down. In response to these attempted shoot-downs, Allied warplanes often responded by bombing
the air-defense sites and the radar installations associated with them. (see outside link:
http://www.ccmep.org/usbombingwatch/) In 1998, under Iraqi pressure, the UN weapons inspectors left Iraq,
prompting the United States to launch a severe three-day bombing campaign called "Operation Desert Fox."
Following this, Iraqi forces significantly increased attempts to challenge the Allied planes patrolling the No-Fly
Zones, thereby also causing an increase in the Allied bombing of Iraqi targets.

Second, following the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush's
rhetoric implied an (as yet unproven) Iraqi connection with al-Qaida. Using the potential threat of Saddam-
supplied Weapons of Mass Destruction in the hands of terrorists, the U.S. government increasingly insisted on
total Iraqi disarmament. With initial backing by the UN Security Council, the United States encircled Iraq with
growing military forces, leading Iraq to permit UN weapons inspectors back into the country. By early 2003,
however, the U.S. and British governments claimed that Iraq was not cooperating fully with the UN inspectors.
(more detail on the inspectors and the UN debates to follow as time allows)

On Monday, March 17, 2003, President Bush issued an ultimatum for Saddam Hussein and his sons to enter into
exile within 48 hours or face military conflict. Saddam defiantly refused, thereby setting the stage for Bush's
order for war to begin.

DESCRIPTION/TIMELINE OF CONFLICT:
On March 19, 2003, at 5:34 AM in Iraq, (6:34 PM on the U.S. West Coast), U.S. Stealth bombers and
Tomahawk Cruise Missiles struck "leadership targets" in and around the Iraqi capital of Baghdad to begin the
second major war between a United States-led Coalition and Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Soon thereafter, air attacks
began against Iraqi targets in southern Iraq, followed by missile attacks from Iraq toward U.S. military positions
in the Kuwaiti desert. The stated goals of the Coalition were the disarmament of Iraq and the overthrow of
Saddam Hussein and his Baath political party.

On the first full day of the war, March 20, U.S. and British ground forces advanced into southern Iraq, entering
the port city of Umm Qasr, near the major Iraqi city of Basra, while a second wave of air attacks hit Baghdad.
Over the next several days, Iraqi militia (known as the Saddam Fedayeen), and holdout troops continued to
resist Coalition forces, inflicting several casualties.

By March 23, Coalition forces had seized H-2 and H-3, airfields in western Iraq, and controlled parts of Umm
Qasr, Basra and Nasiriyah. Armored and mechanized forces had advanced to within 100 miles of Baghdad and
forced a crossing of the Euphrates River at Nasiriyah, where Iraqi forces put up a stiff fight. In northern Iraq, the
U.S. launched an attack with 40 to 50 cruise missiles on forces of two Islamist parties opposed to the Pro-U.S.
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). These two groups are Ansar al-Islam (Supporters of Islam), believed
associated with Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida and Komala Islami Kurdistan (Islamic Society of Kurdistan). Also
on March 23, U.S. forces began airlifting troops into Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq in what appears to be the
opening move toward a second front against Iraqi forces.

Also on March 23, Iraqi forces ambush the U.S. Army's 507th Maintenance Company.

March 27: Fierce fighting erupts in the city of Samawah, where U.S. forces are faced by up to 1,500 Iraqi
irregulars at a vital bridge over the Euphraties River. U.S. forces eventually take control of the bridge and
continue the advance to Baghdad. In northern Iraq, approximately 1,000 paratroopers of the U.S. Army's 173rd
Airborne Brigade parachuted onto an airfield in an effort to open a northern front against Iraqi forces. Within
days, Kurdish Peshmerga troops of the PUK, along with U.S. special forces units, assaulted the stronghold of
the Ansar al-Islam group along the Iranian border.

By the tenth day of the war on March 29, U.S. forces had advanced as far north as Karbala, where large battles
with Iraqi forces took place. Major combat continued at Najaf, Nasiriyah, Basra and other locations as Iraqi
guerrilla forces, many of whom belonged to the Saddam Fedayeen, proved to be formidable forces for the
Coalition to overcome. Bombing raids on Baghdad and other Iraqi cities continued, as did Iraqi attempts to hit
Kuwaiti-based targets with surface-to-surface missiles. One missile successfully hit Kuwait City on March 28,
inflicting damage on a shopping mall and causing minor wounds to two Kuwaitis.

Also on March 29, the first suicide bombing on Coalition forces occurs, killing four American troops at Najaf.

March 30: Six hundred British commandoes attack near Basra, destroying Iraqi tanks and capturing nearly 300
prisoners.

April 1: U.S. forces rescue Pfc. Jessica Lynch and recover the bodies of several other members of the 507th
Maintenance Company.

April 3: U.S. forces reach Saddam International Airport on the outskirts of Baghdad.

April 5: U.S. armored forces enter Baghdad, conducting a large raid. Such incursions would continue for several
days. Iraqi civilians begin widespread looting of the city.

April 7: British forces reach the center of Basra and declare the city is under Coalition control.

April 9: U.S. troops help Iraqi crowds topple a large statue of Saddam Hussein. Coalition forces continue to
extend their control over the city.

April 10: Kurdish fighters seize the northern city of Kirkuk from the Iraqi forces.
April 11: U.S. and Kurdish troops enter Mosul in the north.

April 13: U.S. forces enter Saddam's hometown of Tikrit.

April 15: Tikrit falls and the Coalition declares the war to be effectively over. Despite this declaration, violence
continues, escalating into a low-grade guerrilla war.

April 16: U.S. forces capture Abu Abbas, a Palestinian terrorist living in Baghdad. Abbas is best-known as the
leader of a group which hijacked the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro in 1985. Abu Abbas later died in
American captivity.

July 22, 2003: Udai and Qusay Hussein were killed by troops of the U.S. 101st Airborne Division.

December 13, 2004: Saddam Hussein is captured.

Between mid-April, 2003 and early April, 2004, most hostile actions were between the Coalition forces and the
old Saddam holdouts and a growing Sunni resistance. Then, on April 4, 2004, as American troops were already
engaged with Sunni insurgents in Fallujah, an uprising was launched by the Shiite Mahdi Army, a militia
organized and led by a Shiite cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr.

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CONSEQUENCES OF CONFLICT: (Thus far)

1. Prior to the outset of the war, the Peace/Anti-War Movement in North America and Europe grows and
conducts many large-scale demonstrations against President Bush and the plans for war.

2. In the United States, a well-organized Pro-War/Pro-Troops Movement forms in order to challenge the
anti-war activists and to support the President and the U.S. military.

3. Saddam Hussein, recognized leader of Iraq since 1978, loses power, is captured, put on trial by the new
Iraqi government, and executed.

4. Even though major combat ended, as declared by President Bush on May 1, 2003, the escalating
guerrilla war damages American public support for the war.