Iraq War timeline
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CIA Operatives, Joined by JSOC, Prepare the Iraqi Battlespace for the US-led Invasion
The first CIA team entered Iraq on July 10, 2002. This team was composed of members of the CIA's famed Special Activities Division and was later... Read more
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The US-led Invasion of Iraq Begins
At approximately 02:30 UTC, or about 90 minutes after the lapse of the 48-hour deadline, at 5:30 am local time, explosions were heard in Baghdad.... Read more
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United States Invades Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1, 2003, was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents... Read more
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Geraldo Rivera Ordered by The Pentagon to Leave Iraq After Revealing Troop Positions
He was with a (U.S.) military unit in the field and the commander felt that he had compromised operational information by reporting the position... Read more
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Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf, Information Minister of Iraq, Claims No US Troops Are In Baghdad
Al-Sahhaf is known for his daily press briefings in Baghdad during the 2003 Iraq War. His colorful appearances caused him to be nicknamed Baghdad... Read more
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Baghdad Falls to US Troops
San Francisco Chronicle - After a spectacular foray in the early morning, with U.S. and Iraqi troops trading bursts of fire, the Americans captured... Read more
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President Bush Declares "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq
On May 1, 2003, Bush became the first sitting President to make an arrested landing in a fixed-wing aircraft on an aircraft carrier when he arrived... Read more
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Iraqi Insurgency Begins to Swell
After President Bush's speech on May 1, 2003 (the "Mission Accomplished" speech), coalition forces noticed a gradually increasing flurry of attacks... Read more
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Operation Peninsula Strike
Operation Peninsula Strike was a series of raids conducted by American troops from June 9 to June 13, 2003 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. It... Read more
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Uday and Qusay Hussein Killed in a Firefight with US Troops
On 22 July 2003, Task Force 20, aided by troops of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division, had a showdown with Uday, Qusay and Qusay's 14-year-old... Read more
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The Canal Hotel Bombing - At Least 22 Killed in Baghdad
The Canal Hotel Bombing in Baghdad, Iraq, in the afternoon of August 19, 2003, killed at least 22 people, including the United Nations' Special... Read more
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The Ramadan Offensive
In October 2003, the intensity and pace of insurgent attacks began to increase. Finally, at the end of October, a series of four simultaneous... Read more
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Saddam Hussein Captured in Iraq
In April 2003, Saddam's whereabouts remained in question during the weeks following the fall of Baghdad and the conclusion of the major fighting of... Read more
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The Ashura Massacre Leaves At Least 178 Dead in Iraq
The Ashura massacre of March 2, 2004 in Iraq was a series of planned terrorist explosions that killed at least 178 and injured at least 500 Iraqi... Read more
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Four Blackwater Defense Contractors Are Ambushed and Killed in Fallujah, Iraq
On March 31, 2004 Fallujah ambush saw Iraqi insurgents in Fallujah ambush a convoy containing four United States contractors from the private... Read more
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The First Battle of Fallujah
As part of the occupation of Iraq, the First Battle of Fallujah, codenamed Operation Vigilant Resolve, was an unsuccessful attempt by the United... Read more
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Edward Kennedy Calls Iraq "George Bush's Vietnam"
Senator Edward M. Kennedy said yesterday that President Bush's Iraq policy is ''ridiculous" and disputed Bush's statement that the 2004 reelection... Read more
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Nearly 380 Tons of High-Explosives Are Found Missing From an Iraqi Bunker
AP WASHINGTON - An Army unit removed 250 tons of ammunition from the Al-Qaqaa weapons depot in April 2003 and later destroyed it, the company’s... Read more
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The Second Battle of Fallujah
The Second Battle of Fallujah (code-named Operation Al-Fajr - "The Dawn" in Arabic, and Operation Phantom Fury) was a joint U.S.-Iraqi offensive in... Read more
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The Battle of Mosul
The Battle for Mosul was a battle fought during the Iraq War in 2004 for the capital of the Ninawa Governorate in northern Iraq that occurred... Read more
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Ali al-Haidari, Governor of the Baghdad Governorate, is Assassinated by Armed Gunmen
Ali al-Haidari was the governor of the Baghdad Governorate in Iraq. Al-Haidari had narrowly escaped being killed in an assassination attempt in... Read more
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37 U.S. Servicemembers Are Killed in Iraq During One Day
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Thirty Marines and a Navy corpsman were killed in a helicopter crash near Iraq's border with Jordan, bringing the number of... Read more
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Saddam Hussein Sentenced to Death
Today, Saddam Hussein was convicted and sentenced to death by the Iraqi High Tribunal for the massacres committed by his regime in the town of... Read more
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Morning bomb attacks kill 11 in Baghdad
Iraqi police say early morning bomb attacks have killed at least 11 people in different areas of Baghdad. A car bomb exploded on the road to the... Read more
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Bomb Kills At Least 69 in Baghdad
On June 24, 2009, an explosion occurred in the Muraidi Market of the Sadr City area of Baghdad, Iraq. At least 69 people were killed and 150 others... Read more