Iraq War

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For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation).

Iraq War
Part of the U.S. "War on Terrorism" [1]
U.S. troops pass by burning oil fields while convoying to Al Jawala, Iraq, during an  operation.
Date March 18, 2003 to Present Location Iraq Result Conflict ongoing Overthrow of Ba'athist government and  capture of Saddam Hussein. Occupation of Iraq by coalition forces. Emergence of Iraqi insurgency and  Sectarian violence in Iraq. [2] Massive civilian casualties Widespread damage to Iraqi infrastructure [3] [4] Privatization of Iraqi services in ongoing attempt to reconstruct Iraq Election of a new government
Combatants
Insurgent Forces: Ba'athist Iraq Ba'ath Loyalists Al-Qaeda in Iraq Mahdi Army Other insurgent groups and  militias (Never been allied)	Coalition Forces: United States United Kingdom Australia New Iraqi Army Kurdish forces Multinational forces in Iraq
Commanders
Saddam Hussein Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Moqtada al-Sadr Abu Ayyub al-Masri Mujahideen Shura Council	Nouri al-Maliki George W. Bush Tommy Franks George Casey Tony Blair Brian Burridge Peter Wall
Strength
Iraqi 375,000+ regular forces Sunni Insurgents 60,000~ Mahdi Army 25,000[5] Badr Organization 4-10,000 al Qaeda/others 1,300+[6]	Coalition 315,000 invasion 162,000 current Contractors ~48,000 Kurds 50,000 (peak) New Iraqi Army 129,760 Iraqi Police 79-140,000
Casualties
Iraqi military dead (Saddam-era): 4,895-6,370 [7] [8] Insurgents dead: No verifiable tally. [9] [10]	Iraqi Security Forces dead (post-Saddam era): 6,694 (Media source, low estimate) [8] [11] Iraqi Security Forces wounded: unknown Coalition dead (inc. 2,932 US, 126 UK, 121 other, 647 contractors): 3,826 [12] [13] Coalition Missing or  Captured (US 2): 2 Coalition Wounded (inc. 22,032 U.S., 891+ UK, 3,963+ contractors): 26,886 [14] [12] [15] [16] [17]
*Total deaths (all Iraqis)  and  after the 2003 invasion of Iraq">Johns Hopkins: 392,979 - 942,636 [18] [19] War-related and  criminal violence deaths (all Iraqis) Iraq Health Minister: 100,000-150,000 [20] War-related and  criminal violence deaths (civilians) Iraq Body Count-english language media only: 50,195-55,678 [21] [22]
*Total deaths (all Iraqis) include all excess deaths due to increased lawlessness, degraded infrastructure, poor healthcare, etc. [21] For more  info, casualty estimates, and  explanations for the wide variation in results, see: Casualties of the conflict in Iraq since 2003

Iraq War
Phases Invasion – Post-invasion (Insurgency – Civil War) Engagements Nasiriyah – Baghdad – Debecka Pass – Peninsula Strike –Red Dawn – Spring 2004 Uprising – 1st Fallujah – 1st Ramadi – Husaybah – Najaf – 2nd Fallujah – Mosul – Matador – Haditha – Steel Curtain – Al-Askari Mosque – 2nd Ramadi – Together Forward – Amarah Full list of Coalition operations This box: view • talk • edit

Recent wars in the Persian Gulf
Iran-Iraq War – Gulf War – Iraq War

The Iraq War (2003 to the present), also known as the Second Gulf War (and by the U.S. military as Operation Iraqi Freedom and  the UK military as Operation TELIC), started with the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Subsequent occupation of Saddam Hussein-led Ba'athist Iraq by a United States-led coalition has resulted in ongoing asymmetric warfare between resistance forces and  coalition forces. The New Iraqi Army was created to replace the old one that was disbanded after the U.S. led invasion. In the midst of fighting between resistance, coalition, and  Iraqi forces, sectarian civil war between the majority Shia and  minority Sunni populations continues today. ^[23] The causes and  consequences of the war remain controversial. ^{[24] [21][18]}

Contents 1 Timeline of the War 1.1 Prior to invasion 1.2 2003: Invasion 1.2.1 May 2003: "End of Major Combat" 1.2.2 December 2003: Saddam captured 1.3 2004: The Insurgency expands 1.3.1 April 2004: The First Battle of Fallujah 1.3.2 Early-mid 2004 – the Shi'ite south 1.3.3 June 2004: Sovereignty transferred 1.3.4 November 2004: The Second Battle of Fallujah 1.4 2005: Iraqi elections and  aftermath 1.4.1 August 2005: Increasing instability and  renewed fighting 1.4.2 December 2005: Iraqi legislative election 1.5 2006: Sectarian violence and  possible outbreak of civil war 1.5.1 February 2006: Al-Askari shrine bombing and  Sunni-Shia fighting 1.5.2 November 2006: Sadr City Bombing 1.6 Troop Deployment 2003 to Current 1.6.1 United Nations 2 Armed Iraqi Groups: Insurgents and  Militias 2.1 Background 2.2 Insurgents 2.3 Militias 3 Terrorism 4 Casualties 4.1 Coalition 4.2 Iraqi 4.2.1 Iraqi Healthcare deterioration 4.2.2 Iraqi Refugees 5 Financial costs 5.1 Dollar figures 5.2 U.S. equipment losses 6 Criticism 6.1 Criticism of military strategy 6.1.1 Withdraw from Iraq 6.1.2 Stay in Iraq 6.2 Criticisms of U.S. media coverage 6.2.1 Accusations of overly sympathetic coverage 6.2.2 Accusations of overly unsympathetic coverage 6.3 Human rights abuses 6.3.1 U.S. Armed Forces 6.3.2 Private military contractors 6.3.3 Insurgent forces 6.3.4 Iraqi government 7 References 8 External articles

Timeline of the War

Prior to invasion

Prior to invasion, the United States and  other coalition forces involved in the 1991 Persian Gulf War had been engaged in a low-level conflict with Iraq, by enforcing the two Iraqi no-fly zones in the north and  the south of the country. Iraqi air-defense installations repeatedly targeted American and  British air patrols and  were often engaged by the coalition aircraft shortly afterwards. Approximately nine months after the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. 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 - prior to Congress' 11 October authorization of the invasion. In retaliation for the Iraqi's now-daily air defense attacks on coalition aircraft, the September attacks included a 5 September 100-aircraft attack on the main air defence site in western Iraq. According to an  editorial by Michael Smith for the New Statesman, this was "Located at the furthest extreme of the southern no-fly zone, far away from the areas that needed to be patrolled to prevent attacks on the Shias; it  was destroyed not because it  was a threat to the patrols, but to allow allied special forces operating from Jordan to enter Iraq undetected." ^[25] U.S. military personnel stationed at Southern Watch headquarters during this time, recall that this attack, on this particular Iraqi air defense unit, was taken solely in reaction to Iraq's continued attack on coalition aircraft operating in compliance with the UN-mandated overflights of the Iraq "no-fly" zone.

Further information:

• Governments' pre-war positions on invasion of Iraq
• Public relations preparations for 2003 invasion of Iraq
•  and  the Iraq war">The UN Security Council and  the Iraq war
• American government position on invasion of Iraq
• Legitimacy of the 2003 invasion of Iraq

2003: Invasion

Main article: 2003 invasion of Iraq

see also: Military operations of the Iraq War for a list of all Coalition operations for this period

The 2003 invasion of Iraq began on March 19, under the U.S. codename "Operation Iraqi Freedom." The U.K. 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, in the U.S. dubbed "coalition of the willing", also participated by providing equipment, services and  security as well as special forces. This March 19, 2003, invasion marked the beginning of what is  commonly referred to as the Iraq War.

May 2003: "End of Major Combat"

Main article: Post-invasion Iraq, 2003–2006

On May 1, 2003, President Bush staged a dramatic visit to the aircraft carrier U.S.S. 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. This nationally-televised speech was delivered before the sailors and  airmen on the flight deck. Bush essentially declared victory at this time due to the defeat of Iraq's conventional forces (even though Saddam Hussein was at large and  significant pockets of resistance remained).

After Bush's speech in May of 2003, the coalition military noticed a gradually increasing flurry of attacks on their troops in various regions, especially 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 the Iraqi insurgency. The hundreds of weapons caches already created by the conventional Iraqi army and  Republican Guard further strengthened these looted supplies for the insurgents.

At first the resistance 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."

The initial insurgency in Iraq was concentrated in, but not limited to, an  area referred to by Western media and  the occupying forces as the Sunni triangle. This location includes Baghdad. ^[26] 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%) ^[27]. 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.

The post-invasion environment began after the Hussein regime had been overthrown. it  centers on Coalition and  U.N. efforts to establish a stable democratic state capable of defending itself^[28] and  holding itself together ^[29] and  overcoming insurgent attacks and  internal divisions.

Coalition military forces launched several operations around 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 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. 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.

December 2003: Saddam captured

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 (an average of 18 a day), some concluded the multinational forces were prevailing in the fight against the insurgency. With the weather growing cooler, Coalition forces were able to operate in full armor which reduced their casualty rate. The provisional government began training a security force intended to defend critical infrastructure, and  the United States promised over $20 billion in reconstruction money in the form of credit against Iraq's future oil revenues. Of this, less  than half a billion dollars had been spent in 10 months after it  had been promised. Oil revenues were also used for rebuilding schools and  for work on the electrical and  refining infrastructure.

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. ^[30] In the summer of 2003, the multinational forces focused on hunting down the remaining leaders of the former regime, culminating in the shooting deaths of Saddam's two sons in July. In all, over 300 top leaders of the former regime were killed or  captured, as well as numerous lesser functionaries and  military personnel.

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 United States and  the Coalition Provisional Authority it  helped install opposed allowing democratic elections at this time, preferring instead to eventually hand-over power to an  unelected group of Iraqis. (The Guardian, January 19, 2004, free archived version at: http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0119-08.htm, last visited Nov. 21, 2006). 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 to Basra in the south.

2004: The Insurgency expands

see also: Military operations of the Iraq War for a list of all Coalition operations for this period

The start of 2004 was marked by a relative lull in violence. Insurgent forces reorganized 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  organized 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. Just before the attack on Fallujah, four private military contractors, working for Blackwater USA, were ambushed, murdered and  their corpses mutilated by a large crowd, receiving a great deal of media attention. The attention elicited a violent reaction from Donald Rumsfeld who then ordered Lt. General Conway to attack Fallujah at the earliest opportunity.

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.

The usage by the U.S. of white phosphorus in Fallujah attracted controversy. In the documentary "Fallujah: The Hidden Massacre", aired on the Italian state television network RAI, a former soldier testified "I saw the burned bodies of women and  children. The phosphorus explodes and  forms a plume. Who ever is  within a 150 metre radius has no hope." ^{[31] [32] [33]} The U.S. State department first dismissed such claims, ^[34] but was later corrected in other reports. Lt Col Barry Venable stated to the BBC, "it is  an incendiary weapon and  may be used against enemy combatants." According to Protocol III of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, white phosphorus can be used, but only against enemy combatants and  not civilians. ^[35] The Independent later reported that "there remain widespread reports of civilians suffering extensive burn injuries. While U.S. commanders insist they always strive to avoid civilian casualties, the story of the battle of Fallujah highlights the intrinsic difficulty of such an  endeavour." ^[36]

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]}

Early-mid 2004 – the Shi'ite south

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.

June 2004: Sovereignty transferred

Main article: Iraqi coalition counter-insurgency operations

Toward the end of June 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. Militia leader Muqtada al-Sadr took control of Najaf and, after negotiations broke down, the government asked the United States for help dislodging him.

Through the months of July and  August, a series of skirmishes in and  around Najaf culminated with the Imam Ali Mosque itself under siege, only to have  a peace deal brokered by Grand Ayatollah Sistani in late August. The new Iraq Grain Board has started to import wheat from Australia Wheat Board which had been long banned by Saddam Hussein. ^[37]

November 2004: The Second Battle 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 over 5,000 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.

2005: Iraqi elections and  aftermath

Main article: Iraqi legislative election, 2005

On January 31, an  election for a government to draft a permanent constitution took place. 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. ^[38]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 of 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.

August 2005: Increasing instability and  renewed fighting

On August 14, 2005 the Washington Post ^[39] 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. ^[40] U. S. officials immediately made statements rejecting this view ^[41].

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.

2006: Sectarian violence and  possible outbreak of civil war

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."^[42] A  and  after the 2003 invasion of Iraq">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.^[43] 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.^[44]

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

See Al Askari Mosque bombing

On February 22, 2006, at 6:55 a.m. local time (0355 UTC) two bombs were set off by five to seven men dressed as personnel of the Iraqi Special forces who entered the Al Askari Mosque during the morning. Explosions occurred at the mosque, effectively destroying its golden dome and  severely damaging the mosque. Several men, one wearing a military uniform, had earlier entered the mosque, tied up the guards there and  set explosives, resulting in the blast.

Shiites across Iraq expressed their anger by destroying Sunni mosques and  killing dozens. Religious leaders of both sides called for calm amid fears this could erupt into a long-feared Sunni-Shia civil war in Iraq.

On March 2 the director of the Baghdad morgue fled Iraq explaining, "7,000 people have  been killed by death squads in recent months." [2] 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.[3] 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.[4] During April 2006, morgue numbers showed that 1,091 Baghdad residents were killed by sectarian executions.[5] 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 [6] [7] [8] [9] as well as the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad. [10]

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.

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. ^[45]

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. ^{[46] [47]}

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 [11].

On November 8, 2006, Donald Rumsfeld tendered his resignation as United States Secretary of Defense. President George W. Bush then appointed former CIA chief Robert Gates to replace him.

November 2006: Sadr City Bombing

See Sadr City bombings

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 on Thursday. 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 organization in Iraq, setting nearby houses on fire. Two other mortar barrages on Sunni neighborhoods in west Baghdad killed nine and  wounded 21, police said late Thursday.^[48]

See also: Government of Iraq from 2006

Troop Deployment 2003 to Current

United Nations

The United Nations has also deployed a small contingent to Iraq.

United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI)

• Georgia: 550 blue-helmets
• Fiji: 168 blue-helmets
• Romania: 130 blue-helmets
• Denmark: 35 blue-helmets

Further information: Multi-National Division (South-East) (Iraq)

Armed Iraqi Groups: Insurgents and  Militias

Main articles: Iraqi insurgency and  Private militias in Iraq

Background

When the ruling Ba'ath party organization disintegrated after the fall of the Iraqi government, elements of the secret police and  Republican Guard formed guerrilla units, since some had simply gone home rather than openly fight the multinational forces. Many of these smaller units formed the center of the initial anti-coalition insurgency, based primarily around the cities of Mosul, Tikrit and  Fallujah. These guerrilla units were the precursor to the eventual formation of what came to be known as the Iraqi insurgency, or  those Iraqis and  foreigners who attacked coalition or  government forces.

More recently in late 2005 and  2006, due to increasing sectarian violence based on either tribal/ethnic distinctions or  simply due to increased criminal violence, there has been the formation of various militias. Many of these militias have  been formed in response to violent acts committed on the basis of the Shia/Sunni distinction, with whole neighborhoods and  cities sometimes being protected or  attacked by ethnic or  neighborhood militias.^{[citation needed]}

Insurgents

The insurgents and  guerrilla units favored attacking unarmored vehicles and  avoiding major battles. The early Iraqi insurgency was concentrated in, but not limited to, an  area referred to by the Western media and  the occupying forces as the Sunni triangle which includes Baghdad. The insurgents dead are  numbered between 45-60,000. ^[49]

By the fall of 2003, these insurgent groups began using typical guerrilla tactics such as ambushes, bombings, kidnappings, and  improvised explosive devices. Other tactics included mortars, suicide bombers, roadside bombs, small arms fire, and  RPGs, as well as sabotage against the oil, water, and  electrical infrastructure. Multi-national Force-Iraq statistics (see detailed BBC graphic) show that the insurgents primarily targeted coalition forces, Iraqi security forces and  infrastructure, and  lastly civilians and  government officials. The civilian death log reveals that a large majority of the deaths were by car bombs, booby traps, throat slitting, beheading and  other techniques that are  known to be associated with insurgents.^{[citation needed]} These irregular forces favored attacking unarmored or  lightly armored Humvee vehicles, the U.S. military's primary transport vehicle. In November 2003, some of these forces successfully attacked U.S. rotary aircraft with SAM-7 missiles bought on the global black market. Insurgent groups such as the al-Abud Network have  even attempted to constitute their own chemical weapons programs, attempting to weaponize traditional mortar rounds with ricin and  mustard toxin. ^[50]

There is  evidence that some guerrilla groups are  organized, perhaps by the fedayeen and  other Saddam Hussein or  Ba'ath loyalists, religious radicals, Iraqis angered by the occupation, and  foreign fighters. ^[51] On February 23, 2005 Al-Iraqiya TV (Iraq) aired transcripts of confessions by Syrian intelligence officer Anas Ahmad Al-Issa and  Iraqi insurgent Shihab Al-Sab'awi concerning their booby-trap operations, explosions, kidnappings, assassinations, and  details of beheading training in Syria. ^[52] The insurgents are  known by the Coalition military (especially in the United States armed forces) as Anti-Iraqi Forces (AIF). ^{[53] [54]}

One insurgent, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was killed on June 7, 2006 in the town of Baquba, north of Baghdad, when U.S. warplanes dropped two 500-pound bombs on his isolated safe house. ^[55] Zarqawi, a Jordanian, did not fit the usual profile of an  Iraqi insurgent and  had closer ties to the al Qaeda terrorist organization. Still, President George W. Bush said the killing was "a severe blow to al-Qaida and  it is  a significant victory in the war on terror" but cautioned: "We have  tough days ahead of us in Iraq that will require the continuing patience of the American people."^[56]

Despite Zarqawi's death Al-Qaeda in Iraq vowed to continue its "holy war", according to a statement posted on a Web site announcing: "We want to give you the joyous news of the martyrdom of the mujahed sheik Abu Musab al-Zarqawi."^[56] Zarqawi's death may have  had little impact on the violence since evidence of continued violence in Iraq could still be seen in the month of June with over 1,600 Iraqi deaths that month, the highest monthly total to date since the Al Askari Mosque bombing. ^[57]

In addition to internal strife, Iran may be playing a role in the insurgency. U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Michael Barbero said, "Iran is  definitely a destabilizing force in Iraq," Barbero said. "I think it's irrefutable that Iran is  responsible for training, funding and  equipping some of these Shia extremist groups."^{[citation needed]}

The insurgent tactic that is  responsible for the most U.S. deaths and  injuries is  the roadside IED. The U.S. military has taken measures to counter the IEDs, including armoring humvees (mostly on the bottom, where roadside bombs usually hit) and  using radio frequency jammers (so as to prevent bomb detonation). The insurgents have  adapted to those tactics by using larger explosives, shaped charges, alternative detonation methods (including electrical wires, mechanical strings, trip wires, and  infrared beams), and  placing bombs on telephone poles and  the underside of bridges (so as to attack the top and  sides of vehicles rather than the highly-armored bottom). ^{[58] [59]}

Militias

Two of the most powerful current militias are  the Mahdi Army and  the Badr Organization, with both militias having substantial political support as well in the current Iraqi government. Initially, both organizations were involved in the Iraqi insurgency, most clearly seen with the Mahdi Army at the Battle of Najaf. However in recent months, there has been a split between the two groups.

This violent break between Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army and  the rival Badr Organization of Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, was seen in the fighting in the town of Amarah [12] on October 20, 2006, would severely complicate the efforts of Iraqi and  American officials to quell the soaring violence in Iraq. ^[60]

see also: History of Iraqi insurgency, Sectarian violence in Iraq

Terrorism

The war in Iraq was originally justified as part of the U.S.-led War on Terrorism. Specifically, the Bush Administration argued that Saddam Hussein had ties to al-Qaeda, and  that his overthrow would lead to democratization in the Middle East, decreasing terrorism overall. The alleged  and  al-Qaeda">ties between Saddam and  al-Qaeda were never confirmed, however, and  numerous reports of intelligence agencies investigating the matter -- including several reports of the CIA, the U.S. State Department, the FBI, and  the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, as well as the investigations of foreign intelligence agencies -- concluded that no evidence had been found supporting an  operational connection between Saddam and  al-Qaeda. The New York Times commented in September 2006 on the conclusions of the bipartisan Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, "there is  no evidence that Saddam Hussein had prewar ties to Al Qaeda and  one of the terror organization’s most notorious members, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi."[13][14] (See main article:  and  al-Qaeda">Saddam Hussein and  al-Qaeda).

However, al-Qaeda leaders have  seen the Iraq war as a boon to their recruiting and  operational efforts, providing both evidence to jihadists worldwide that America is  at war with Islam, and  the training ground for a new generation of jihadists to practice attacks on American forces. In October 2003, Osama bin Laden announced: "Be glad of the good news: America is  mired in the swamps of the Tigris and  Euphrates. Bush is, through Iraq and  its oil, easy prey. Here is  he now, thank God, in an  embarrassing situation and  here is  America today being ruined before the eyes of the whole world."[15] Al-Qaeda commander Seif al-Adl gloated about the war in Iraq, indicating, "The Americans took the bait and  fell into our trap."[16] A letter thought to be from al-Qaeda leader Atiyah Abd al-Rahman found in Iraq among the rubble where al-Zarqawi was killed and  released by the U.S. military in October 2006, indicated that al-Qaeda perceived the war as beneficial to its goals: "The most important thing is  that the jihad continues with steadfastness ... indeed, prolonging the war is  in our interest."[17]

In the years since the war began, a consensus has developed among intelligence experts that the Iraq war has increased terrorism. Counterterrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna frequently referred to the invasion of Iraq as a "fatal mistake"^[61] that had greatly increased terrorism in the Middle East. London's conservative International Institute for Strategic Studies concluded in 2004 that the occupation of Iraq had become "a potent global recruitment pretext" for jihadists and  that the invasion "galvanized" al-Qaeda and  "perversely inspired insurgent violence" there.[18] The U.S. National Intelligence Council concluded in a January 2005 report that the war in Iraq had become a breeding ground for a new generation of terrorists; David B. Low, the national intelligence officer for transnational threats, indicated that the report concluded that the war in Iraq provided terrorists with "a training ground, a recruitment ground, the opportunity for enhancing technical skills... There is  even, under the best scenario, over time, the likelihood that some of the jihadists who are  not killed there will, in a sense, go home, wherever home is, and  will therefore disperse to various other countries." The Council's Chairman Robert L. Hutchings said, "At the moment, Iraq is  a magnet for international terrorist activity."[19] and  the 2006 National Intelligence Estimate, which outlined the considered judgment of all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies, held that "The Iraq conflict has become the 'cause celebre' for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of US involvement in the Muslim world and  cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement."[20]

Casualties

Main article: Casualties of the conflict in Iraq since 2003

See also: Iraq Body Count project and  and  after the 2003 invasion of Iraq">Lancet surveys of mortality before and  after the 2003 invasion of Iraq

See the above main article for much more  info, and  for casualty numbers for coalition nations, contractors, non-Iraqi civilians, journalists, media helpers, aid workers, wounded, etc.. Casualty figures, especially Iraqi ones, are  highly disputed. This section gives a brief overview. "There are  now at least 8 independent estimates of the number or  rate of deaths induced by the invasion of Iraq." ^{[62] [63]}

Coalition

The icasualties.org ^[12] website reports the death toll since the invasion in March 2003 as being 2,927 American lives (as of December 9th, 2006). There have  been a further 247 deaths among the troops of other coalition nations: Australia 2. Bulgaria 13. Denmark 6. El Salvador 5. Estonia 2. Hungary 1. Italy 33. Kazakhstan 1. Latvia 1. Netherlands 2. Poland 18. Romania 2. Slovakia 4. Spain 11. Thailand 2. Ukraine 18. United Kingdom 126. ^{[64] [12]}

Iraqi

Estimates of Iraqi deaths are  highly disputed. In December 2005 President Bush said there were 30,000 Iraqi dead ^[65]. A study in The Lancet estimates 654,965 Iraqi deaths (with a range of 392,979 to 942,636) from March 2003 to July 2006, based on national surveys of mortality ^{[18] [19]}. That total number of deaths (civilian and  non-civilian) includes all excess deaths due to increased lawlessness, degraded infrastructure, poor healthcare, etc.. an  October 19, 2006 Washington Post article ^[66] says that the methodology of the Lancet study has been disputed, that "President Bush earlier this year put the number at 30,000 but gave no sources," and  went on to say "Indices drawing only on the deaths reported by news organizations put the figure closer to 50,000." That figure is  from the Iraq Body Count project (IBC). The IBC records civilian deaths due to insurgent/military action and  increased criminal violence, as reported by English-language media. There is  no verifiable tally of insurgent deaths ^{[9] [10]}.

The Lancet study states: "Aside from Bosnia, we can find no conflict situation where passive surveillance [used by the IBC] recorded more  than 20% of the deaths measured by population-based methods [used in the Lancet studies]. In several outbreaks, disease and  death recorded by facility-based methods underestimated events by a factor of ten or  more when compared with population-based estimates. Between 1960 and  1990, newspaper accounts of political deaths in Guatemala correctly reported over 50% of deaths in years of low violence but less  than 5% in years of highest violence." ^[18]

Iraqi Healthcare deterioration

A November 11, 2006 Los Angeles Times article reports: ^[67]

The [Iraq] nation's health has deteriorated to a level not seen since the 1950s, said Joseph Chamie, former director of the U.N. Population Division and  an Iraq specialist. "They were at the forefront", he said, referring to healthcare just before the 1991 Persian Gulf War. "Now they're looking more  and more  like a country in sub-Saharan Africa."

Iraqi Refugees

As of November 4, 2006, the U.N. High Commissioner on Refugees estimated that 1.8 million Iraqis had been displaced to neighboring countries, and  1.6 million were displaced internally, with nearly 100,000 Iraqis fleeing to Syria and  Jordan each month. ^[68]

Financial costs

Dollar figures

As of September 29, 2006, over $379 billion has been allocated by the U.S. Congress for the Iraq war ^[69]. Over $349 billion has been spent as of December 12, 2006 ^[70].

The direct costs of the war and  occupation have  not been included in the regular defense spending request (with the exception of FY 2007); instead, President Bush has submitted emergency spending bills to Congress to cover those costs. ^[71] The current rate of U.S. expenditure in Iraq is  approximately $6.4 billion a month. ^[72]

As of March 2006, approximately £4.5 billion had been spent by the United Kingdom in Iraq. All of this money has come from a government fund called the "Special Reserve" which has a current allocation of £6.44 billion. ^[73]

It is  not known how much more  money has been spent by other members of the coalition; however, the US's share of the cost is  by far the largest.

Joseph Stiglitz, former chief economist of the World Bank and  Nobel Prize in Economics, has suggested the total costs of the Iraq War on the US economy will be $1 trillion in a conservative scenario and  could top $2 trillion in a moderate one.^[74] The Congressional Research Service recently estimated weekly spending at almost $2 billion per week, and  that total expenditures have  now topped half a trillion dollars.^[75] Additionally, the extended combat and  equipment loss have  placed a severe financial strain on the U.S Army, causing the elimination of non-essential expenses such as travel and  civilian hiring.^{[76] [77]}

Data from the  and  Budget">Office of Management and  Budget shows that the discretionary defense spending is  20% of government outlays,^[78] and  the CIA World Factbook lists a 2005 estimate of U.S. military expenditure as 4.06% of GDP (the 26th position in a listing of 167 countries). Other figures, however, show that the total defense expenditures (Department of Defense, Homeland Security and  War on Terror) amount to $563 billion, which represents 56% of the nation's discretionary budget ^[79] and  47% of the world military spending.^[80]

U.S. equipment losses

In addition to the human casualties suffered in the war, the U.S. has also lost a number of pieces of military equipment. This total is  approximate and  includes those vehicles lost in non-combat-related accidents. Recently, the Army has said that the cost of replacing its depleted equipment has tripled from that of 2005. ^[81] As of December 2006, according to government data reported by the Washington Post, more  than forty percent of the total equipment of the Army and  Marine Corps is  in use or  has been used in the wars in Iraq and  Afghanistan, with an  estimated yearly replacement cost of US$17 billion. Furthermore the military states that the replacement cost has increased by a factor of ten compared to that of the pre-war state. ^[82]

Combat losses: Land equipment^[83]

• 20 M1 Abrams tanks
• 55 Bradley fighting vehicles
• 20 Stryker wheeled combat vehicles
• 20 M113 armored personnel carriers
• 250 Humvees
• 500+ Mine clearing vehicles, heavy/medium trucks, and  trailers
• 10 Amphibious Assault Vehicles ^{[84] [85]}

Combat losses: Air equipment^[83]

• 27 Apache attack helicopters
• 21 Blackhawk utility helicopters
• 14 Chinook cargo helicopters
• 23 Kiowa surveillance helicopters
• 4 CH-46E Sea Knight cargo helicopters ^[86]
• 1 A-10 Thunderbolt II ground attack aircraft
• 1 F-15E Strike Eagle fighter aircraft ^[87]
• 2 UH-1N Huey utility helicopters
• 8 AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters
• 5 CH-53E Super Stallion or  MH-53 Pave Low helicopters
• 2 H-3 Sea King helicopters
• 25+ RQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicles
• 3 F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft
• 2 C-130 Hercules aircraft
• 1 F-16 Fighting FalconCG (90-0776)

See also: List of Coalition aircraft crashes in Iraq

Criticism

Main article: Opposition to the Iraq War

Criticism of military strategy

U.S. military strategy in Iraq has drawn criticism from a number of different circles. Military historian Martin van Creveld, a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has called the Iraq war "the most foolish war since Emperor Augustus in 9 BC sent his legions into Germany and  lost them."[21]

Withdraw from Iraq

A growing number of citizens in coalition nations have  urged their governments to withdraw from Iraq. Supporters of withdrawal argue that the Iraq war is  unwinnable, that it  has no purpose, or  that it  has become another Vietnam war. ^{[88] [89]} Those who oppose the war also argue that the huge financial cost, as well as the loss of innocent human life, will be ended by a withdrawal of troops. Another consideration is  the destabilization to the Middle East region that may occur as a consequence of the sudden departure of the United States military. Given the strained relations between the United States and  Iraq's neighbor, Iran, and  considering the powerful influence of Iran among Iraq's Shi'a Muslim community, some people fear that Iraq is  going to convert into a fundamentalist-lead client state of Iran. The civil strife between the Sunni and  Shi'a communities, as well as Kurdish hopes of establishing an  independent state of Kurdistan in northern Iraq, could lead to a full-scale civil war.

Stay in Iraq

In addition to the criticism of the war itself, there is  also a large amount of criticism from people that support the war but criticize the current military strategy, believing that the current strategy causes unnecessary deaths and  injuries of coalition and  Iraqi troops, as well as civilian contractors, and  does not adequately meet the insurgent threat. Included within this is  the criticism that, if the military strategy were much more  effective, then there would be much more  support for the war among the people of the coalition countries, especially the United States, except in the case of the strict pacifists and  isolationists, who are  always opposed to foreign wars regardless of the efficacy of the strategy. In a classified memo to the current administration, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld recently revealed that he believed the current stategy in Iraq was not working and  was in need of change.^[90]

Many specific strategic criticisms have  been made by various individuals and  publications. Some major criticisms include:

• Prisoners in Iraq detained by U.S. troops are  treated badly, and  it is  estimated that about 1/4th of them are  innocent, and  many prisoners are  subsequently released. The bad treatment of those prisoners angers the civilian population and  turns them against the United States. These critics say that prisoners should be treated humanely. (this criticism was made on Nightline ^[91], among other places)

• There is  a very large number of explosion-induced injuries to soldiers' arms, legs, and  faces, including many losses of limbs. Such injuries could be greatly reduced if the soldiers wore light-weight, ventilated, heat-resistant polymer (such as aramid) over their arms and  legs, and  transparent polycarbonate face masks, which not strong enough to stop a bullet, can prevent much of the damage from the hot particles of explosives.^{[citation needed]} This also applies to the Iraqi police, who are  severely under-equipped ^[92], and  who suffer far more  deaths and  injuries than coalition troops ^[93], and  are the permanent stabilizing force that, if strong enough, may allow the coalition troops to withdraw. (This criticism was made in Discover Magazine ^[94], among other places.)
• Most injuries and  deaths to coalition troops and  Iraqi police are  due to covertly-placed roadside bombs (often calledIEDs (improvised explosive devices)) and  car bombs. The casualties of coalition troops and  Iraqi police depend on the fact that such troops are  clearly marked by their uniforms. That not only provides the insurgents with targets, but it  also shows them who to avoid when conducting covert activities such as bomb placement. If the coalition troops and  Iraqi police used more  covert tactics, including the use of plain-clothes Iraqi police posing as militia men (it would not work for coalition members, due to the conspicuousness of both their race and  their language), the use of hidden cameras with nightvision capability, and  constant aerial surveillance of roads (such as by predator drones), then coalition and  Iraqi forces would be able to prevent insurgents planting bombs. it  is only by watching such insurgents when they think that they are  not being watched, that they can be seen and  killed. Covert surveillance and  plainclothes Iraqi troops in a perimeter around overt coalition and  Iraqi troop positions would also be effective in sniper attacks and  gun battles.
• Many civilian contractors in Iraq, who are  involved in rebuilding Iraq, are  killed by insurgents ^[95], and  the improvements that they build are  often destroyed soon after they are  made.^{[citation needed]} Such contractors and  their projects are  often not protected. Protecting the contractors and  their projects, especially with plainclothes Iraqi troops, would both reduce contractor deaths and  injuries, and  kill insurgents. Another option is  to pull out the contractors except for those that are  working on military and  security projects, until most of the insurgents are  dead and  it is  much safer.
• The Pentagon has refused to tabulate the number of insurgents killed ^[96]. That gives the impression to many people that no progress is  being made^{[citation needed]}, which in turn reduces support for the war. it  also gives both the government and  the people much less  to go on when determining the efficacy of their strategy, such that they can not determine the all-important kill ratio, and  what that kill ratio is  in different situations and  different areas of Iraq, such that they can not adjust their strategy accordingly, nor can the public pressure them to do so.
• Geraldo Rivera is  one of the major critics of the military strategy in Iraq. Geraldo advised, among other things, that U.S. troops should only use roads that are  monitored 24-7, so as to avoid roadside bombs, and  that civilian contractors, except for those working on military and  security projects, should pull out until most insurgents are  dead and  it is  safe to build. ^[97]

Criticisms of U.S. media coverage

Main article: News media (United States)

Concerns have  been raised of insufficiently critical coverage of the activities of U.S. forces in Iraq. it  has been suggested that the U.S. news media is  reluctant to criticize the conduct of American soldiers, for fear of upsetting their viewers and  losing market share.^{[citation needed]} Concerns have  also been raised that some U.S. media outlets are  not supportive enough of the American military and  have published articles or  images harmful to the overall U.S. military effort.

Accusations of overly sympathetic coverage

It has been reported in European media, including countries involved in operations in Iraq, that a minority of American soldiers and  marines in Iraq have  behaved irresponsibly in Iraq, causing unnecessary deaths of civilians. At the same time, many believe that U.S. forces have  come under little U.S. media scrutiny.^{[citation needed]} Even in the most extreme cases, such as the Haditha massacre, U.S. media coverage has been considerably less  than in European countries such as the United Kingdom.^{[citation needed]}

The killing of Nicola Calipari by an  American soldier, which Italian prosecutors are  now classifying as murder, received U.S. media coverage because the victim was an  Italian Major-General. This incident fits a pattern, suggested by most of the mainstream European media (especially in the British Guardian newspaper and  the French Le Monde newspaper), of widespread unprovoked fatal incidents. ^{[citation needed]} Another cited example is  the killing of British reporter Terry Lloyd, who was found by the coroner to have  been unlawfully killed by U.S. marines in Iraq [22]. The Independent on Sunday (15 October 2006) suggested that this death was the result of U.S. soldiers' hostility to his decision to report independently rather than being "embedded "with coalition forces."

Accusations of overly unsympathetic coverage

However, the argument has also been made that coverage has been unfair to U.S. efforts to establish peace and  stability in Iraq, due to extensive coverage of the ongoing violence with little attention on other aspects of the war such as rebuilding infrastructure.^{[verification needed]} it  is believed that this has the effect of enhancing the perception of chaos, emboldening the insurgents and  terrorists, and  undermining the morale of US and  Iraqi troops.^{[ or  overgeneralized." style="white-space: nowrap;">name a specific person/group]}

Critics have  long questioned the reliance of the major media outlets on Iraqi "stringers" with suspected ties to insurgent groups and  terrorists as a source of information -- discounting the versions of events as explained by the coalition and  the Iraqi government.^{[ or  overgeneralized." style="white-space: nowrap;">name a specific person/group]} For example, on November 24, 2006, the AP distributed a story from one of their stringers, sourced by an  Iraqi Police officer named Jamil Hussein, of four mosques being burned to the ground along with the deaths of six Sunni worshipers who were doused in kerosene and  burnt alive. Despite the source, there has been no confirmation of the story by the coalition and  the Iraqi Police have  stated they do not have  a Jamil Hussein on their force.^{[citation needed]} Currently, the AP stands by this story because they have  used Jamil Hussein as a source for over two years. However, the AP reports filed by Jamil Hussein are  invariably stories of atrocities committed by Shiites against Sunnis.^{[ or  overgeneralized." style="white-space: nowrap;">name a specific person/group]}

Human rights abuses

Main article: Human rights in post-Saddam Iraq

Throughout the entire Iraq war there have  been numerous human rights abuses on all sides of the conflict.

U.S. Armed Forces

WARNING: These links have  graphic content depicting a decapitation; some of the most publicized abuses include:

•  and  prisoner abuse">Abu Ghraib torture and  prisoner abuse
• Haditha killings - alleged murder of 24 civilians, including women and  children (Under investigation)
• Ishaqi incident - alleged murder of 11 civilians, including five children (Under investigation)
• Hamadiya incident - alleged kidnapping and  murder of an  Iraqi man named Hashim Ibrahim Awad (Under investigation)
• Mahmudiyah incident - alleged gang-rape and  murder of a 14 year old girl, the murder of her parents and  7 year old sister. (Under investigation)
• Mukaradeeb - alleged bombing and  shooting of at least 42 civilians ^[98] (Under investigation)
• White phosphorus use in Iraq

Private military contractors

There have  been reported human rights abuses by some of the thousands of private military contractors working in Iraq. The most famous incident involving contractors was the  and  prisoner abuse">Abu Ghraib incident.

Insurgent forces

A 2005 Human Rights Watch report analysed the insurgency in Iraq and  highlighted, "The groups that are  most responsible for the abuse, namely al-Qaeda in Iraq, Ansar al-Sunna and  the Islamic Army in Iraq, have  all targeted civilians for abductions and  executions. The first two groups have  repeatedly boasted about massive car bombs and  suicide bombs in mosques, markets, bus stations and  other civilian areas. Such acts are  war crimes and  in some cases may constitute crimes against humanity, which are  defined as serious crimes committed as part of a widespread or  systematic attack against a civilian population."^[99]

The regular Iraqi insurgents and  other groups such as the Sunni Islamic militant groups Al-Qaeda in Iraq and  Ansar al-Islam are  responsible for numerous abuses and  killings, including:

• Killing over 12,000 Iraqis over the period of January 2005 - June 2006, according to Iraqi Interior Minister Bayan Jabr, giving the first official count for the largest category of victims of bombings, ambushes and  other increasingly deadly attacks. ^[100] The insurgents have  also conducted numerous suicide attacks on the Iraqi civilian population, mostly targeting the majority Shia community, such as the Attack on the Shia district of Sadr City, Baghdad, on 02/07/2006 which claimed at least 66 lives. ^{[101] [102]} an  October 2005 report from Human Rights Watch examines the range of civilian attacks and  their purported justification.^[99]
• The bombing of the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad in August 2003 which killed the top U.N. representative in Iraq and  21 other UN staff members. ^[103]
• The February 2006 bombing of the al-Askari Mosque, destroying one of the holiest Shiite shrines, killing over 165 worshipers and  igniting sectarian strife and  reprisal killings. ^[104]
• Beheading several diplomats: two Algerian diplomatic envoys Ali Belaroussi and  Azzedine Belkadi, ^[105] Egyptian diplomatic envoy al-Sherif, ^[106] and  four Russian diplomats. ^[107]
• The publicized murders of several non-military persons including; construction contractor Eugene Armstrong, supply contractor Jack Hensley, translator Kim Sun-il, supply contractor Kenneth Bigley, Bulgarian truck drivers Ivaylo Kepov and  Georgi Lazov ^[108], Shosei Koda, Italian Fabrizio Quattrocchi, charity worker Margaret Hassan, reconstruction engineer Nick Berg, Italian photographer, 52 year old Salvatore Santoro ^[109] and  Iraqi supply worker Seif Adnan Kanaan. Most of these civilians were subjected to brutal torture and/or beheading.
• Torture or  murder of members of the New Iraqi Army, ^[110] and  assassination of civilians associated with the Coalition Provisional Authority, such as Fern Holland, or  the Iraqi Governing Council, such as Aqila al-Hashimi and  Ezzedine Salim, or  other foreign civilians, such as those from Kenya. ^[111]

Iraqi government

Other abuses have  been blamed on the new Iraqi government, including:

• The widespread use of torture by Iraqi security forces. ^[112]
• Shiite-run death squads run out of the Interior Ministry that are  accused of committing numerous massacres of Sunni Arabs ^[113] and  the police collusion with militias in Iraq have  compounded the problems.

References

External articles

Overview Journalists in Iraq: Video of Panel Discussion The Brookings Institution Iraq Index ProCon's Extensive Iraq War Examination Maps of Iraq High resolution maps of iraq. Road to War White House Meeting Memo; Details of 31 January 2003 private meeting between George W. Bush and  Tony Blair where they discussed using U.S. spyplanes in UN colours to lure Saddam Hussein into war. UK Attorney-General leak; Legal advice given to the British Prime Minister Tony Blair weeks before the 2003 invasion. Presidential address given by George W. Bush on the evening of March 19, 2003, announcing war. Iraqi sources Iraq Diaries -- Iraqis writing about their experiences of war. The Ground Truth Project -- A series of exclusive, in-depth interviews with Iraqis, aid workers, military personnel and  others who have  spent significant time on-the-ground in Iraq. What Iraqis Think -- A compilation of the latest polls and  blogs coming out of Iraq. Iraq documents on Weapons of Mass Destruction This is  a U.S. military site containing approximately 1 million files captured from the Iraqi military in the aftermath of the invasion. Opinions and  polls Sean Rayment, "Secret MoD poll: Iraqis support attacks on British troops"; a poll conducted among Iraqis reveals strong opposition toward Allied presence in Iraq. The Daily Telegraph, 23 October 2005. Extraordinary renditions: the playwright and  the president; Jeff Sommers, Khaled Diab and  Charles Woolfson explore the dynamics between playwright and  president as America's 'war on terror' stands in the dock. January 2006, published in Al Ahram Weekly Caspar Henderson, "Three polls: attitudes across frontiers". 12 December 2002. Karl Zinsmeister, "What Iraqis Really Think". Wall Street Journal, September 10, 2003. "1st Major Survey of Iraq". Zogby International, September 10, 2003. Carl Conetta, "What do Iraqis want? Iraqi attitudes on occupation, U.S. withdrawal, governments, and  quality of life". Project on Defense Alternatives, 01 February 2005. "Iraq". Polling Report.com. (ed. Chronological polls of Americans 18 & older) Casualties (additional links not found in reference links section) "The Civilian Casualty Fable; Analysis of Civilian Casualties in the first two years of the Iraq War". Logic Times, 26 October 2005. "[23]; Iraqi Civilian Deaths Increase Dramatically After Invasion" Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, October 28, 2004. Military Casualties and  non-military deaths. "One-Day Toll in Iraq Combat is  Highest for U.S. in Months", Washington Post, October 19, 2006. U.S. Military Personnel Wounded in Iraq & Afghanistan: A Running Log. Combat operations related "Aerial Propaganda Leaflet Database". Psywar.org, 06 November 2005. (ed. Iraq War PSYOP leaflets and  posters)

News Electronic Iraq: Daily news and  analysis from Iraq with a special focus on the Iraqi experience of war. News from Iraq: Aggregated news on the war, including politics and  economics. The Struggle for Iraq: BBC Best Link: All the latest news, analysis and  images from Iraq. War in Iraq: CNN Special Report: This page was archived in May 2003 when President Bush declared an  end to major combat. However, the coalition casualties' list continues to be updated. Iraq: Transition of Power: CNN Special Report: Three years later, debate rages. Anti-war activists and  war critics David Shuster, "Road to war; How the Bush administration sold the Iraq War to American people". MSNBC, 8 November 2005 Antiwar news and  viewpoints [24] Charlie and  Katrina, "Mourning the Vote". (ed. Students (Boston University and  Oglethorpe University) site presenting their opinion about the Iraq War) OnlyOneWorld.NET Contains information, news, and  opinion on the Iraq War. What Barry Says Written by Barry McNamara in 2003, Winner of the Best Animation award at the Brooklyn International Film Festival and  Portobello Film Festival in 2004. [25] Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches. Independent journalist in Iraq. Many despatches, reports and  photos. [26] Tales of Iraq War. Anti-war webcomics by cartoonist Latuff. The U.S. invasion and  occupation of Iraq Socialist Worker Online’s ongoing coverage and  analysis FixIraq.com 15 minute updated news, Discussion, Auto-Updating U.S. Deaths counter that can be shown on any website. "Unlike Vietnam, There is  No End in Sight" iShotTheDeputy.com article criticising comparisons with Vietnam. Liam Anderson and  Gareth Stansfield, The Future of Iraq: Dictatorship, Democracy or  Division?, 2004, Palgrave Macmillian ISBN 1-4039-6354-1 Juan Cole, [Iraq] Three-State Solution? The Nation review, March 29, 2004 Iraq Exit Strategy Watch Independent analysis "The Road Ahead: Lessons in Nation Building from Japan, Germany, and  Afghanistan for Postwar Iraq" by Ray Salvatore Jennings May 2003 Peceworks No. 49 United States Institute of Peace "A New American Century? - Iraq and  the Hidden Euro-Dollar wars " by William Engdahl Oil and  Empire - the backstory to the invasion of Iraq The Neocons, Peak Oil and  the Invasion of Iraq "An ethical blank cheque" British and  U.S. mythology about the second world war ignores our own crimes and  legitimises Anglo-American war making, Richard Drayton, Tuesday May 10, 2005 The Guardian

War supporters and  operation proponents Victor Davis Hanson, "An American 'Debacle'? more  unjustified negativity on the war in Iraq." National Review Online, October 14, 2005. An interesting analogy presented by Jessica Well where she shows a Life magazine article from 1946 discussing the failures of Denazification entitled Americans are  Losing the Victory in Europe Economics Scott Wallsten and  Katrina Kosec, "The Economic Costs of the War in Iraq". AEI-Brookings Joint Center Working Paper 05-19. September 2005. Online cost estimator allows users to change assumptions for predicting expected future cost of the Iraq war. "Dollar cost of war". (ed. Reportedly actual total of the U.S. taxpayer cost of the Iraq War.) "Iraq war costs could top $2 trillion". Christian Science Monitor, 10 January 2006 based on "The Economic Costs of the Iraq War" by Linda Bilmes, Harvard University, and  Joseph E. Stiglitz, laureate of the Nobel Prize of Economics in 2001. "The Dollar System and  U.S. Economic Reality post-Iraq War" by William Engdahl Photos 650+ pictures from a soldier posted to Iraq

Media Echo

• Eliot Weinberger: What I Heard About Iraq in 2005, and  What I Heard about Iraq (a collage of various statements concerning the war) dead link; these links active as of Oct 01 2006 link1 and  link2

• Tatham, Steve (2006), 'Losing Arab Hearts & Minds: The Coalition, Al-Jazeera & Muslim Public Opinion' Hurst & Co (London) Published 1 January 2006