The OIF GenerationA field guide to the Iraq War and the generation that fought it
History

The War in Brief

Eight years and nine months, in five movements.

Marines of 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment escort prisoners to a holding area in the Iraqi desert, March 21, 2003.
Marines of 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment escort prisoners to a holding area in the Iraqi desert, March 21, 2003. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Brian L. Wickliffe (public domain)

1. The invasion (March–May 2003)

On March 20, 2003, a U.S.-led coalition began the invasion of Iraq. Army and Marine forces drove north from Kuwait; British forces moved on Basra; special operations forces worked in the west and the north. Baghdad fell on April 9. On May 1, President George W. Bush declared an end to major combat operations.

2. Occupation and insurgency (2003–2005)

The Coalition Provisional Authority governed Iraq through June 2004. An insurgency grew steadily, drawing on former regime loyalists, Sunni Arab resistance, foreign fighters, and the organization that became al-Qaeda in Iraq. In 2004 U.S. forces fought two major battles for Fallujah and a Shia uprising led by Muqtada al-Sadr. Sovereignty passed to an Iraqi Interim Government on June 28, 2004, and Iraqis voted three times in 2005.

3. Sectarian war (2006)

The February 22, 2006, bombing of the al-Askari Mosque in Samarra triggered a wave of sectarian killing. Baghdad became the center of a civil conflict. At the same time, in Anbar Province, tribal leaders began turning against al-Qaeda in Iraq, a movement that became known as the Awakening.

4. The surge (2007–2008)

On January 10, 2007, President Bush announced the deployment of more than 20,000 additional troops and a new strategy focused on protecting the population. U.S. forces moved off large bases into small outposts among Iraqis. Violence fell significantly. In 2008 Iraqi forces led major operations in Basra and Sadr City.

5. Transition and withdrawal (2009–2011)

Under the Status of Forces Agreement signed in November 2008, U.S. forces left Iraqi cities by June 30, 2009. On September 1, 2010, Operation Iraqi Freedom became Operation New Dawn, focused on advising and assisting Iraqi forces. The last U.S. troops left Iraq on December 18, 2011.

The cost

Approximately 4,500 U.S. service members were killed and more than 32,000 wounded. Coalition partners, Iraqi security forces, and Iraqi civilians suffered heavy losses, those of Iraqis far exceeding America's.