The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a military campaign led by the United States, with forces from the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland, to overthrow the government of Saddam Hussein. The Bush administration justified it by saying that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction and had links to terrorism, claims that were not supported by what was found afterwards. The invasion lacked explicit authorisation from the United Nations Security Council and was opposed by countries including France, Germany and Russia. Baghdad fell within weeks, and Saddam was captured later in the year. The occupation that followed led to a long insurgency and sectarian violence, and the war had far-reaching effects on the region.
Before and after
- 20 February 2003Release of Lithuanian Wikipedia
- from 26 February 2003 to 31 August 2020War in Darfur
- 6 March 2003Air Algérie Flight 6289
- 8 March 2003Release of Galician Wikipedia
- from 20 March 2003 to 1 May 20032003 invasion of Iraq
- from 20 March 2003 to 24 March 2003Battle of Al Faw
- from 20 March 2003 to 15 December 2011Iraq War
- from 21 March 2003 to 25 March 2003Battle of Umm Qasr
- April 2003Publication of The Da Vinci Code
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 12 March 1947 to 25 December 1991Cold War
- 10 December 1948Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- 26 July 1953Cuban Revolution
- from 1 November 1955 to 30 April 1975Vietnam War
- 26 December 1991Dissolution of the Soviet Union
- 24 February 2022Full-scale Russo-Ukrainian war
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 21st century.