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War in Iraq |
From Sept. 11 to the Fall of Baghdad
Trace the Bush administration's course and the evolution of policy from the apparent collapse of the Hussein regime back to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, an event that transformed the Bush administration and forged its determination to remove Hussein from power.
 | April 17: U.S. military officials announced the capture of Saddam Hussein's half-brother following a house raid in Baghdad. Barzan Ibrahim Hasan al-Tikriti, a former Iraqi intelligence chief and former Iraqi ambassador to the U.N., has held no public office since an internal family dispute in the late 1990s. • Hussein's Half-Brother Captured (April 17, 2003) | |||||
| | April 16: Gen. Tommy R. Franks met with top U.S. military commanders in Baghdad. While what U.S. officials call "decisive combat" is over, Franks stopped short of an official declaration. • Commander Pays Triumphant Visit to Baghdad (April 17, 2003) | |||||
| | April 15: The United States formally initiated the creation of a new Iraqi government with a meeting of 75 Iraqi community leaders and exile figures in Nasiriyah. • U.S. Convenes Meeting Focusing on Future of Iraq (April 15, 2003) | |||||
| | April 14: Meeting surprisingly light resistance, U.S. Marines seized control of Tikrit, the heart of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's native region, in what U.S. military officials called the last of the war's decisive battles. • U.S. Forces Seize Control of Tikrit (April 14, 2003) | |||||
 | April 13: U.S. Marines advancing toward the ancestral hometown of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein rescued seven American soldiers being held captive by Iraqi forces north of Baghdad, Marine officers said. • Seven Missing American Troops Rescued (April 13, 2003) • Video: Defense Secretary Rumsfeld on POWs (April 13, 2003) | |||||
 | April 9: President Saddam Hussein's government collapses, ending three decades of ruthless Baath Party rule that sought to make Iraq the champion of a modern Arab world but left a legacy of fear, poverty and bitterness. • Hussein's Baghdad Falls as Tanks Roll Through City (April 10, 2003) • Video: Iraqis Celebrate in Baghdads (April 9, 2003) • Audio: The Post's Anthony Shadid in Baghdad (April 9, 2003) | | | | | | April 7: Battling through sometimes fierce Iraqi resistance, heavily armed U.S. troops push into the heart of Baghdad with tanks and armored personnel carriers and seized two of President Saddam Hussein's opulent palaces along the Tigris River. • U.S. Forces Seize Two Hussein Palaces (April 7, 2003) | | | | | | April 3: Meeting only light resistance, U.S. forces charge up to the outskirts of Baghdad and fight their way into Saddam International Airport, just 10 miles from the center of the blacked-out Iraqi capital. • U.S. Takes Battle to Baghdad Airport (April 4, 2003) • Video: Troops Arrive at Baghdad Airport (April 4, 2003) |
 | April 1: Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch, 19, who had been missing in action since March 23, is rescued by Special Operations forces from an Iraqi hospital. Lynch was captured after she and members of the 507th Maintenance Company were attacked by Iraqi forces in Nasiriyah. • American Prisoner of War Rescued (April 1, 2003) • Video: POW Rescued (April 1, 2003) | | | | | | March 29: As squadrons of U.S. and British warplanes pound Iraqi defenses around Baghdad, a suicide bomber detonates an explosives-laden taxi at a U.S. checkpoint near the contested city of Najaf, killing four U.S. soldiers in the first such attack of the war. • Suicide Bombing Kills 4 U.S. Soldiers (March 30, 2003) | | | | | | March 26: About 1,000 paratroops from the Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade parachute onto a strategic airfield in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq to open a northern front and to discourage Turkish troops on the border from crossing into Iraq in large numbers. • 173rd Open Northern Front Against Iraq (March 27, 2003) | | | | | | March 23: Iraq's capture of five U.S. Army soldiers confronts the Bush administration with the unsettling reality of its first group of war prisoners, a development the Iraqis trumpet by releasing a videotape showing the Americans being questioned. • Display of 5 POWs Draws Firm Rebuke (March 24, 2003) • Video: President Demands Humane Treatement of POWs (March 23, 2003) | | | | | | March 22: One soldier from the 101st Airborne Division is killed and 15 others wounded when two hand grenades are thrown into the 1st Brigade tactical operations center at Camp Pennsylvania in central Kuwait. • U.S. Soldier Held for Another's Death in Attack (March 23, 2003) | | | | | | March 20: U.S. and British ground forces punch into Iraq across a broad front after a booming artillery barrage, seizing territory along the Kuwaiti border with only modest resistance and pushing on toward the key southern city of Basra. • Ground War Starts, Airstrikes Continue (March 21, 2003) | | | | | | March 19: A "decapitation strike" aimed at killing President Saddam Hussein based on time sensitive intelligence opens the U.S.-led war in Iraq. President Bush gives a televised address as the air campaign begins. • U.S. Opens War With Strikes on Baghdad (March 20, 2003) • Video: President Bush Addresses the Nation (March 19, 2003) |
 | March 16: President Bush emerges from a one hour summit meeting with allied leaders of Britain and Spain to issue an ultimatum for Saddam Hussein: Voluntarily go into exile, or face military action. • Bush, Allies Give Diplomacy 24 More Hours (March 17, 2003) • Video: President Bush at Summit in the Azores (March 17, 2003) | | | | | | March 14: Amid growing signs that a majority of Security Council members would not vote for the resolution, the major allies supporting military action -- U.S., Britain and Spain -- agree to hold a summit on March 16 to discuss how to mount a "final pursuit" of approval. • Bush, Allies Set Summit on 'Options' (March 15, 2003) • U.S. Missteps Lead to Failed Diplomacy (March 16, 2003) • Video: Bush Sets Timetable for Middle East 'Road Map' (March 15, 2003) | | | | | | March 11: In an attempt to woo undecided Security Council members, Britain issues a list of six "benchmarks" that Iraq would have to comply with in order to avoid war. • Bush Lobbies For Deal On Iraq (March 12, 2003) |
 | March 7, 2002: Hans Blix, as chief of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspecton Commission, meets with the Iraqi government and urges them to cooperate. Blix gives another ambivalent report to the Security Council on Iraqi compliance, which is followed by a tense debate that further deepens the divide within the council. • Annan Urges Iraq to Permit Arms Inspectors' Return (Mar. 8, 2002) • Blix's Iraq Report Deepens U.N. Rift (March 8, 2003) | | | | | | March 5: The foreign ministers of France, Russia and Germany say they will "not allow" a new resolution on military action sought by the U.S. and Britain to pass the Security Council. • Three Countries Vow To Block U.S. on Iraq (March 6, 2003) • Video: President Bush Remarks on Blix's Report (March 6, 2003) • Video: Bush Takes Questions from Reporters (March 6, 2003) | | | | | | February 27: Iraq agrees "in principle" to U.N. inspectors' demand that it destroy Al Samoud 2 missiles. The inspectors' unit determined that these missiles exceed the 150-kilometer limit laid down by the U.N. in 1991. • Iraq Agrees 'in Principle' to Destroy Missiles (Feb. 28, 2003) |
 | February 25: In his first interview with a U.S. journalist in more than 10 years, Hussein says he would not go into exile and that he would not surrender in a possible war. He insists that Iraq does not have any weapons that violate U.N. resolutions. • Saddam Hussein, Reporter (Feb. 26, 2003) • Video: Excerpts From Bush's Speech to AEI (Feb. 26, 2003) | |||||
February 14: Blix and ElBaradei make their second report to the Security Council, noting Iraq's cooperation in the process of inspections but that Iraq had yet to account for many proscribed weapons. • U.S. Meets New Resistance at U.N. (Feb. 15, 2003) • Excerpts: 'Without Evidence, Confidence Cannot Arise' (Feb. 15, 2003) • MSNBC Video: Blix Report to the U.N. Security Council (Feb. 14, 2003) • MSNBC Video: Powell Speech to U.N. Security Council (Feb. 14, 2003) | ||||||
February 6: After Powell's address, a Washington Post-ABC News poll finds a growing majority of Americans believe the United States has presented enough evidence to go to war in Iraq. • Majority Sees Justification for War (Feb. 6, 2003) | ||||||
 | February 5: Using audio and visual examples, Secretary of State Colin Powell goes before the Security Council to present the U.S. case that the Hussein regime is concealing its efforts to produce more weapons of mass destruction. Other members of the Security Council, notably France, are unconvinced. • Powell Lays Out Case Against Iraq (Feb. 5, 2003) • Multimedia: Powell's Report to the U.N. (Feb. 5, 2003) | |||||
| | January 27: Blix, along with U.N. nuclear unit chief Mohamed ElBaradei, reports to the U.N. Security Council that, while Iraq has provided access to facilities, the inspectors are still concerned about undeclared material, inability to interview scientists, inability to deploy aerial surveillance during inspections and harassment of inspectors. • Report Faults Iraq on Arms Hunt (Jan. 28, 2003) • Text: Blix's Speech to U.N. Security Council (Jan. 28, 2003) • Text: ElBaradei Report on Iraq's Nuclear Arms Program (Jan. 28, 2003) | |||||
| | January 14: President Bush said he has seen no evidence that Saddam Hussein is disarming, and warned that "time is running out" for him to do so. • Bush: 'Time Is Running Out' (Jan. 14, 2003) | |||||
| | Dec. 19, 2002: Blix tells the Security Council that the declaration "is essentially a reorganized version" of information Iraq provided in 1997, and that it "is not enough to create confidence" that Iraq has abandoned attempts at weapons of mass destruction. • U.S. Says Iraq 'Fails' on Disclosure (Dec. 20, 2002) | |||||
| | Dec. 7, 2002: As required by Resolution 1441, Iraq provides inspectors with a 12,000-page declaration comprising a "currently accurate, full and complete declaration" of the regime's chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs. In it Iraq states that it does not have any weapons of mass destruction. • Baghdad Delivers Weapons Data to U.N. (Dec. 7, 2002) • U.S. Warily Awaits Look at Iraq Report (Dec. 7, 2002) | |||||
| | Dec. 4, 2002: President Bush defends the U.S. image around the world and the war on terrorism. • Bush Responds to Tarnished U.S. Image (Dec. 4, 2002) | |||||
| | Dec. 2, 2002: President Bush and top lieutenants express doubt that Hussein will comply with requirements to disclose his arsenal and disarm himself, renewing the threat of military action just days after the start of new weapons inspections. • Bush: Results of Iraq Inspections Not Encouraging (Dec. 2, 2002) • MSNBC Video: Bush on Iraqi Compliance With Inspectors (Dec. 2, 2002) | |||||
| | Nov. 27, 2002: Inspectors begin their work, visiting two weapons sites, and thank the Iraqis for their cooperation but do not comment on findings. • Searches Begin at Sites Near Baghdad (Nov. 28, 2002) | |||||
| | Nov. 22, 2002: As international tensions grow over the prospect of war, Russian President Vladimir Putin warns the U.S. not to go it alone, sounding a note of caution after an otherwise warm welcome to President Bush in Russia. • Bush, Putin United On Iraq (Nov. 23, 2002) | |||||
| | Nov. 18, 2002: Inspectors arrive in Baghdad to re-launch the search for weapons of mass destruction. • U.N. Inspectors Arrive in Baghdad (Nov. 19, 2002) | |||||
| | Nov. 13, 2002: Iraq accepts the resolution and says it will cooperate with the U.N. • Iraq Agrees To Receive Inspectors (Nov. 14, 2002) | |||||
| | Nov. 8, 2002: The Security Council unanimously adopts Resolution 1441, outlining an enhanced U.N. inspection regime for Iraq's disarmament. • U.N. Orders Iraq to Disarm (Nov. 9, 2002) • Excerpts From U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441 (Nov. 9, 2002) • MSNBC Video: Bush Talks About U.N. Resolution (Nov. 8, 2002) | |||||
| | Sept. 29, 2002: American voters share a near-universal distrust of Saddam Hussein but are wary of moving against him unilaterally, a Washington Post-ABC News poll finds. • War Talk Shapes Fall Elections (Sep. 29, 2002) | |||||
| | Sept. 12, 2002: Before the U.N. General Assembly, President Bush challenges the U.N. to confront the "grave and gathering danger" of Iraq or stand aside as the United States and likeminded nations act. The Security Council begins talks on drafting a new resolution to compel Iraq to comply with previous resolutions. • Bush Tells United Nations It Must Stand Up to Hussein, or U.S. Will (Sept. 13, 2002) • Text of President Bush's Address to U.N. (Sept. 13, 2002) • MSNBC Video: Bush's Speech to U.N. (Sept. 12, 2002) | |||||
| | Aug. 16, 2002: Annan rejects Iraq's proposals but renews offer to facilitate the return of inspectors based on Security Council resolution 1284, adopted in 1999, that calls for 60 days of active inspections to determine what has changed since inspectors left in 1998. • Iraq Offers New Invitation to U.N. (Aug. 7, 2002) | |||||
| | Aug. 13, 2002:A Washington Post-ABC News poll finds a majority of Americans in favor of sending U.S. troops to Iraq but want President Bush to get authorization from Congress. • Poll: Americans Cautiously in Favor of War in Iraq (Aug. 13, 2002) | |||||
 | Aug. 6, 2002: Annan rejects Iraq's proposal to hold discuss disarmament obligations with the chief U.N. weapons inspector before arms inspections can resume. • Annan Rejects Iraq's Offer of Arms Talks (Aug. 7, 2002) | |||||
| | August 1, 2002: Iraq invites Blix to Baghdad for technical discussions on remaining disarmament issues. • U.N. Arms Inspector Is Invited to Iraq (Aug. 2, 2002) | |||||
| | July 5, 2002: In talks with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, Iraq rejects weapons inspections proposals. • U.N., Iraq Fail To Reach Deal On Inspectors (July 6, 2002) | |||||
| | April 30, 2002: At the U.S.'s behest, U.N. Security Council Resolution 1409 overhauls the sanctions goods review list to focus on military and dual-use equipment and streamline approval of civilian goods for sale in Iraq. • Iraq and U.N. to Talk Today About Weapons Inspectors (May 1, 2002) | |||||
| | Feb. 5, 2002: Iraq hosts a U.N. human rights expert for the first time in 10 years to assess allegations of human rights abuses. • Iraq Makes Push to Restore Diplomacy (Feb. 6, 2002) | |||||
 | Jan. 29, 2002: In his State of the Union address, President Bush brands Iraq one of the three "axis of evil" nations along with Iran and North Korea. The speech, suggesting an alliance of Iraq and terrorist groups, including al Qaeda, is the first official hint of possible military action against Iraq. • Bush Lays Down A Marker for 3 'Evil' States (Jan. 30, 2002) • Text: The State of the Union Address (Jan. 30, 2002) • Video: Bush's State of the Union Speech(Jan. 29, 2002) | |||||
| | Dec. 21, 2001: A confident American public strongly supports extending the anti-terrorism war to Iraq and other countries, and most believe there can be no victory without the demise of both Osama bin Laden and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. • Public Backs Expanded War But Wants More Focus at Home (Dec. 21, 2001) | |||||
| | Sept. 14, 2001: The Pentagon reviews plans for what Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz describes as a "broad and sustained" campaign against those responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks. Wolfowitz does not mention Iraq but says, "I think one has to say it's not just simply a matter of capturing people and holding them accountable, but removing the sanctuaries, removing the support systems, ending states who sponsor terrorism." • CIA's Covert War on Bin Laden (Sept. 14, 2001) | |||||
 | Sept. 11, 2001: Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is one of the few international leaders not to express condolences to the United States for the al Qaeda terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. • Iraq: 'Evil Policy' Caused Attack (Sept. 13, 2001) |
