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MARCH 19, 2003: Bush launches invasion of Iraq. The Fighting Began with an Aerial Bombardment. US Ground Troops Quickly Advanced Toward Baghdad. The US Military Topples Saddam: APRIL 9, 2003. APRIL 11, 2003 ---Massive Looting Begins as US Soldiers Watch.
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APRIL 11, 2003---Massive Looting Begins as US Soldiers Watch
MAY 1, 2003: President Bush Declares Major Combat Operations Over
Summer 2003-Spring of 2004: The Insurgency (rebellion) Grows
Who Were the Insurgents? Ba’athists Who Didn’t Want to Give up Power Other Sunnis Who Resented the American Occupation of Their Towns and Villages
Al Qaeda in Iraq Led By Zarqawi---They Wanted To Defeat America and Establish a Sunni Islamic State. They Used Car Bombings to Maximize Chaos.
Shiite Militias, Including Sadr’s Mahdi Army` These Groups fought for control of Iraq’s Govt. and To Protect Shiites Against Sunni Groups. They often randomly abducted and kIlled Sunnis and engaged in criminal behavior
MARCH 31, 2004---4 US Contractors are Murdered in Fallujah, a Sunni Town
In Response: The US Attacks Insurgents in Fallujah, Destroying the City
SEPTEMBER 7, 2004: Death toll of U.S. soldiers in Iraq reaches 1,000
Desperate to Learn More About the Insurgents, US Soldiers Used Abusive Tactics During Interrogations of Iraqis
APRIL 28, 2004: Pictures of US Soldiers Humiliating, Abusing and Killing Iraqis at Abu Grhraib Prison Comes to Light
Many (Maybe Most)of the Prisoners Are Innocent Civilians –And These Pictures Were Soiled America’s Reputation Across the World
The Insurgency Gained Strength, and More Iraqi Civilians and US Soldiers Died
Sunni Militants Increasingly Targeted Shiite Civilians and Shiite Shrines, Hoping to Create Civil War
February 22, 2006: Iraq’s Golden Mosque in Samarra badly damaged in a bomb attack that fuels sectarian tensions
In 2006, Shiites Increasingly Struck Back, and Sectarian (Shiite vs. Sunni) Violence Soared
JANUARY 10, 2007: Faced with escalating violence in Iraq Bush announces “Troop Surge.” sending 20,000 additional American soldiers.
2006--The Sunni Awakening Began. This involved the US Paying Former Insurgents to Work With the US and To fight Al Qaeda. Together the Surge and the Awakening Dramatically Reduced Violence