Issues for NATO today 1 The War in Iraq

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Issuesfor NATOtoday1 The War in Iraq
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The War in Iraq 1
Iraq under Saddam Hussein had engaged in two
previous wars, against Iran in the 1980s and
against an American-led alliance in 1991 after it
invaded Kuwait. He was then accused of having
Weapons Of Mass Destruction chemical,
biological and nuclear with which he could
attack the west. This formed the main reason for
the actions taken against Iraq.
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The War In Iraq 2
American missiles hit targets in Baghdad in the
early hours of 20 March, heralding the start of a
campaign to remove the Iraqi leader.   US and
British ground forces entered the country from
the south, with the leadership in Baghdad
remaining defiant. By 9 April US forces had
advanced into central Baghdad and Saddam
Hussein's grip on power had withered. Saddam
Hussein's regime collapsed in April 2003, three
weeks into a major US-led military campaign.
UK troops concentrated on taking Basra in the
South.
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The War In Iraq 3
Baghdad under fire The skyline of Baghdad
lights up under fire from US cruise missiles
early in the war. The initial strikes on the 20
March were targeted at Saddam Hussein and his
sons.
Chemical risk Throughout the war there were
fears that Saddam Hussein could order his troops
to use chemical or biological weapons.
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The War In Iraq 4
'Shock and awe'The coalition launches a massive
aerial assault on targets in Baghdad in a major
escalation of the war. Bombs rained down on the
Iraqi capital as the US unleashed what it called
its "shock and awe" strategy.
Fatal mistakes This US marine supply convoy was
destroyed by so-called "friendly fire". Some 40
coalition soldiers died as a result of accidental
attacks by their own side during the war.
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The War In Iraq 5
Basra encircled Refugees stream from Basra in
southern Iraq, which was encircled by British
forces on 22 March. Humanitarian concerns grew
for Basra residents when the city's utilities
including the water supply - were cut off.
Air power A British Lynx 2 helicopter sets off
for a mission as dusk falls near Basra. Air power
was a critical advantage the coalition had over
the defending Iraqi forces throughout the campaign
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The War In Iraq 6
Baghdad airport falls The capture of Saddam
International airport on the outskirts of Baghdad
on 4 April deals a massive psychological blow to
the regime. To Baghdad residents the war suddenly
seemed very close, and the regime teetering on
the brink of collapse.
The brink of defeat With no defence against
air strikes, Iraqi tanks were vulnerable. When
British forces moved into al-Dawr on the
outskirts of Basra on 6 April, few Iraqi units
responded in any strength. Many tanks were
quickly destroyed.
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The War In Iraq 7
The fall of Basra British troops finally
overcome Iraqi resistance and take control of
Basra of 6 April. They face an urgent task to
restore water, essential services and law and
order to the city.
The collapse of the regime In a symbolic move,
US soldiers pull down a statue of Saddam Hussein
in central Baghdad, cheered on by a crowd of
Iraqis.
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Mass Grave Sites
Part of the grim legacy of Saddam Hussein has
been the discovery of mass grave sites across
Iraq, some thought to contain thousands of
bodies. At one of the largest sites near
al-Mahawil, investigators believe the remains of
up to 15,000 people could be buried, probably
executed by the former regime. Another site
near Kirkuk is thought to contain some 2,000
bodies.
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Iraq after the war
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Multinational Division South-East
UK (8,300) Italy (2,800)The Netherlands
(1,300)Japan (500)Romania (500)Denmark
(400)Norway (130, in the process of
leaving)Portugal (124)Czech Republic
(90)Lithuania (60)New Zealand (60)
UK troops have been a very important part of the
peace keeping and rebuilding in post war Iraq.
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The People
More than 26 million people are estimated to live
in Iraq. Most Iraqis are Muslim and are divided
along religious lines (between Shias and Sunnis)
and ethnic lines (between Arabs and Kurds). The
mainly-Arab Shias are thought to form a 60
majority and expect to dominate political life
after the January election.
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Security
Unofficial estimates for Iraqi civilian deaths
range from at least 15,000 to almost 100,000
since the March 2003 invasion. More than 1,300
US troops have been killed in the same period.
Iraq's fledgling security forces are having to
deal with a growing insurgency. Iraq says it
hopes to increase its security forces from
100,000 to 150,000 by the end of 2005.
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Reconstruction
Wars and years of sanctions have devastated the
oil-rich country's infrastructure. In 2003 the
World Bank said Iraq needed 36bn for
reconstruction until 2007. The US authorities in
Baghdad added another 19bn to the estimate, to
cover areas such as security and the oil
industry. At a special conference held in
October 2003, donor nations and institutions
pledged to contribute 32bn toward the
reconstruction effort. Over half that sum was
pledged by the US. By September 2004 only 2.5bn
had been released, largely because the security
situation has not allowed rebuilding work to
proceed.
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GovernmentThe main aim of the coalition forces
is to have a democratically elected government in
Iraq.
The election of the National Assembly on 30
January marks the start of a transitional period
scheduled to end in December 2005. The
275-member assembly has two tasks. First to elect
a president and two deputies, who in turn must
select a prime minister responsible for the
day-to-day running of Iraq. Then it must draft a
constitution to be ready by 15 August. If it is
approved, elections for a new government will be
held no later than 15 December.
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Withdrawl from Iraq
As the Iraq elections happen there is going to be
a gradual move out of Iraq. This will mean a
gradual change over from Multi National
Forces To Iraqi Security Forces