The following is a timeline of major events during the Iraq War, following the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

2003

March

*March 20: The

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

begins the

invasion of Iraq An invasion is a military offensive of combatants of one geopolitical entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory controlled by another similar entity, often involving acts of aggression. Generally, invasions have objectives ...

; coordinating a satellite-guided

Tomahawk cruise missile The BGM-109 Tomahawk () Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is an American long-range, all-weather, jet-powered, subsonic cruise missile that is primarily used by the United States Navy and Royal Navy in ship and submarine-based land-attack operations. ...

strike on Baghdad. American,

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

, and Danish military operations begin; ground troops move into

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

April

*April 9: Fall of Baghdad:

Coalition forces The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386 according to the Bonn Agreement, which outlined t ...

moved into Baghdad, symbolically ending the twenty-four year reign of

Iraqi President The President of the Republic of Iraq is the head of state of Iraq. Since the mid-2000s, the presidency is primarily a symbolic office, as the position does not possess significant power within the country according to the constitution adopted ...

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...

May

*May 1: U.S. President George W. Bush declares major combat operations in Iraq over. *May 15 - U.S. forces launch

Operation Planet X During Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Planet X was a US Army mechanized raid conducted on a village near Ad-Dawr in Salah Al-Din province north of Tikrit on the night of 15 May 2003 by elements of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, U.S. 4th In ...

, capturing roughly 260 people. *May 23 - L. Paul Bremer issues

Coalition Provisional Authority Order Number 2 Coalition Provisional Authority Order Number 2: Dissolution of Entities signed by Paul Bremer on behalf of the Coalition Provisional Authority on 23 May 2003, disbanded the Iraqi military, security, and intelligence infrastructure of President Sad ...

, dissolving the Iraqi Army and other entities of the former Ba'athist state.

June

*June 15: The U.S. military begins Operation Desert Scorpion, a series of raids across Iraq intended to find Iraqi resistance and heavy weapons. *June 24 - Six soldiers from the British

Royal Military Police The Royal Military Police (RMP) is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of army service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK and while service personnel are deployed overseas on operations ...

are killed by a mob in

Majar al-Kabir Majar al-Kabir () is a town in Maysan Governorate, southern Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the ...

in Southern Iraq.

July

*July 2: U.S. President George W. Bush challenges those attacking U.S. troops to "bring 'em on!". *July 13: The ''

Iraqi Governing Council The Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) was the provisional government of Iraq from 13 July 2003 to 1 June 2004. It was established by and served under the United States-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). The IGC consisted of various Iraqi ...

'' is established under the authority of the Coalition Provisional Authority. *July 22:

Uday Uday or Odai is a masculine name in Arabic as well as several Indian languages. In numerous Indian languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil and others, it means 'dawn' or 'rise'. The Arabic name () means 'runner' or 'rising'. List of ...

and

Qusay Hussein Qusay Saddam Hussein al-Nasiri al-Tikriti (; 17 May 1966 – 22 July 2003) was an Iraqi politician, military leader, and the second son of Saddam Hussein. He was appointed as his father's heir apparent in 2000. He was also in charge of the Republ ...

, Saddam Hussein's sons, are killed in

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

during a raid by

Task Force 20 Task Force 20 is a temporary combat force designation that has been used several times and may still be used by separate parts of the United States armed forces. The longer-established iteration was a part of the United States Second Fleet in the ...

August

*August 7: Bus bombing of the Jordanian embassy, the first VBIED bombing of the occupation. *August 19:

Canal Hotel bombing The Canal Hotel bombing was a suicide truck bombing in Baghdad, Iraq, during the afternoon of 19 August 2003. It killed 23 people, including the United Nations' Special Representative in Iraq Sérgio Vieira de Mello, and wounded over 100, inc ...

: Truck bomb at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

headquarters kills the top UN envoy,

Sergio Vieira de Mello Sergio may refer to: * Sergio (name), for people with the given name Sergio * Sergio (carbonado), the largest rough diamond ever found * Sergio, the mascot for the Old Orchard Beach Surge Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungar ...

, and 21 others. *August 29: Influential

Shiite Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

cleric Ayatollah Mohammed Baqr al-Hakim is killed in a

car bombing A car bomb, bus bomb, van bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles. Car bombs can be roug ...

as he leaves his mosque after Friday prayers. At least 84 others are killed.

September

*September 3: First post-Saddam government. *September 23: Gallup poll shows majority of Iraqis expect better life in 5 years. Around two-thirds of Baghdad residents state the Iraqi dictator's removal was worth the hardships they've been forced to endure.

October

*October 2:

David Kay David A. Kay (June 8, 1940 – August 13, 2022) was an American weapons expert, political commentator, and senior fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. He was best known for his time as United Nations Chief Weapons Inspector follo ...

Iraq Survey Group The Iraq Survey Group (ISG) was a fact-finding mission sent by the multinational force in Iraq to discover the extent of Saddam Husseins' Weapons of Mass Destruction program that had been the main ostensible reason for the invasion in 2003. Its ...

report finds little evidence of WMD in

, although the regime did intend to develop more weapons with additional capabilities. Such plans and programs appear to have been dormant, the existence of these though were concealed from

UNSCOM United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) was an inspection regime created by the United Nations to ensure Iraq's compliance with policies concerning Iraqi production and use of weapons of mass destruction after the Gulf War. Between 1991 and 19 ...

during the inspections that began in 2002. Weapons inspectors in Iraq did find a clandestine "''network of biological

laboratories A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which science, scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratories are found in a variety of settings such as s ...

''" and a deadly strain of

botulinum Botulinum toxin, or botulinum neurotoxin (commonly called botox), is a neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium ''Clostridium botulinum'' and related species. It prevents the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from axon endi ...

. The US-sponsored search for WMD has so far cost $300 million and is projected to cost around $600 million more. *October 16:

UN Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

issues Resolution 1511 which envisions a

multinational force A multinational force is a multinational operation which may be defensive, offensive, or for peacekeeping purposes. In multinational operations, many countries form an alliance to carry them out. Multinational forces include: * Supreme Headquar ...

and preserves Washington's quasi-absolute control of Iraq. *October 27:

27 October 2003 Baghdad bombings 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has symbolic associations in religion, mythology, supers ...

, beginning of the Ramadan Offensive.

November

*November 2: In the heaviest single loss for the coalition troops up to that time, two US

Chinook Chinook may refer to: Chinook peoples The name derives from a settlement of Indigenous people in Oregon and Washington State. * Chinookan peoples, several groups of Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest ** Chinook Indian Nation, an organiza ...

helicopters are fired on by two

surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-ai ...

s and one crashes near

Fallujah Fallujah ( ) is a city in Al Anbar Governorate, Iraq. Situated on the Euphrates, Euphrates River, it is located roughly to the west of the capital city of Baghdad and from the neighboring city of Ramadi. The city is located in the region ...

and on its way to Baghdad airport; 16 soldiers are killed and 20 wounded. *November 12: A suicide truck bomb blows up the Italian headquarters in Nasiriyah, killing 19 Italians (17 of them soldiers) and 14 Iraqis. *November 15: The Governing Council unveils an accelerated timetable for transferring the country to Iraqi control. *November 22: 2003 Baghdad DHL attempted shoot down incident: An

Airbus A-300 The Airbus A300 is Airbus' first production aircraft and the world's first twin-engine, double-aisle (wide-body) airliner. It was developed by ''Airbus Industrie GIE'', now merged into Airbus SE, and manufactured from 1971 to 2007. In Septe ...

freighter belonging to German courier firm

DHL DHL (originally named after founders Dalsey, Hillblom and Lynn) is a multinational Import-Export Expert Company, founded in the United States and headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It provides courier, package delivery, and express mail service, ...

is forced to make an emergency landing with a wing fire and all three hydraulics lost. Using differential engine thrust to land the aircraft, after being struck by a portable shoulder-fired SA-14 missile. *November 27:

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

makes a stealthy

Thanksgiving Day Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

visit to

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

(the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

having announced that he would be at home with his family) in an attempt to boost morale among the troops and ordinary Iraqis. Bush is accompanied by National Security Advisor

Condoleezza Rice Condoleezza "Condi" Rice ( ; born November 14, 1954) is an American diplomat and political scientist serving since 2020 as the 8th director of Stanford University's Hoover Institution. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served ...

, and he is flown in to

Baghdad International Airport Baghdad International Airport , previously Saddam International Airport from 1982 to 2003, () is Iraq's largest international airport, located in a suburb about west of downtown Baghdad in the Baghdad Governorate. It is the home base for Ira ...

aboard

Air Force One Air Force One is the official air traffic control-designated Aviation call signs, call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. The term is commonly used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modifie ...

. *November 30: The US military reports killing 46 militants and wounding 18 in clashes in the central =

December

*December 13:

is captured in

Operation Red Dawn Saddam Hussein, the deposed president of Iraq, was captured by the United States military in the town of Ad-Dawr, Iraq on 13 December 2003. The military operation to capture him was codenamed Operation Red Dawn, named after the 1984 American fi ...

; it was announced the next day. *December 17: The

U.S. 4th Infantry Division The 4th Infantry Division is a Division (military), division of the United States Army based at Fort Carson, Colorado. It is composed of a division headquarters battalion, three brigade combat teams (two Stryker and one armor), a combat avia ...

launches

Operation Ivy Blizzard This is a list of coalition military operations of the Iraq War, undertaken by Multi-National Force – Iraq. The list covers operations from 2003 until December 2011. For later operations, see American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–prese ...

, lasting from dawn until mid-morning. The operation resulted in the arrest of 12

insurgents An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare against a larger authority. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irregular forces face a large, well ...

. *December 27:

2003 Karbala bombings The 2003 Karbala bombings consisted of four suicide attacks on the Coalition military barracks in Karbala, Iraq, south of Baghdad on December 27, 2003. The attackers targeted two coalition bases and a downtown Iraqi police station where U.S. mi ...

2004

January

*January 26: The

Japanese Iraq Reconstruction and Support Group The Japanese Iraq Reconstruction and Support Group,
Retrieved on December 5, 2008. al ...

is deployed to Iraq. *January 28:

testifies before the

Senate Armed Services Committee The Committee on Armed Services, sometimes abbreviated SASC for Senate Armed Services Committee, is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military, including the Department of Defen ...

expressing doubt about the presence of

Iraqi weapons of mass destruction Iraq actively researched weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and used chemical weapons from 1962 to 1991, after which it destroyed its chemical weapons stockpile and halted its biological and nuclear weapon programs as required by the United Nation ...

February

*February 1: Two suicide bombers strike Kurdish political offices in the northern city of

Erbil Erbil (, ; , ), also called Hawler (, ), is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city is the capital of the Erbil Governorate. Human settlement at Erbil may be dated back to the 5th millennium BC. At the h ...

, killing 117 and injuring 133. *February 21: U.S. permits Red Cross to visit Saddam Hussein for first time since his capture in December.

March

*March 2: Multiple bombings in

and

Karbala Karbala is a major city in central Iraq. It is the capital of Karbala Governorate. With an estimated population of 691,100 people in 2024, Karbala is the second largest city in central Iraq, after Baghdad. The city is located about southwest ...

at the climax of the

Shi'a Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor ( caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community ( imam). However, his right is understoo ...

festival of Aashurah kill nearly 200, the deadliest attacks up to that time. *March 8: Provisional

Iraqi Constitution The Constitution of the Republic of Iraq ( Kurdish: دەستووری عێراق) is the fundamental law of Iraq. The first constitution came into force in 1925. The current constitution was adopted on September 18, 2005 by the Transitional Nati ...

signed. *March 31:

31 March 2004 Fallujah ambush The 2004 Fallujah ambush occurred on March 31, 2004, when Iraqi insurgents attacked a convoy containing four American contractors from the private military company Blackwater USA who were conducting a delivery for food caterers ESS. The am ...

: Four

Blackwater Blackwater or Black Water may refer to: Health and ecology * Blackwater (coal), liquid waste from coal preparation * Black water (drink), a health drink * Blackwater (waste), wastewater containing feces, urine, and flushwater from flush toilets * ...

contractors ambushed and killed in

, causing a

First Battle of Fallujah The First Battle of Fallujah, code-named Operation Vigilant Resolve, was an American-led operation of the Iraq War against militants in Fallujah as well as an attempt to apprehend or kill the perpetrators of the killing of four U.S. contractor ...

April

*April 4: Beginning of violent clashes between the coalition and followers of

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

cleric

Muqtada al-Sadr Muqtada al-Sadr (; born 4 August 1974) is an Iraqi Shia Muslim cleric, politician and militia leader. He inherited the leadership of the Sadrist Movement from his father, and founded the now dissolved Mahdi Army militia in 2003 that resisted ...

, which will end at the end of August 2004. *April 8: Beginning of the kidnapping of foreign civilians in Iraq, with the abduction of several Japanese. *April 18:

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, led by newly elected

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (; born 4 August 1960) is a Spanish politician and member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). He was the Prime Minister of Spain being elected for two terms, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections. O ...

(

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

) vows to withdraw its troops. *April 18:

Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse During the early stages of the Iraq War, members of the United States Army and the Central Intelligence Agency were accused of a series of human rights violations and war crimes against detainees in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. These abuses ...

; Beginning of the diffusion of images of humiliated Iraqi detainees by US soldiers in

Abu Ghraib Abu Ghraib ( or ; ) is a city in the Baghdad Governorate of Iraq, located just west of Baghdad's city center, or northwest of Baghdad International Airport. It has a population of 189,000 (2003). The old road to Jordan passes through Abu Ghra ...

. *April 26: The

Iraq Interim Governing Council The Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) was the provisional government of Iraq from 13 July 2003 to 1 June 2004. It was established by and served under the United States-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). The IGC consisted of various Iraqi ...

announce a new flag for post-Saddam Iraq. This creates much controversy, in part because of the similarity of color and design with the

flag of Israel The flag of the State of Israel ( ; ) was adopted on 28 October 1948, five months after the Israeli Declaration of Independence. It consists of a white background with a blue Star of David in the centre and two horizontal blue stripes at the ...

, and difference with other Arab nation flags. The flag is not adopted.

May

*May 17:

Ezzedine Salim Ezzedine Salim (), also known as Abdelzahra Othman Mohammed (23 March 1943 – 17 May 2004, عبد الزهراء عثمان محمد), was an Iraqi politician, author, educator, Islamist theorist and one of the leading members of the Iraqi Dawaa ...

, head of the Iraqi Governing Council, killed in a suicide attack. *May 19: Mukaradeeb killings; US bombs a wedding party, killing 42 people.

June

*June 1: Assuming of functions of the

Iraqi Interim Government The Iraqi Interim Government was created by the United States and its coalition allies as a caretaker government to govern Iraq until the drafting of the new constitution following the National Assembly election conducted on January 30, 2005 ...

led by

Prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Iyad Allawi Ayad Allawi (; also spelled Iyad or Eyad; born 31 May 1944) is an Iraqi-British politician and neurologist. He served as the vice president of Iraq from 2014 to 2015 and 2016 to 2018. Previously he was interim prime minister of Iraq from 2004 ...

; Ghazi al-Yawer is designed head of the Iraqi state. *June 8: UN Security Council Resolution 1546 on the transfer of sovereignty from the Coalition Provisional Authority to the Iraqi Interim Government. *June 21:

2004 Iranian seizure of Royal Navy personnel 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the H ...

*June 28: At 10:26 am, the US-led

Coalition Provisional Authority The Coalition Provisional Authority (; , CPA) was a Provisional government, transitional government of Iraq established following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, invasion of the country on 19 March 2003 by Multi-National Force – Iraq, U.S.-led Co ...

formally transferred sovereignty of Iraqi territory to the Iraqi interim government, two days ahead of schedule. L. Paul Bremer departed the country two hours later. *June 30: Saddam Hussein and eleven high ex-governmental figures are put under the Iraqi Interim Government's authority.

July

*July 1:

Trial of Saddam Hussein The deposed President of Iraq Saddam Hussein was tried by the Iraqi Interim Government for crimes against humanity during his time in office. The Coalition Provisional Authority voted to create the Iraqi Special Tribunal (IST), consisting o ...

: Saddam Hussein appears at his first hearing. *July 20:

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo (; born April 5, 1947), often referred to as PGMA or GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician who served as the 14th president of the Philippines from Presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 2001 to 2010 ...

president of the Philippines The president of the Philippines (, sometimes referred to as ) is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-ch ...

, confirms that hostage Angelo dela Cruz has been freed by his captors after their demands for a one-month-early withdrawal of all 51 Filipino troops from

were met.

August

*August 5–27: Forces loyal to

resist government authority in Najaf; the fighting is ended with

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani (; born 4 August 1930) is an Islamic scholar and the dean of the Hawza of Najaf in Iraq. A Grand Ayatollah, Sistani is considered one of the leading religious leaders of Twelver Shia Muslims. After the invasion of Ir ...

's help.

September

*September 14: The

Haifa Street helicopter incident The Haifa Street helicopter incident or the Haifa Street massacre was a controversial event in Baghdad, Iraq, on September 12, 2004. The fighting started before dawn on Haifa Street, where insurgents detonated two car bombs and attacked American tr ...

kills 13 Iraqis and is televised around the world. *September 30: A car strikes an American officer handing out candy to children, killing up to 35 children.

October

*October 1: Battle of Samarra (2004) *17 October:

Al-Zarqawi Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (; , "Father of Musab, of Zarqa"; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel Nazal al-Khalayleh (), was a Jordanian militant jihadist who ran a training camp in Afghanistan. He became known after going to Iraq a ...

pledged allegiance to

al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

network *Late October: The

Al Qa'qaa high explosives controversy The Al Qa'qaa high explosives controversy concerns the possible removal of about 377 tonnes of high explosives (HMX and RDX) from the Al Qa'qaa facility by the Iraqi insurgency, after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Although Pentagon spokesman Lawrenc ...

comes to light.

November

*November 7:

Second Battle of Fallujah The Second Battle of Fallujah, initially codenamed Operation Phantom Fury, Operation al-Fajr (, ) was an American-led offensive of the Iraq War that began on 7 November 2004 and lasted about six weeks. A joint military effort of the United ...

begins. *November 8: Insurgents regroup and begin the Battle of Mosul.

December

*December 21:

2004 Forward Operating Base Marez bombing The Forward Operating Base Marez bombing took place on December 21, 2004. Fourteen U.S. soldiers, four U.S. citizen Halliburton employees, and four Iraqi soldiers allied with the U.S. military were killed by a suicide bomber in a dining hall a ...

kills 22, including 18 Americans.

2005

January

*January 30: Iraqi legislative election. The Shia

United Iraqi Alliance The National Iraqi Alliance (NIA or INA; ), also known as the Watani List, was an Iraqi electoral coalition that contested the 2010 Iraqi legislative election. The Alliance was mainly composed of Shi'a Islamist parties. The alliance was creat ...

obtained a majority, followed by the Kurdish Alliance; Sunnis largely boycotted.

February

*February 28:

2005 Al Hillah bombing The Al Hillah bombing killed 127 people, chiefly men lining up to join the Iraqi police forces, at the recruiting centre on February 28, 2005 in Al Hillah, Iraq. The bombing caused a worsening of Iraqi-Jordanian diplomatic relations after it ...

: In the deadliest single blast up to that time, a car bomb kills 127 in Hillah; the identity of the bomber as a Jordanian caused a diplomatic row between Iraq and

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

March

*March 4:

Rescue of Giuliana Sgrena On 4 March 2005, the Italian military secret service, SISMI, conducted a covert operation to rescue Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena from kidnappers in Iraq. After the successful retrieval of Sgrena, the car with her and two secret agents came ...

: Liberation of Italian journalist

Giuliana Sgrena Giuliana Sgrena (born 20 December 1948) is an Italian journalist who works for the Italian communist newspaper ''il manifesto'' and the German weekly ''Die Zeit''. While working in Iraq, she was kidnapped by insurgents on 4 February 2005. After h ...

, during which secret Italian agent

Nicola Calipari Nicola Calipari (June 23, 1953March 4, 2005) was an Italian major general and SISMI military intelligence officer. Calipari was accidentally killed in Iraq by American soldiers while escorting a recently released Italian hostage, journalist G ...

is killed by US fire.

Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; 29 September 193612 June 2023) was an Italian Media proprietor, media tycoon and politician who served as the prime minister of Italy in three governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a mem ...

's government announces a partial retreat of Italian troops from the coalition. *March 16 First meeting of the transitional

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

. *March 31: The Iraqi Intelligence Commission concludes in its final report that prewar intelligence regarding WMD's was false.

April

*April 2:

Battle of Abu Ghraib The Battle of Abu Ghraib took place between Iraqi Mujahideen and United States forces at Abu Ghraib prison on April 2, 2005. Mujahideen linked to Al-Qaeda in Iraq launched a surprise attack on the American section of Abu Ghraib prison, known ...

*April 6: Election of Kurdish

Jalal Talabani Jalal Talabani (; ; 1933 – 3 October 2017) was an Iraqi Kurdish politician who served as the sixth president of Iraq from 2005 to 2014, as well as the president of the Governing Council of Iraq. Talabani was the founder and secretary-gene ...

President of Iraq The President of the Republic of Iraq is the head of state of Iraq. Since the mid-2000s, the presidency is primarily a symbolic office, as the position does not possess significant power within the country according to the Constitution of Iraq, ...

. *April 7:

Ibrahim al-Jaafari Ibrahim Abdul Karim al-Eshaiker (; born 25 March 1947), better known as Ibrahim al-Jaafari, is an Iraqi politician who was Prime Minister of Iraq in the Iraqi Transitional Government from 2005 to 2006, following the January 2005 Iraqi parliamenta ...

is nominated as

Prime minister of Iraq The prime minister of the Republic of Iraq is the head of government of Iraq and the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces. On 27 October 2022, Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani became the incumbent prime minister. History The prime minist ...

. *April 28: The Parliament votes its trust towards the new government.

May

*May 8:

Battle of Al Qaim The Battle of Al-Qa'im (code-named Operation Matador) was a military offensive conducted by the United States Marine Corps, against insurgent positions in Iraq's northwestern Anbar province, which ran from 8 May 2005 to 19 May 2005. It was fo ...

, US aiming to stop the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq. *May 15 Formation of the parliamentary commission charged of the draft of the new Constitution.

July

*July 19: 2005 Musayyib bombing kills nearly 100 Shia.

August

*August 1–4:

Battle of Haditha The Battle of Haditha took place between U.S. forces and Ansar al-Sunna in early August 2005 on the outskirts of the town of Haditha, Iraq, which was one of the many towns that were under insurgent control in the Euphrates River valley durin ...

*August 15: Unable to find a consensus between the main political leaders, the Parliament postpones for a week the transmission of the draft constitution to its members. *August 22: The constitution's draft is presented to the Iraqi Parliament. *August 28: The constitution is presented to parliament. *August 31: 2005 Baghdad bridge stampede: Rumors of a suicide bomber lead to a stampede on the Al-Aaimmah bridge; about 1,000 people died.

September

*September 1: Battle of Tal Afar: US troops launch an offensive in

Tal Afar Tal Afar (, ; ) is a city in the Nineveh Governorate of northwestern Iraq, located west of Mosul, east of Sinjar14 September 2005 Baghdad bombings: In the deadliest day of the insurgency in Baghdad, bombs kill 160 and injure more than 500. *September 19:

Basra prison incident Basra () is a port city in southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq border at the north-easternmost extent o ...

: British troops storm a police station in

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

to free two soldiers being held there. *September 29: Bombings in Balad kill at least 95.

October

*October 15:

2005 Iraqi constitutional referendum The electorate of Iraq went to the polls on 15 October 2005 to vote in a referendum on whether or not to ratify the proposed constitution of Iraq. After 10 days of counting votes, the country's electoral commission announced that the constitution ...

: Voters approve Iraq's new constitution. *Oct. 19: Start of Saddam Hussein's trial. *Oct. 24 – The

Palestine Hotel The Palestine Hotel (Arabic language, Arabic: فندق فلسطين), often referred to simply as ''The Palestine'', is a 16-story hotel, luxury hotel in Baghdad, Iraq. Located on the Firdos Square near from Saadon, across from the Ishtar Hotel, ...

and the Sheraton Ishtar hotel in Baghdad are hit by truck bombs; the attacks are captured on film.

November

*Nov. 5:

Operation Steel Curtain Operation Steel Curtain (Arabic: الحجاب الفولاذي Al Hejab Elfulathi) was a military operation executed by coalition forces in early November 2005 to reduce the flow of foreign insurgents crossing the border and joining the Iraqi ...

launched to root out foreign fighters. *Nov. 15 - 173 prisoners are found in an Iraqi government bunker in Baghdad, having been starved, beaten and tortured. *Nov. 18: Bombings in Khanaqin kill at least 74. *Nov. 19:

Haditha killings The Haditha massacre was a series of killings on November 19, 2005, in which a group of United States Marines killed 25 unarmed Iraqi civilians. The killings occurred in the city of Haditha in Iraq's western province of Al Anbar. Among the dead ...

: American soldiers kill 24 people, including 15 noncombatants, in

Haditha Haditha (, ''al-Ḥadīthah'') is a town in the Al Anbar Governorate, about northwest of Baghdad. It is a farming town situated on the Euphrates River. Its population of around 46,500 people, predominantly Sunni Muslim Arabs. The town lies near ...

, after an insurgent attack. *Nov. 25: 2005–2006 Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis begins.

December

*December 14 - U.S. President George W. Bush says that the decision to invade Iraq in 2003 was the result of faulty intelligence, and accepts responsibility for that decision. He maintains that his decision was still justified. *December 15:

December 2005 Iraqi legislative election Parliamentary elections were held in Iraq on 15 December 2005, following the approval of a new constitution in a referendum on 15 October. Electoral system The elections took place under a list system, whereby voters chose from a list of part ...

2006

February

*February 22 The

al-Askari Mosque bombing (2006) At approximately 6:44 a.m. Arabia Standard Time on 22 February 2006, al-Askari Shrine in Samarra, Iraq, was severely damaged in a bombing attack amidst the then-ongoing Iraq War. Constructed in the 10th century, it is one of the holiest sites ...

: Shi’ite

Al Askari Mosque Al-Askari Shrine, the Askariyya Shrine, or Al-Askari Mosque is a Shia Muslim mosque and mausoleum in the Iraqi city of Samarra from Baghdad. It is one of the most important Shia shrines in the world. It was built in 944. The dome was destroyed ...

is bombed by Sunni militants, sparking a sectarian civil war. Shi’ite, Sunni and other militant groups also start advancing within

March

*March 12: Mahmudiyah killings.

April

*April 24:

Hamdania incident The Hamdania incident refers to the alleged kidnapping and subsequent murder of an Iraqi man by United States Marines on April 26, 2006, in Al Hamdania, a small village west of Baghdad near Abu Ghraib. An investigation by the Naval Criminal Inve ...

. Marines allegedly abduct an Iraqi civilian from a house, kill him, and place components and spent

AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikova (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is an assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms designer Mikhail Kala ...

cartridges near his body to make it appear he was planting an IED.

May

*May 20 The new

Iraqi government The government of Iraq is defined under the current Constitution, approved in 2005, as a democratic, parliamentary republic with Islam as the official state religion. The government is composed of the executive, legislative, and judicial branche ...

, which succeeds to the

Iraqi Transitional Government The Iraqi Transitional Government was the government of Iraq from May 3, 2005, when it replaced the Iraqi Interim Government, until May 20, 2006, when it was replaced by a permanent government. On April 28 it was approved by the transitional ...

, begins its functions.

June

*June 7

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (; , "Father of Musab, of Zarqa"; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel Nazal al-Khalayleh (), was a Jordanian militant jihadist who ran a training camp in Afghanistan. He became known after going to Iraq a ...

is killed. *June 14:

Operation Together Forward Operation Together Forward, also known as Forward Together (), was an unsuccessful offensive against sectarian militias in Baghdad to significantly reduce the violence in which had seen a sharp uprise since the mid-February 2006 bombing of the ...

begins. *June 17:

Battle of Ramadi (2006) The Second Battle of Ramadi was fought during the Iraq War from March 2006 to November 2006, for control of the Ramadi, capital of the Al Anbar Governorate in western Iraq. A joint US military force under the command of 1st Brigade Combat Team, ...

begins.

July

*July 9: Hay al Jihad massacre - Shia militias kill 40 Sunnis. *July 23: Two powerful bombs in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood kill at least 66. *July 24

, 69, the deposed former

i President, is force-fed in a

hospital through a tube after 16 days of

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...

. *July 25 Operation River Falcon begins.

August

October

*Oct. 19:

Battle of Amarah The Battle of Amarah took place from October 19 to October 20, 2006, between the Mahdi Army and police, who were largely members of the Badr Organization. Fighting began on October 19, when 800 masked members of the Mahdi army The Mahdi A ...

. Clashes erupt between the

Mahdi Army The Mahdi Army () was an Iraqi Shia militia created by Muqtada al-Sadr in June 2003 and disbanded in 2008. The Mahdi Army rose to international prominence on April 4, 2004, when it spearheaded the first major armed confrontation against the ...

and the

Badr Organization The Badr Organization ( ''Munaẓẓama Badr''), previously known as the Badr Brigades or Badr Corps, is an Iraqi Shia Islamist and Khomeinist political party and paramilitary organization headed by Hadi al-Amiri. The Badr Brigade, formed in ...

. *Oct. 28: The first of the

Chlorine bombings in Iraq Chlorine bombings in Iraq began as early as October 2004, when insurgents in Al Anbar province started using chlorine gas in conjunction with conventional vehicle-borne explosive devices. The inaugural chlorine attacks in Iraq were described as ...

November

*November 7 - The

United States midterm elections Midterm elections in the United States are the general elections that are held near the midpoint of a president's four-year term of office, on Election Day on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Federal offices that are up for e ...

removed the Republican Party from control of both chambers of the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

. The failings in the Iraq War were cited as one of the main causes of the Republicans' defeat, even though the Bush administration had attempted to distance itself from its earlier "stay the course" rhetoric. *November 19: Ammar al-Saffar, Deputy Health Minister, becomes the highest-ranking Iraqi to be kidnapped. *

23 November 2006 Sadr City bombings The 2006 Sadr City bombings were a series of car bombs and mortar attacks in Iraq that occurred on 23 November at 15:10 Baghdad time (12:10 Greenwich Mean Time) and ended at 15:55 (12:55 UTC). Six car bombs and two mortar rounds were used in th ...

kill more than 200 Shias in

Sadr City Sadr City (), formerly known as Al-Thawra () and Saddam City (), is a suburb district of the city of Baghdad, Iraq. It was built in 1959 by Prime Minister of Iraq, Prime Minister Abd al-Karim Qasim, Abdul Karim Qassim and named Al-Rafidain Distric ...

December

*December 6: The

Iraq Study Group The Iraq Study Group (ISG), also known as the Baker-Hamilton Commission, was a ten-person bipartisan panel appointed on March 15, 2006, by the United States Congress, that was charged with assessing the situation in Iraq and the US-led Iraq War an ...

releases their final report. *December 21: 2006 US raid on Iranian diplomats *December 25:

Diyala campaign The Diyala campaign was a series of operations conducted by coalition forces against Iraqi insurgents and a number of bombing and guerrilla attacks against the security forces in the Diyala Governorate of Iraq, with the purpose of control of the ...

begins. *Dec. 30:

Execution of Saddam Hussein Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was executed on 30 December 2006. Saddam was sentenced to death by hanging, after being convicted of crimes against humanity by the Iraqi Special Tribunal for the Dujail massacre—the killing of 148 Iraq ...

2007

January

*January 10: The

Iraq War troop surge of 2007 The Iraq War troop surge of 2007, commonly known as the troop surge, or simply the surge, refers to the George W. Bush administration's 2007 increase in the number of U.S. military combat troops in Iraq in order to provide security to Baghdad a ...

is announced. *January 11: US raid on Iranian Liaison Office in Arbil. *January 20: The

Karbala provincial headquarters raid The Karbala provincial headquarters raid was a special operation carried out on January 20, 2007, by the Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq against the U.S. contingent of the Joint Security Station, located within the Iraqi Police headquarters. The assault, w ...

results in the kidnapping and killing of five American soldiers. The US blames Iran. *January 28: Followers of the Shia cult

Soldiers of Heaven The Soldiers of Heaven (; Jund As-Samāʾ) were an Iraqi Shia religious militant cult known for fighting in the Battle of Najaf in January 2007 against Iraqi, American and British forces. Led by Dia Abdul Zahra Kadim, who was killed in the ba ...

initiate the

Battle of Najaf (2007) The Battle of Najaf took place on 28 January 2007 at Zarqa (also spelled Zarga) near Najaf, Iraq, between Iraqi Security Forces (later assisted by U.S. and UK forces) and fighters, initially thought to be Sunni insurgents but later reported t ...

, which left nearly 300 dead.

February

*February 3: A bomb in Baghdad market kills 135 people. *February 6: Baghdad kidnapping of Iranian diplomat. *February 27: Siege of U.K. bases in Basra begins.

March

*March 6: 2007 Al Hillah bombings kill 120 Shias. *March 23:

2007 Iranian seizure of Royal Navy personnel 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has symbolic associations in religion, mythology, supers ...

: Iran seizes 15 British Royal Navy personnel patrolling near Iraq, who are released on 4 April. *March 27: A bombing in Tal Afar, which killed 152, set off Shia retaliation which left 70 Sunnis dead. *March 29:

Suicide bombings in Baghdad Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or acad ...

kill 82 Shias. *

Battle of Baqubah A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

April

*April 6:

Operation Black Eagle Operation Black Eagle is an operation that took place during Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2003 to 2010. It was the 381st listed operation during the Iraq war in 2003 Black Eagle was an operation in which U.S., Polish, and Iraqi troops battled ...

. Fighting between Coalition forces and the Madhi Army. *April 18: Bombings across Baghdad kill nearly 200. *April 23:

2007 Mosul massacre 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has symbolic associations in religion, mythology, supers ...

Yazidi Yazidis, also spelled Yezidis (; ), are a Kurdish-speaking endogamous religious group indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran. The majority of Yazidis remaining in ...

workers, in revenge for the

Stoning of Du'a Khalil Aswad Stoning, or lapidation, is a method of capital punishment where a group throws stones at a person until the subject dies from blunt trauma. It has been attested as a form of punishment for grave misdeeds since ancient times. Stoning appears t ...

May

*The

Iraq oil law (2007) The Iraq Oil Law, also referred to as the Iraq Hydrocarbon Law was a piece of legislation submitted to the Iraqi Council of Representatives in May 2007 that laid out a framework for the regulation and development of Iraq's oil fields. It is a part ...

is proposed.

June

*June 13:

2007 al-Askari Mosque bombing The 2007 al-Askari mosque bombing () occurred on 13 June 2007 at around 9 am local time at one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, the al-Askari Mosque, and has been attributed by Iran to the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region, Ir ...

blows up two of the mosque's minarets. *June 16:

Operation Phantom Thunder Operation Phantom Thunder began on 16 June 2007, when Multi-National Force-Iraq launched major offensive operations against al-Qaeda and other extremist terrorists operating throughout Iraq. It was the largest coordinated military operation ...

begins.

July

*July 12: The Initial Benchmark Assessment Report is released. *July 16: The 2007 Kirkuk bombings kill 86. *July 17: Truck bomb in Amirli kills 156. *July 26: A Baghdad market is bombed, killing 92.

August

Operation Phantom Strike Operation Phantom Strike was a major offensive launched by the Multi-National Corps – Iraq on 15 August 2007 in a crackdown to disrupt both the al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and Shia insurgent operations in Iraq. It consisted of a ...

begins. *August 14:

2007 Yazidi communities bombings 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has symbolic associations in religion, mythology, supers ...

. In the most deadly insurgent strikes to date, four bombings in

Kahtaniya Til Ezer (, , also known in Arabic as ''al-Qaḥṭānīya'' or ''Qahtaniyah'', also spelled ''Giruzer, Kar Izir, Kahtaniya'') is a village located in the Sinjar District of the Ninawa Governorate in Iraq. The village is located south of the S ...

and Jazeera, in northern Iraq, strike Yazidi communities, killing 796 people and injuring more than 1,500.

September

*The

Nisour Square massacre The Nisour Square massacre occurred on September 16, 2007, when employees of Blackwater Security Consulting (now Constellis), a private military company contracted by the United States government to provide security services in Iraq, shot at ...

in Baghdad killed 17 Iraqi civilians.

2008

January

*January 8: Operation Phantom Phoenix begins. *January 18:

2008 Iraqi Day of Ashura fighting The 2008 Iraqi Day of Ashura fighting was a series of clashes that occurred on the Islamic holy day of Ashura on January 18, 2008 and the next day in the Iraqi cities of Basra and Nasiriyah. The battles were fought between the Iraqi security force ...

. *January 23:

Ninawa campaign The 2008 Nineveh campaign was a series of offensives and counter-attacks between insurgent and Coalition forces for control of the Nineveh Governorate in northern Iraq in early-to-mid-2008. Some fighting also occurred in the neighboring Kirkuk G ...

begins.

February

* Bombings in Baghdad kill 98. *February 21:

2008 Turkish incursion into northern Iraq The 2008 Turkish incursion into northern Iraq, code-named Operation Sun () by the Turkish Armed Forces, began on February 21, 2008, when the Turkish Army sent troops into northern Iraq to target the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The ground o ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

launches an offensive in northern Iraq against

PKK The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or the PKK, isDespite the PKK's 12th Congress announcing plans for total organisational dissolution, the PKK has not yet been dissolved de facto or de jure. a Kurdish militant political organization and armed gue ...

rebels.

March

*March 23: Iraq spring fighting of 2008. *March 25:

Battle of Basra (2008) The Battle of Basra began on 25 March 2008, when the Iraqi Army launched an operation (code-named ''Saulat al-Fursan'', meaning Operation Charge of the Knights in Arabic) to drive the Mahdi Army militia out of the southern Iraqi city of Basra. ...

July

*July 29: Operation Augurs of Prosperity launched.

October

*Oct. 26:

2008 Abu Kamal raid The 2008 Abu Kamal raid was an attack carried out by helicopter-borne CIA paramilitary officers from Special Activities Division and United States Special Operations Command, Joint Special Operations Command inside Syrian territory on October 26, ...

into

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

November

2008 attacks on Christians in Mosul 2008 attacks on Christians in Mosul was a series of attacks which targeted Iraqi Christians in Mosul, Iraq. The Christians of Mosul, who were already targeted during the Iraq War, left the city en masse heading to Assyrian villages in Nineveh Pl ...

*The U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement, which stipulates that U.S. troops will be out of Iraq by the end of 2011, is approved and ratified by the Iraqi Parliament.

2009

January

*January 31:

2009 Iraqi governorate elections Governorate or provincial elections were held in Iraq on 31 January 2009, to replace the local councils in fourteen of the eighteen governorates of Iraq that were elected in the 2005 Iraqi governorate elections. 14,431 candidates, including 3, ...

*A total of 191 Iraqis were killed in violence during January, the lowest monthly toll since the US-led invasion of March 2003.At least 26 dead as bombs, shootings shatter Iraq lull
Retrieved on 11 February 2009 Sixteen U.S. troops died in Iraq during this month.

May

*May 11:

Camp Liberty killings On May 11, 2009, five United States military personnel were fatally shot at a military counseling clinic at Camp Liberty, Iraq by Army Sergeant John M. Russell. In the days before the killings, witnesses stated Russell had become distant and was ...

*May 28: The last of the U.K.'s combat troops are withdrawn.

July 25

* 2009 Iraqi Kurdistan legislative election

August

* 19 August 2009 Baghdad bombings kill 101.

October

* 25 October 2009 Baghdad bombings kill 155.

December

* 8 December 2009 Baghdad bombings kill 127. *December 31: The US suffers only four troop deaths, and no combat deaths, the lowest figure since the war began.

2010

March

*March 7:

2010 Iraqi parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Iraq on 7 March 2010. The elections decided the 325 members of the Council of Representatives who would elect the prime minister and president. The elections resulted in a partial victory for the Iraqi Natio ...

April

*April 18:

Islamic State of Iraq The Islamic State of Iraq (ISI; ') was a Salafi jihadist militant organization that fought the forces of the U.S.-led coalition during the Iraqi insurgency. The organization aimed to overthrow the Iraqi federal government and establish an ...

leaders

Abu Ayyub al-Masri Abu Ayyub al-Masri ( ; , ', translation: "Father of Ayyub the Egyptian"; 1967 – 18 April 2010), also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir

and

Abu Omar al-Baghdadi Abu Omar al-Baghdadi (; ; 1964 – 18 April 2010), born Hamid Dawud Mohamed Khalil al-Zawi () was an Iraqi militant who was the Emir of the Islamic militant umbrella organization Mujahideen Shura Council (MSC),Al-Qaeda names mystery man to su ...

are killed in a joint U.S.-Iraqi operation near

Tikrit Tikrit ( ) is a city in Iraq, located northwest of Baghdad and southeast of Mosul on the Tigris River. It is the administrative center of the Saladin Governorate. In 2012, it had a population of approximately 160,000. Originally created as a f ...

August

*August 18: American combat operations in Iraq end as its last combat brigade departs for

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

September

*September 30: 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment conducted a Transition of Authority with 3rd BDE, 3rd ID and assumed responsibility for the five northern Provinces of United States Division-South under MG Vincent Brooks and the 1st Infantry Division.

3d Armored Cavalry Regiment The 3rd Cavalry Regiment, formerly 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment ("Brave Rifles") is a regiment of the United States Army currently stationed at Fort Cavazos, Texas. The regiment has a history in the United States Army that dates back to 19 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iraq War Timeline * * United States military history timelines Timelines of 21st-century military conflicts