Battle of Baghdad (2003)

The battle of Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, took place between 3 to 9 April 2003. A part of the invasion against Iraq by the United States and coalition forces in 2003, eventually leading to the Iraq War. This marked the end of Saddam Hussein's regime, later captured by US forces, and Baghdad under coalition control. It is also called the fall of Baghdad by some sources.

 Background 

On 11 September, 2001, four attacks, including two World Trade Centers buildings, the Pentagon complex, and a plane crash (by al-Qaeda terrorists) in Pennsylvania have been executed. 2,997 lives have lost including 19 terrorists, making it the deadliest attacks on US soil. Then-US President George W. Bush have passed major acts regarding national security including the controversial PATRIOT Act which allowed federal workers to access US citizens' information and data, sparked protests and privacy violations around the United States.

United States Congress passed the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) on 18 September, 2001, a week later after the terrorist attacks. This act allows the president to send the military to fight against terrorism. In 2001, the United States invaded Afghanistan, leading to a nearly 20 years war and the longest conflict in US history. In 2002, President Bush added Iraq in the axis of evil under Saddam Hussein.

On 20 March, 2003, the US and the United Kingdom-led coalition forces invaded Iraq. The US accused of Iraq having and carrying weapons of mass destructions (WMDs) under Saddam Hussein, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said to the United Nations that Iraq was holding WMDs, years later found no WMDs built in Iraq under Saddam Hussein. And Hussein's execution faced moral challenges by groups like Human Rights Watch.

 Related pages 

 Fall of Saigon
 Fall of Kabul (2021)
 Fall of Damascus

 References 

Category:2003 events
Category:Iraq War
Category:History of Iraq
Category:George W. Bush
Category:History of the Middle East
Category:History of Asia