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Looking Back Part 3, The Invasion

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The invasion of Iraq really began in 2002 when an invasion team of CIA agents infiltrated the country to prepare for traditional troops. The purpose of these operatives was to persuade various military groups within Iraq to surrender and not resist the American troops. One important skirmish was against Ansar al-Islam, which led to finding chemical weapons in Sargat.

The real invasion began on March 20, 2003. Other countries besides the U.S. helped with the invasion and included 248,000 soldiers from the U.S., 45,000 soldiers from Britain, 2,000 soldiers from Australia, and 194 special forces soldiers from Poland, as well as about 70,000 soldiers from Iraqi Kurdish militia troops.

The objectives of the war were as follows:

â€¢ End Hussein’s regime
â€¢ Destroy an weapons of mass destruction found
â€¢ Eliminate Islamist militants
â€¢ Gather intelligence about any militant networks
â€¢ Distribute aid
â€¢ Secure the infrastructure for Iraq’s petroleum
â€¢ Create a democratic government that uses representatives

One of the first early successes of the war was on April 9 when the city of Baghdad (Iraq’s capital) fell and a statue of Hussein was torn down. Finally, after 24 years of ruling, Hussein’s empire was ended. Many citizens were grateful the end of this tyranny, but without a firm leader to take over and lead the country, there were riots and looting and increased crime.

After this initial victory, President Bush declared in a speech in San Diego that the war was essentially won. Hussein was still at large and there were pockets of resistance, but overall, he believed the war to be won.

Then religious radicals and other Iraqi citizens joined in the resistance. They were angered because of the invasion and having U.S. troops on their land. Most of the resistance came in the form of guerrilla tactics â€” suicide bombings, snipers, IEDs, car bombs, missiles, RPGs, and more.

During this time, a post-invasion Iraq coalition was formed in an effort to establish a new form of government that used democratic ideals. The United Nations helped in establishing this government as well.

More to come . . .

Filed Under: Educational Reference, Media Workers, News, War Tagged With: Ansar al-Islam, George W. Bush, Iraq, Middle East, Saddam Hussein, United Nations, United States armed forces, Warfare and Conflict

Looking Back Part 5, Insurgency Attacks Continue to Rise

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On January 31, 2005, an election took place to elect members of the Iraqi Transitional Government. The purpose of the government was to draft a constitution for the country. This event was marred by a widespread Sunni boycott, but most of the Kurd and Shia members of the population participated.

From February to April, violence died down causing hope that soon the U.S. troops would be pulled out of Iraq. That hope was ended in May 2005. Violence surged and included suicide bombers spread throughout the entire countries targeting Shia gatherings and places where there were concentrations of Shia citizens. In one month alone, over 700 citizens of Iraq died along with 79 U.S. soldiers.

In October 2005, a referendum was held to ratify the new Iraqi constitution. In December, there was another election to elect an Iraqi national assembly. This election was participated by the Sunnis in addition to the Kurds and Shia.

In total, the number of insurgent attacks reached 34,131 in 2005, up by 7,635 attacks from the previous year.

The year of 2006 felt very much like a civil war in Iraq with citizens of Iraq targeting other citizens with their violence. On February 23 alone, over 100 dead bodies were found with bullet holes in them and the death rate in Baghdad averaged around 33 a day.

On May 20, 2006, the Iraqi government officials who won the elections in December took office. Other major events in 2006 included the release of the Iraq Study Group Report and the hanging of Saddam Hussein. The Report was led by former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker and former U.S. Representative Lee Hamilton and concluded that the situation in Iraq was quickly deteriorating and that there seemed to be no foreseeable end to the conflict. The recommended having diplomatic measures increased and working harder to train Iraqi troops as quickly as possible.

With Saddam Hussein’s trial ending (after a year of being tried for crimes against humanity by an Iraqi court), the former regime was effectively dead. But the end of 2006 did not bring hope for an end.

Filed Under: Educational Reference, Media Workers, News, War

Looking Back Part 4, War Continues

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The summer of 2003 was spent trying to uncover leads of Hussein’s regime. On July 22, Hussein’s sons were found and killed by the U.S. 101st Airborne Division as well as soldiers from Task Force 20. In total, over 300 of the top leaders from Hussein’s regime were captured or killed.

Then on December 13, 2003, finally the leader of the regime, Saddam Hussein himself was found and captured. His hideout was on a farm near Tikrit. His hiding place was leaked by members of Hussein’s family members and his former bodyguards.

The beginning of 2004 led to insurgency groups picking a new target: the Iraqi Security Forces, a group of Iraqis who were created to police the country. Hundreds of these police officers, as well as Iraqi civilians, were killed using a series of bombings.

On March 31, 2004, insurgents ambushed some private military contractors in Fallujah who were protecting caterers. These U.S. contractors were killed and their bodies set on fire and hung over a bridge that crosses over the Euphrates River. As a response, the U.S. started a battle called the First Battle of Fallujah in April 2004 to try and pacify the city. The effort was unsuccessful.

In November 2004, a second battle began lasting 46 days. This battle was won by the multinational group of soldiers, but resulted in the loss of 95 U.S. soldiers as well as 1,350 insurgents. Luckily civilian casualties were low because most of them had abandoned the city before the second battle began.

With Bush’s “Mission Accomplished” speech given in May 2003, many would have thought that the war would have been over by the end of 2004, especially since the provisional government set up to run Iraq was signed over to Iraqi’s Interim Government on June 28, 2004. But with the insurgents continuing to fight and with the government so unstable, Bush’s administration most likely felt that pulling out now would likely cause more problems than it would help. So the fighting continued as the rebuilding effort of the cities and government began.

Stay tuned . . .

Filed Under: Educational Reference, Media Workers, News, War Tagged With: Euphrates, Fallujah, First Battle of Fallujah, Iraq, Iraqi Security Forces, Middle East, Politics, Saddam Hussein

Preparing for Changes in Life: Moving House

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One of the certainties in life is that things change. This may be due to just the natural process of growing older or other factors outside your control. What can be controlled to some extent is how some of these changes are handled so that they are easier to deal with. Even anticipated changes come with their own challenges.

One major life change is moving house. This can be quite traumatic, especially if there are sentimental memories attached to the home. One reason for moving from one house to another is that the family is growing due to the arrival of children. The issue of mortgage payments may also impact moving decisions.

When it comes to finding the right new home, a company such as Portland Property Management can help make the search and transition easier. A company that specializes in property management tends to be better able to identify suitable homes. These companies are also able to ensure that the property is in good condition before you move in. If the move was related to advancing age or physical limitations, these companies can offer assistance with general maintenance of the property.

One thing is certain, it can be much more difficult moving house busy periods such as Christmas. As such, these times should be avoidded if possible. For the more adventurous, moving is often seen as a fun activity. Many people look forward to the feeling of starting over, having a new beginning.

Moving to a new location can be seen as heralding a change in the season of one’s life. For some people this change of scenery is revitalizing and provides an impetus to try new things. Such a big move should be handled as carefully as possible for the sake of young children.

Filed Under: Media Workers, War Tagged With: Business, Christmas, HotPads, Management, Property management, PRWEB, Real estate, United States

Raid by Iraqi and U.S. Forces Leave Seven Dead

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On Wednesday, September 16, U.S. forces led a task force of Iraqis into Falluja at around 1 a.m. to issue an arrest warrant for an insurgent leader of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, which are thought to be responsible for attacks on Anbar Province in western Iraq. As they arrived at the location, the troops were fired upon and so they shot back. Four were killed who were suspected insurgents and three were wounded. Two residents of the village also were killed when they came out of their homes with weapons.

It is uncertain if the mission was successful because the spokesman for the military, a Major Rob Phillips, did not have this information. It is believed that the Al Qaeda leader may have been captured or killed. One of the other dead was a colonel in the Iraqi Army under Saddam Hussein and it’s believed he might have been the original target all along, though this is uncertain. It was discovered later that the four killed on location were brothers between the ages of 10 and 18.

According to witnesses of the raid, it was not just the Iraqi police officers who used their weapons; in fact, it was mostly the American soldiers who fought. About 4,500 Special Operations troops were left in Iraq to help with counter-terrorism operations such as these. Iraqi police officers on the scene claimed they were not included in the raid and only arrived after it had begun.

All of this makes you wonder whether the combat in Iraq is really over. The spokesman for the U.S. troops claim they were only in an advisory role, but this does not seem to be the case. If we are to train the native forces in Iraq to take over so they no longer need our help and our troops can be pulled out completely, then we need to let the Iraq police force do their jobs and really only participate to advise as we claim to be doing.

We’ll have to see if our claim to no more combat is reality or just a fantasy.

Filed Under: Educational Reference, Media Workers, News, War Tagged With: Al Anbar Governorate, Al Qaeda, Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Fallujah, Iraq, Iraqi Army, Saddam Hussein, United States armed forces

Finding Businesses that Give Military Discounts

If you live close to the Canadian border and like to show your support for both our U. S. and Canadian troops, you may do this in a number of ways. One of these may be waiting at debarkation points when troops return home so that you can give them gift cards to retail outlets. Sadly, only a lonely few are willing to go that extra mile.

If you’re part of that select group, you may want to consider finding businesses that give military discounts and purchasing gift cards from them. By doing this, the soldiers who receive your gift cards will not only have the means to buy something they need or want, but they will also save money. Depending on how much you put on the gift card, they may be able to buy more than they previously expected.

If you are not sure which businesses give military discounts, there are several ways you can find out. One way is by looking at businesses when you yourself are out shopping to see if they advertise or announce that they give military discounts. You can also look in shopping circulars, newspaper ads, and other printed material to find this information.

One source may be publications such as the yellow pages or business listings in phone directories. These are available both in hard copy and online. For example, if you are looking for businesses in Canada that give military discounts, you can type Canada 411 into your search engine. You will receive “hits” on online publications that provide business listings.

From there, it’s simply a matter of contacting them to ask if they give military discounts. Some businesses may even post this information on their online ad or entry. You can then determine if they offer gift cards or gift certificates.

Filed Under: Educational Reference, War Tagged With: Business, Canada, Gift card

Looking Back Part 6, Preparing to Withdraw

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The year 2007 saw plans to withdraw troops from Iraq. In January, Bush proposed creating a job program and proposed reconstruction plans. These programs would require $1.2 billion. In the State of the Union address, Bush did propose needing to send 20,000 more soldiers to Iraq, but later in the year, plans to withdraw began.

A new commander of the Multi-National Force was appointed: David Petraeus. Petraeus was given the task of implementing the new “Surge” strategy (also called the “New Way Forward”) that was created by the Bush administration. The basics of this plan was to do the following:

1. Let the Iraqi people lead
2. Help the Iraqis to protect their population
3. Isolate any extremists found
4. Create a way for political progress
5. Diversify economic and political efforts
6. Plan strategy by region

On May 10, 2007, the Iraqi Parliamentary petitioned the U.S. government to create a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops. Other countries began to withdraw their troops, which added pressure to U.S. troops to protect areas with less personnel. Tony Blair, Britain’s Prime Minister, withdrew the troops that were located in Basra Governorate and Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Danish Prime Minister withdrew troops from Iraq as well (441 in total).

August 14, 2007 was a tragic day that included the worse single attack from throughout the entire war. On that day, insurgents coordinated a series of suicide bomb attacks in Qahtaniya (in northern Iraq). Over 100 homes and shops were destroyed and almost 800 civilians killed. The attacks were blamed on al-Qaeda.

In September 2007, Petraeus announced that he wanted to have 30,000 U.S. troops withdrawn from Iraq by the summer of 2008, although Bush said he only backed having a limited number of troops withdrawn.

Also in September, an important ally of the U.S. was killed by a bomb. Abdul Sattar Abu Risha was the leader of the Anbar Awakening, a group of Sunni Arab tribes who opposed the al-Qaeda, and it was the al-Qaeda who took responsibility for Risha’s death.

More to come as we look back on this tragic war.

Filed Under: Educational Reference, Media Workers, News, War Tagged With: Abdul Sattar Abu Risha, Al Qaeda, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, David Petraeus, Iraq, Sons of Iraq, Tony Blair, Warfare and Conflict

Looking Back Part 8, Troops Begin to Withdraw

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The year of 2009 began with the U.S. handing over Saddam Hussein’s presidential palace to the Iraqi government along with control of the Green Zone (a ten kilometer square area of central Baghdad where the Coalition Provisional Authority resided, the temporary government set up by the coalition) on January 1. This was an important symbol to the Iraqi people and the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, proposed that January 1 should be remembered as “Sovereignty Day” to remember what happened.

On January 31, provincial elections were held to elect provincial candidates for each of the Iraqi provinces. With the elections came threats to the candidates as well as threats about what would happen if certain candidates lost.

On February 27, 2009, the newly sworn in President of the United States, Barack Obama, announced that all combat missions in Iraq would cease by August 31, 2010. Finally, the end of the war in Iraq was in sight! Troops would remain in Iraq until the end of 2011 (up to 50,000), but only to provide training for the Iraqi Security Forces, provide general support, and conduct some counter-terrorism.

April 9, 2009 brought protests in Baghdad as the war reached its sixth anniversary. The Iraqi citizens demanded that all coalition troops leave the country immediately and an effigy of former President Bush was burn. The end of April brought about Britain pulling out all of its combat units located in Iraq.

In June, U.S. troops begin to withdraw from 28 bases, which are handed over to the Iraq military. They also begin to withdraw from Baghdad as well.

After six years of fighting in Iraq, fighting begins to die down and the country begins to look more stable. The war is coming to a close, and yet we must wonder if what the U.S. troops accomplished in Iraq was worth the lives that were lost. But there’s no doubt that we appreciate the courage and strength that it took for every soldier who fought and tried to help rebuild the villages and the cities of Iraq. That’s one thing we can agree on.

Filed Under: Educational Reference, Media Workers, News, War Tagged With: Baghdad, Barack Obama, Coalition Provisional Authority, Green Zone, Iraq, Iraqi Security Forces, Nouri al-Maliki, Saddam Hussein

Looking Back Part 7, Transitioning

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In March 2008, Pentagon reported that violence in Iraq had been reduced by as much as 80 percent, but assessments by independent sources felt that number was inaccurate. Supposedly, there had only been 265 deaths since the “Surge” plan began 28 days previously, and yet the New York Times estimated that at least 450 civilians in Iraq had been killed in that same time period (and their estimates were typically lower that the actual number by as much as 50 percent).

Violence continued to die down throughout 2008, but it was found that this was not so much due to U.S. troops. In the years of 2006 and 2007, there were mini-battles going on in Baghdad for control of the city between the Shia and Sunni. The Shia basically kicked the Sunni out of the city and if any of them tried to come back to reclaim their homes, they were assassinated. Once that pretty much ended and the Shia were in control of the city, violence died down, with no involvement from the U.S. military.

On February 21, 2008, troops from Turkey entered Iraq soil, in the Quandeel Mountains region, to fight the PKK, a group that is fighting Turkey to become free and sovereign from Turkey and create their own country called Kurdistan. The Iraqi cabinet, as well as the Kurdistan regional government, called for the troops to withdraw immediately from the area. The Turkish troops withdrew only eight days after they entered the area.

The year of 2008 saw much of the control held by the U.S. being transferred to Iraq’s police and military. In the spring, the Iraqi military launched an offense against Shia militias that needed to be shut down. First began an operation against the Mehdi Army in Basra during the month of March. By October, that area was said to be secure. In May, the Iraqi army, which was supported by the coalition (that included soldiers from all nations involved to help), launched a fight in Mosul â€” the last major location of al-Qaeda within Iraq.

More to come as we look back.

Filed Under: Educational Reference, Media Workers, News, War Tagged With: Al Qaeda, Iraq, Mahdi Army, Middle East, New York Times, Shia Islam, Turkey, United States armed forces