In October 2002, Congress granted President Bush the power to decide whether to launch any military attack against Iraq. The Iraq War began on 20 March 2003, when the U.S., joined by the U.K. and several coalition allies, launched a “shock and awe” bombing campaign.

The US stated that the intent was to remove “a regime that developed and used weapons of mass destruction, that harbored and supported terrorists, committed outrageous human rights abuses, and defied the just demands of the United Nations and the world.” For the invasion of Iraq the rationale was “the United States …

In March 2003, U.S. forces invaded Iraq vowing to destroy Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and end the dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein. When WMD intelligence proved illusory and a violent insurgency arose, the war lost public support.

March 20, 2003 – Dece

Iraq Petroleum Company

Baghdad, Iraq – While the US military has formally ended its occupation of Iraq, some of the largest western oil companies, ExxonMobil, BP and Shell, remain. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), Iraq’s oil reserves of 112 billion barrels ranks second in the world, only behind Saudi Arabia.

Oil reserves in Iraq are considered the world’s fifth-largest proven oil reserves, with 140 billion barrels. The majority of Iraq’s proven reserves of oil comes from the following cities: Basra (Being #1), Baghdad (Being #2), Ramadi (Being #3), and finally, Ba’aj (Being the last oil rich city).

One of the top profiteers from the Iraq War was oil field services corporation, Halliburton. Halliburton gained $39.5 billion in “federal contracts related to the Iraq war”. Many individuals have asserted that there were profit motives for the Bush-Cheney administration to invade Iraq in 2003.

The World’s Largest Arms-Producing Companies

• Net sales of Lockheed Martin to the U.S. Government 2000-2020.
• Number of employees at defense technology supplier Lockheed Martin 2000-2020.
• Revenue of defense supplier Lockheed Martin 2010-2020, by product segment.
• Revenue of the defense technology supplier Lockheed Martin 2000-2020.

As of 2018, oil is responsible for over 65 percent of GDP, 90 percent of government revenue. Petroleum constitutes 94% of Iraq’s exports with a value of $59.73 billion in 2017.

The United States officially withdrew from the country in 2011 but became reinvolved in 2014 at the head of a new coalition. The main phase of the conflict ended following the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) loss of territory in the country in 2017 but is still ongoing as a low-level insurgency.

The U.S. and UK governments, along with others, also stated (as is detailed in the first four paragraphs of the joint resolution) that the invasion was entirely legal because it was already authorized by existing United Nations Security Council resolutions and a resumption of previously temporarily suspended …

Countries supporting the U.S. position

• United Kingdom. Throughout the conflict, the United Kingdom’s government remained the strongest supporter of the U.S. plan to invade Iraq albeit originally seeking a UN Mandate.
• Poland.
• Kuwait.
• Japan.
• Other Asian States.
• France.
• Germany.
• Turkey.

United Nations Security Council resolution 1386, adopted unanimously on 20 December 2001, after reaffirming all resolutions on the situation in Afghanistan, particularly resolutions 1378 (2001) and 1383 (2001), the Council authorised the establishment of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to assist the …

UK war costs According to the Ministry of Defence, the total cost of UK military operations in Iraq from 2003 to 2009 was £8.4bn. Official calculations stated that the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined cost £20.3 billion (up to but not beyond June 2010).

Kuwait and Saudi Arabia paid around US$32 billion of the US$60 billion cost. The war marked the introduction of live news broadcasts from the front lines of the battle, principally by the US network CNN.

Afghanistan officially joined the United Nations on 19 November 1946 as the Kingdom of Afghanistan. As one of the UN’s earliest members, Afghanistan has contributed to the work of the world body, including through its diverse and unique culture. …

28 March 2002

It called on the Afghan forces to refrain from reprisals and respect human rights and international humanitarian law….United Nations Security Council Resolution 1378.

Some of the invaders in the history of Afghanistan include the Maurya Empire, the Greek Empire of Alexander the Great of Macedon, Rashidun Caliphate, the Mongol Empire led by Genghis Khan, the Timurid Empire of Timur, the Mughal Empire, various Persian Empires, the Sikh Empire, the British Empire, the Soviet Union, and …

In addition to direct military invasion, the American-led coalition provided extensive support to the Iraqi Security Forces via training, intelligence, and personnel. The total cost of coalition support to the ISF, excluding direct military operations, was officially announced at ~$3.5 billion by March 2019.

June 2014

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates that the force numbers around 80,000–100,000 total (up to 50,000 in Syria and 30,000 in Iraq).

The majority of ISIL-controlled territory, though much-diminished, continues to be in the desert in eastern Syria, in addition to isolated pockets elsewhere in the country.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq (became the Islamic State of Iraq, which later seceded from al-Qaeda and became ISIL) Al-Qaeda in the Lands Beyond the Sahel (inactive since 2015) Ansar al-Islam (majority merged with ISIL in 2014)