Undertaken in concert with Operation Enduring Freedom, the Iraq War, under the name of Operation Iraqi Freedom, was initiated. In Iraq, Baghdad was the primary target, with the capture or death of Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti the primary goal.
Hussein had been the President of Iraq since 1979; he was a leading member of both the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party and the Iraqi Ba'ath Party. Saddam Hussein imagined himself to be the incarnation of the Assyrian King Nebuchadnezzar II. Like many other despots who wielded power down through history, Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq with an iron fist. His vision was to return Iraq to the glory that was the Assyrian Empire.
Whether true or not, intelligence sources claimed that Hussein was stockpiling ammunition and weapons in Iraq on such a scale that had not been seen before. Given the name of Weapons of Mass Destruction, the stockpiles became a holy grail of sorts in its mythical proportion and power. The United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1441 in 2002. The resolution insisted that Iraq cooperate with UN weapons inspectors to verify whether or not Iraq actually had WMDs.
The discovery, by Coalition Forces, of several MiG-25s and Su-25 ground attack jets buried in the sands at the al~Taqqadum air field west of Baghdad in 2003, gave confirmation to the belief that stockpiles of WMDs might be located somewhere within the country. In the end, though, no WMDs were uncovered.
Despite apparently not having WMDs, Hussein refused to allow the UN weapons inspectors into the country. The denials and refusals to allow inspectors into the country only served to make Hussein appear guilty as suspected. His beligerent and antagonistic attitude led to the United States feeling it had to invade to verify his claims that there were no weapons of mass destruction.
President George W. Bush declared war on 20 March 2003 and launched Operation Iraqi Freedom. With a combined air and ground assault, the Coalition forces attacked Baghdad. It fell to the Coalition within twenty-one days.
The governmental Iraqi forces were defeated in almost every province in which they held sway.
On 18 December 2011, President Barack Obama pulled the American troops out of Iraq. The pullout effectively ended the U.S. participation in the Iraqi War. American casualties during the war totaled 4,410, with 2,675 being combat deaths. There were 31,958 individuals wounded during the eight years of combat.
Bedford County residents who participated in the Iraq War included: John R. Imler, Ameen Kohanyi, Michael McAllister and Joseph E. Williams. Stewart Hickey Jr., was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but resided in Bedford County when he served.
