Iraq War: Overview

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. Saddam was captured, tried, and hanged and democratic elections were held. In the years since, there have been over 4,700 U.S. and allied troop deaths, and more than one hundred thousand Iraqi civilians have been killed. the American invasion of Iraq toppled the brutal authoritarian government of Saddam Hussein, but unleashed a massive sectarian civil war that. Eventually, the war did come to an end, but the cost of it was plenty. There were many deaths from both sides, even innocent civilians died too. For his crimes, Saddam Hussein was executed.