Definition of Iraq War

The call Gulf war (referring to the Persian Gulf), in which a coalition of multinational troops led by the United States liberated Kuwait from Iraqi occupation, was an inconclusive war.

In the first place because he resolved the occupation of Kuwait but did not deter the threat represented by Saddam Hussein in the region, in addition to initiating various conflicts in Iraq itself, specifically with the Kurdish minority (a la that, on Hussein's orders, the Iraqi army bombed with gas, causing a great slaughter among civilians) and with the Shiite minority south of the country.

In the key of politics Internally, the outcome of the Gulf War also left its mark, leading to the defeat of President George Bush in the 1992 elections.

He would be a new Republican president, son of the previous one -George W. Bush - who would seek to avenge the electoral defeat of his father by invading Iraq to finish off Hussein.

The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, runs from March 20 from 2003 to May 1 of the same year, although depending on how it is considered, it can be extended to our days.

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This is because, after the official end of the conflict, a state of war has continued to exist in the country, as a result of the armed insurgency against the foreign forces present in the country. territory, and also against the new Iraqi government and its armed forces and police.

In this article we will focus on what war itself is, that is, the armed conflict which led to the downfall of Saddam Hussein and the occupation of the country.

The casus belli used by the United States and its allies to justify the invasion of Iraq was the alleged failure to comply with the sanctions imposed by the UN by the Iraqi regime, and the presumption that Hussein's army was developing and stockpiling weapons of destruction massive.

These premises were questioned already at the time of being enunciated by diplomacy and to this day the evidence against Hussein and his regime is considered to have been manipulated.

The war, then, would be started by the desire for revenge on the one hand, and by commercial interests on the other (control of Iraqi oil).

The international coalition was formed mainly by the United States and the United Kingdom, seconded by Spain, Portugal, Australia, Italy, or Denmark among other countries.

He also had the support of the Shiites and Kurds in Iraq.

The largest but worst equipped Iraqi army was supported by Islamic extremist militiamen, who since the First Gulf War They saw the United States and Western countries as occupying powers, and the conflict as a war of religion - a sort of new crusade-.

Like any modern strike operation, the war began with coalition bombing from their bases in Saudi Arabia and the US aircraft carriers stationed in the Gulf Persian.

These bombardments were aimed at destroying enemy units and infrastructure, such as missile launchers or artillery.

The tactic used by the coalition was simple: attack and destroy from the air to conquer from land. When the US Army M1 Abrams tanks reached a position to occupy it, they should find enemy forces destroyed by attacks with planes, helicopters, missiles and artillery long scope.

Not that the Iraqi army was not defending itself, but its combat morale was low.

Many soldiers already knew what the US forces were capable of doing since the previous conflict, and others had lived with helplessness the bombings to which the United States had occasionally been submitted.

Surrenders and desertions in the Iraqi ranks during the first days of the war were common.

The allied armored columns advanced, without much resistance or problems, to Nasiriya, a city located in the south of the country and where the armed forces Iraqis hoped to put up greater resistance, halting the Allied attack and putting the governments of the attacking countries in check against their respective opinions. public.

The Iraqis wanted to cause mortal victims among their enemies, since they thought that in this way, the public opinions of the countries of the coalition would protest and force the end of the opposition, with governments fearful that this would be turned against them in the urns.

As coalition forces advanced with little resistance through southern Iraq to the north, and as a diversionary maneuver to entertain Iraqi forces, US special forces would join the Kurdish forces to reinforce the guerrilla warfare that they practiced against Saddam's troops Hussein.

With some occasional setbacks, especially in the cities (such as Kerbala or Najaf), the invading forces continued their march north, towards Baghdad, at a good pace.

The most combative units of the Iraqi army were those of the Republican Guard, true force elite that had the best equipment and weapons, as well as intensive training and guaranteed loyalty to the regime.

These units fought until the last moment, and there are suspicions that they were bombarded with some type of new ammunition or even with chemical material (prohibited by the legislation international) due to how many of its units were found after the battles, with the soldiers burned and the vehicles practically intact. Furthermore, the witnesses to these remains affirm that from the postures of the corpses, it seems that the majority did not even attempt to flee.

Without major setbacks, the Allied forces reached Baghdad, where the final battle was expected to take place.

It should be said that although the Iraqis prepared strong defenses that made the coalition leaders fear fierce resistance, when push came to shove Most of the infrastructures prepared for this purpose were found to be abandoned or under-equipped, as well as with a smaller number of combatants from the expected.

While some Republican Guard soldiers were able to defect by hiding among civilians, others began to prepare what was already clearly seen as a prolongation of the conflict in the form of guerrilla warfare, for which it was necessary to preserve effective.

After the seizure of Baghdad by the coalition forces and with the contact with the Kurdish rebels who had advanced from the north, they fought some fighting in the area of ​​Tikrit (the city in which Saddam Hussein was born and in which he would hide), but the military activity has already been residual.

Iraq had fallen into the hands of the coalition, and this was formally announced by US President George W. Bush on May 1, 2003.

However, despite this declaration, the war was not really over; From here on, a bloody insurgency began that, even today, continues with the Islamic State. and the terrorist attacks perpetrated by various groups throughout the entire Iraqi territory.

The country has been fractured, with a south influenced by Iran (of Shiite confession), and a north dominated by Kurds that recently declared its independence, prompting not only the attack by Iraqi government forces, but also also the intervention from Iran and Turkey.

Photos: Fotolia - Kirsty Pargeter / Steinar

Issues in Iraq War