This Day in History:
The War in Iraq Begins March 19, 2003 In a televised address to the
American people, U.S. President George
W. Bush announced the beginning of what
would become an eight year-long war. 48 hours earlier, the
U.S. had issued an ultimatum
to Iraqi dictator Saddam
Hussein to leave his country. As justification for the war,
Bush cited the existence of
weapons of mass destruction and
the country's support of terrorist groups. The Hussein regime was toppled
within just a few weeks, but
insurgents continued a bloody
guerrilla war against coalition forces. In 2006, U.S. soldiers
captured Saddam Hussein
while he was hiding in a hole
not far from his hometown. He was tried, found
guilty and executed for
crimes against the Iraqi people. On December 15, 2011,
the U.S. military declared
the end of its mission in Iraq. Despite an extended investigation,
UN inspectors found no evidence
of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.