1.
Iraq
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The capital, and largest city, is Baghdad. The main ethnic groups are Arabs and Kurds, others include Assyrians, Turkmen, Shabakis, Yazidis, Armenians, Mandeans, Circassians, around 95% of the countrys 36 million citizens are Muslims, with Christianity, Yarsan, Yezidism, and Mandeanism also present. The official languages of Iraq are Arabic and Kurdish, two major rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, run south through Iraq and into the Shatt al-Arab near the Persian Gulf. These rivers provide Iraq with significant amounts of fertile land, the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, historically known as Mesopotamia, is often referred to as the cradle of civilisation. It was here that mankind first began to read, write, create laws, the area has been home to successive civilisations since the 6th millennium BC. Iraq was the centre of the Akkadian, Sumerian, Assyrian and it was also part of the Median, Achaemenid, Hellenistic, Parthian, Sassanid, Roman, Rashidun, Umayyad, Abbasid, Ayyubid, Mongol, Safavid, Afsharid, and Ottoman empires. Iraqs modern borders were mostly demarcated in 1920 by the League of Nations when the Ottoman Empire was divided by the Treaty of Sèvres, Iraq was placed under the authority of the United Kingdom as the British Mandate of Mesopotamia. A monarchy was established in 1921 and the Kingdom of Iraq gained independence from Britain in 1932, in 1958, the monarchy was overthrown and the Iraqi Republic created. Iraq was controlled by the Arab Socialist Baath Party from 1968 until 2003, after an invasion by the United States and its allies in 2003, Saddam Husseins Baath Party was removed from power and multi-party parliamentary elections were held in 2005. The American presence in Iraq ended in 2011, but the Iraqi insurgency continued and intensified as fighters from the Syrian Civil War spilled into the country, the Arabic name العراق al-ʿIrāq has been in use since before the 6th century. There are several suggested origins for the name, one dates to the Sumerian city of Uruk and is thus ultimately of Sumerian origin, as Uruk was the Akkadian name for the Sumerian city of Urug, containing the Sumerian word for city, UR. An Arabic folk etymology for the name is rooted, well-watered. During the medieval period, there was a region called ʿIrāq ʿArabī for Lower Mesopotamia and ʿIrāq ʿajamī, for the region now situated in Central and Western Iran. The term historically included the south of the Hamrin Mountains. The term Sawad was also used in early Islamic times for the region of the plain of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. In English, it is either /ɪˈrɑːk/ or /ɪˈræk/, the American Heritage Dictionary, the pronunciation /aɪˈræk/ is frequently heard in U. S. media. Since approximately 10,000 BC, Iraq was one of centres of a Caucasoid Neolithic culture where agriculture, the following Neolithic period is represented by rectangular houses. At the time of the pre-pottery Neolithic, people used vessels made of stone, gypsum, finds of obsidian tools from Anatolia are evidences of early trade relations
2.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
3.
Mark Hertling
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Mark Phillip Hertling is a former United States Army officer. During his time as a U. S. soldier, Hertling served in Armor, Cavalry, planning, operations and training positions, most notably, he commanded the Armys 1st Armored Division and Task Force Iron/Multinational Division-North in Iraq during the surge of 2007-8. In 2013, Hertling became a Senior Vice President for the innovative Florida Hospital organization in Orlando, while serving there he developed a successful Physician Leader Development course for that organization and in 2016 published the book Growing Physician Leaders. In September 2013, Hertling was appointed by President Obama to be one of 25 people serving on the Presidents Council on Fitness, Sport and he served as a Council member until 20 January 2017. He also acts as an advisor to Mission Readiness, a nonprofit. In 2016, he was named as an Adjunct Scholar to the Modern War Institute at the US Military Academy, West Point. Since June 2014, Hertling has appeared as a security and military analyst for CNN, discussing events in Iraq, Israel, Ukraine. Hertling was born on September 29,1953 in St. Louis and he attended Christian Brothers College High School in Clayton, Missouri. In 1975, Hertling was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Armor Branch after graduation from the United States Military Academy at West Point. While at West Point, Hertling was on the NCAA Division 1 Swimming and Water Polo Team, in 2016 he was accepted into the Executive Doctorate of Business Administration program by the Crummer Business School, Rollins College. In the former role, he commanded the 1st Tank in both its location in Germany, and as part of the surge in Iraq. In Iraq, Task Force Iron was based in Tikrit, and cooperated with five different Iraqi Army divisions in a security, Hertling integrated a series of named kinetic operations with a unique series of non-kinetic engagements to further improve stability, government, economics, and security. Hertling led significant change in areas, including integrating new training methods into basic combat training, advanced individual training. IMT revised the Armys Warrior Tasks and Battle Drills and developed training in rifle marksmanship, combatives, values instruction, first aid. Complementing Soldier Athlete, Hertling recommended a change in the Armys Physical Readiness test. He has been assigned to all of the Combat Training Centers in the United States and Germany, Hertling has influenced the training model in the U. S. Army at various stages of his career. Hertling served in command and staff assignments, both in the continental United States and overseas. He began his career in Europe as a second lieutenant, leading tank
4.
Prisoner of war
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A prisoner of war is a person, whether combatant or non-combatant, who is held in custody by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the prisoner of war dates to 1660. The first Roman gladiators were prisoners of war and were named according to their ethnic roots such as Samnite, Thracian, typically, little distinction was made between enemy combatants and enemy civilians, although women and children were more likely to be spared. Sometimes, the purpose of a battle, if not a war, was to capture women, a known as raptio. Typically women had no rights, and were legally as chattel. For this he was eventually canonized, during Childerics siege and blockade of Paris in 464, the nun Geneviève pleaded with the Frankish king for the welfare of prisoners of war and met with a favourable response. Later, Clovis I liberated captives after Genevieve urged him to do so, many French prisoners of war were killed during the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. In the later Middle Ages, a number of religious wars aimed to not only defeat, in Christian Europe, the extermination of heretics was considered desirable. Examples include the 13th century Albigensian Crusade and the Northern Crusades, likewise, the inhabitants of conquered cities were frequently massacred during the Crusades against the Muslims in the 11th and 12th centuries. Noblemen could hope to be ransomed, their families would have to send to their captors large sums of wealth commensurate with the status of the captive. In feudal Japan there was no custom of ransoming prisoners of war, in Termez, on the Oxus, all the people, both men and women, were driven out onto the plain, and divided in accordance with their usual custom, then they were all slain. The Aztecs were constantly at war with neighbouring tribes and groups, for the re-consecration of Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan in 1487, between 10,000 and 80,400 persons were sacrificed. During the early Muslim conquests, Muslims routinely captured large number of prisoners, aside from those who converted, most were ransomed or enslaved. Christians who were captured during the Crusades, were either killed or sold into slavery if they could not pay a ransom. The freeing of prisoners was highly recommended as a charitable act, there also evolved the right of parole, French for discourse, in which a captured officer surrendered his sword and gave his word as a gentleman in exchange for privileges. If he swore not to escape, he could gain better accommodations, if he swore to cease hostilities against the nation who held him captive, he could be repatriated or exchanged but could not serve against his former captors in a military capacity. Early historical narratives of captured colonial Europeans, including perspectives of literate women captured by the peoples of North America. The writings of Mary Rowlandson, captured in the fighting of King Philips War, are an example
5.
2003 in Iraq
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The following lists events in the year 2003 in Iraq. President - Saddam Hussein Prime Minister – Saddam Hussein Transitional government, january 9 - UN Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix and International Atomic Energy Agency head Mohammed El Baradei give a report to the United Nations Security Council. They say that progress on the search for weapons of destruction in Iraq is inching forward. January 16 - UN weapons inspectors in Iraq stated that they found empty rocket warheads, designed to carry chemical warfare agents, NION and ANSWER hold protests in Washington, D. C. and San Francisco, California. January 23 -350 Australian troops begin their journey towards Iraq, joining the US, Prime Minister John Howard said that pre-positioning troops increased the likelihood of being resolved peacefully. Around 150 people protested as the ship left Sydney, some shouting Go yourself. Speaking to the forum, Hans Blix, the chief inspector. The presentation includes tape recordings, satellite photographs and other data, and aims to prove WMD production, evasion of weapons inspections. Some sentences were copied word-for-word, and spelling mistakes had been reproduced from the original articles, downing Street responded by saying that the government had never claimed exclusive authorship and that the information was accurate. February 9 - 13% of the 3,300 reservists called by the British Government in preparation for a war in Iraq have attempted to avoid being drafted. February 10 - France and Belgium broke the NATO procedure of silent approval concerning the timing of protective measures for Turkey in case of a war with Iraq. Germany said it supports this veto, the procedure was put into operation on February 6 by secretary general George Robertson. In response Turkey called upon Article 4 of the NATO Treaty, February 12 - An audio tape attributed to Osama bin Laden is released by al Jazeera television. It recounts the battle of Tora Bora and urges Muslims to fight the United States, February 13 - Post-Iraq invasion Austria bars US military units involved in the attack on Iraq from entering into or flying over its territories without a United Nations mandate to attack Iraq. A United Nations panel reports that Iraqs al-Samoud 2 missiles have a range of 180 km, February 14 - Post-Iraq invasion A very large demonstration was held in Melbourne to protest against the Australian governments support for the USs policy on Iraq. Organisers estimated that 200,000 people came out on to the streets, UNMOVIC chief weapons inspectors Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei presented a report to the United Nations Security Council. Tariq Aziz of Iraq met with Pope John Paul II, February 15 - More than six million people protest in over 600 cities worldwide, the largest war protest to take place before the war occurred. February 16 - A missile larger than allowed by UN sanction rules has been found in Iraq, February 24 - General Colin Powell states at a meeting in Beijing that It is time to take action
6.
2005 in Iraq
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Events in the year 2005 in Iraq. January 21 - A suicide car bomb blows up outside a Shiite mosque in Baghdad killing 14 worshipers, marines are killed in a helicopter crash near the Jordan border. January 27 - Iraqs expatriates start voting for the Iraqi National Assembly election,2005 January 28 - The insurgent continues with several dozen Iraqi deaths, seven U. S. soldiers killed, three in a helicopter crash. January 29 - About 17 people died from car bombs on the eve of the elections, a rocket hit the U. S. Embassy compound inside Baghdads fortified Green Zone, killing two people and wounding at least four. According to the spokesman, all of them are Americans. January 30 - Iraqs interim president Ghazi Yawer was one of the first people to vote in the Iraqi National Assembly election, up to 15 British military personnel were killed in Iraq when an air force transport plane crashed northwest of Baghdad. Meanwhile, at least 35 people die in attacks at polling places, January 31 - Nine RAF personnel and one soldier are KIA after a British Hercules plane comes down 25 miles north-west of Baghdad. February 4 - Paul Wolfowitz announces that 15,000 U. S. troops whose tours of duty had been temporarily extended will be withdrawn by the next month. February 7 - Two suicide bombers strike in Mosul and Baquba, claiming at least 27 lives, february 8 - At least 21 people are killed in a blast at an Iraqi army recruitment centre in Muthenna airfield in west Baghdad. February 9 - At least nine Iraqis die including a correspondent for a U. S. -funded Arabic TV station, february 10 - At least 50 Iraqis are killed when rebels attack targets across the country. Meanwhile, the results are postponed because of a limited recount. February 11 - More than 20 Iraqis are killed in attacks near a Shia mosque, february 12 - A car bomb attack blast outside a hospital kills at least 17 people in the town of Musayyib. February 13 - Limited election results are announced, february 17 - Full results are announced in the national legislative election. The United Iraqi Alliance wins a slight majority, february 19 - At least 40 people are killed and more than 100 wounded in attacks by suicide bombers in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq during festival of Ashoura. February 22 - Two policemen and two civilians are killed and another 30 police are injured in an attack against a convoy of security forces in Baghdad. February 24 - A car bombing attack in the Iraqi city of Tikrit reportedly kills up to 15 people, another 25 are injured in an attack on a police station. February 25 - Three US troops are killed and eight injured in a bomb explosion in Tarmiyah just north of Baghdad. February 27 - Five people are killed in a bomb blast in Hammam Alil, in another incident, a US soldier is shot and killed in Baghdad while manning a traffic checkpoint
7.
2006 in Iraq
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The following lists events that happened during 2006 in Iraq. January 5 – Iraq War 50 people were killed and 80 wounded by a bomb attack in the Iraqi city of Karbala. 70 people were killed and 40 injured in an attack on a line of police recruits in Ramadi. Insurgent violence shut down Iraqs largest oil refinery, january 6 – Iraq War Thousands of Shiites demonstrated in Baghdad after two days of bloodshed that claimed almost 200 lives. A secret Pentagon study has found that at least 80 percent of the marines who have died in Iraq due to wounds to their upper body could have survived if they had extra body armor. The armor has been available since 2003, demonstrations protesting against unemployment in the Iraqi town of Nasiriyah turned violent leaving two dead and two dozen injured. February 22 – The Al Askari Mosque bombing, although no injuries occurred in the blast, the bombing was hugely offensive to Shiites and resulted in violence over the following days. The Iraqi government has stated that 379 people were killed in the subsequent attacks, February 28 – A bomber blew himself up near a petrol station in one of the Iraqi capitals Shia areas just before curfew and hours after other blasts killed 35. March 12 – Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi, a fourteen-year-old Iraqi girl raped and murdered together with her family in the Mahmudiyah killings, March 23 - members of the Special Air Service recovered British and Canadian ending held hostage the held Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis. March 24 – Joint Center for Operational Analysis at United States Department of Defense on March 24,2006, the report stated that Russia aided Saddams regime with correct information on the coalition invasion. March 25 – Iraq War 40 people killed or wounded in gun battle near Mahmudiyah, March 26–30 beheaded bodies found in Iraq. March 27 – Memo shows US president was firmly set on the path to war two months before the 2003 Iraq invasion.40 people were killed and 20 others wounded in recruitment centre suicide bomb attack. March 29 – Around 30–40 bodies are being found on the streets of Baghdad every day, March 30 – Pentagon requests hundreds of millions of dollars in emergency funds for military construction in Iraq. April 16 - B Squadron, 22nd SAS Regiment carried out Operation Larchwood 4 in Yusufiyah, April 19 – British brigadier attacks Americas Hollywood generals. May 10 – Iraqi President Jalal Talabani made an announcement urging all political parties to quell this bleeding after figures showed sectarian violence killed 1,091 in Baghdad the prior month. May 5 – Iraq was listed fourth on the 2006 Failed States Index compiled by the American Foreign Policy magazine, the list was topped by Sudan. June 5 – A SEABEE convoy moving between Al Quim and Al Asad was ambushed by several IEDs, two members of NMCB-25 were killed. Petty Officer First Class Equipment Operator Gary Rovinski and Petty Officer Second Class Hospital Corpsman Jamie Jaenke, june 7 – Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is killed by an American air strike
8.
2008 in Iraq
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The blast is targeted at mourners at the funeral of a Shia army officer, Nabil Hussein Jassim, who had himself been killed by a car bombing in central Baghdad three days earlier. 7 January – A double bombing in Baghdad kills at least 14 people, including Riyadh Samarrai, leader of the US-backed Adhamiya Awakening group, which fights al-Qaeda in Sunni areas of the city. 8 January – Operation Phantom Phoenix begins in an attempt to hunt down the remaining 200 al-Qaeda extremists in the province of Diyala following the end of the previous offensive, the operation also includes targeting insurgent elements in Salah ad-Din province. Nine Americans and up to 30 insurgents are killed in the first two days of fighting,9 January – One of the largest surveys to date of Iraqi casualties of violence since the US-led invasion in 2003 is released and reports that around 151,000 Iraqis have died. The study by the Iraq Family Health Survey Study Group involved a survey of Iraqi homes,11 January – Snow fell in Baghdad for the first time in over 50 years. Thawing on contact with the ground, the failed to settle. Anecdotal evidence suggests snow may have fallen in parts of the city 40 years ago however the 2008 snowfall is thought to be the first in living memory. 13 January – The Federal government of Iraq announces the passing of a law which will allow members of the Baath Party to take up military. Following the cessation of hostilities in 2003 the US-led administration under Paul Bremer had prohibited former Baath members from holding positions. The new law, aimed at reconciliation, offers an amnesty in respect of Baath party members whose re-appointment is not resisted following a review period. Pensions may also be offered to former officials regardless of whether they take up new positions,14 January – A senior Iraq Appeals Court judge is assassinated in the Mansour district of Baghdad. Jawdat Naeib was shot when his car was ambushed and he was also a member of the Supreme Judicial Council, the body which supervises and nominates members of the judiciary in Iraq. 15 January – United States Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice visits Baghdad meeting with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki,16 January – A female suicide bomber blows herself up near a Shia mosque in Khan Bani Saad, a town south of Baqubah, the capital of Diyala Governorate. 11 people were killed and eighteen wounded in the attack. 17 January – The International Monetary Fund and the United Nations release reports suggesting Iraq is facing a period of economic growth, the IMFs Middle East and Central Asia department, said GDP growth may exceed 7% in 2008 and hold at between 7% and 8% in 2009. Meanwhile, the UN praised political reconciliation efforts exemplified by the new laws regarding former Baathists returning to public employment,22 January – The parliament of Iraq approves a new flag for the country. The new design no longer has the three stars of the old flag, which represented the ideals of the Baath Party. Brigadier General Salah Mohammed al-Jubouri, the director of police for Ninawa Governorate, was inspecting the scene of Wednesdays blast when gunmen ambushed his convoy,1 February – Two bombs explode in Baghdad animal markets killing 99 people and wounding 200
9.
2003 invasion of Iraq
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The 2003 invasion of Iraq lasted from 20 March to 1 May 2003 and signalled the start of the Iraq War, which was dubbed Operation Iraqi Freedom by the United States. 160,000 troops were sent by the Coalition into Iraq, during the invasion phase. About 130,000 were sent from the USA alone, with about 28,000 British soldiers, Australia,36 other countries were involved in its aftermath. In preparation for the invasion,100,000 U. S. troops were assembled in Kuwait by 18 February, the coalition forces also received support from Kurdish irregulars in Iraqi Kurdistan. Others place a greater emphasis on the impact of the September 11 attacks, and the role this played in changing U. S. strategic calculations. The invasion of Iraq was strongly opposed by some long-standing U. S. allies, including the governments of France, Germany, and New Zealand. Their leaders argued that there was no evidence of weapons of destruction in Iraq. According to the French academic Dominique Reynié, between 3 January and 12 April 2003,36 million people across the globe took part in almost 3,000 protests against the Iraq war. The invasion was preceded by an airstrike on the Presidential Palace in Baghdad on 20 March 2003, the following day, coalition forces launched an incursion into Basra Province from their massing point close to the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border. Massive air strikes across the country and against Iraqi command and control threw the army into chaos. The main body of forces continued their drive into the heart of Iraq. Most of the Iraqi military was defeated and Baghdad was occupied on 9 April. Other operations occurred against pockets of the Iraqi army, including the capture and occupation of Kirkuk on 10 April, Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and the central leadership went into hiding as the coalition forces completed the occupation of the country. On 1 May, an end of combat operations was declared, ending the invasion period. Hostilities of the 1991 Gulf War were suspended on 28 February 1991 and it was revealed that a biological weapons program in Iraq had begun in the early 1980s with help from the U. S. and Europe in violation of the Biological Weapons Convention of 1972. The investigation concluded there was no evidence the program had continued after the war. The U. S. and its allies then maintained a policy of containment towards Iraq, Iraqi military helicopters and planes regularly contested the no-fly zones. In October 1998, removing the Saddam regime became official U. S. foreign policy with enactment of the Iraq Liberation Act
10.
Battle of Al Faw (2003)
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The Battle of Al Faw was one of the first battles of the Iraq War. This would prevent a disaster similar to the 1991 Gulf War. The United States Marine Corps placed 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit under the command of 3 Commando Brigade so that the Brigade had the force to capture both targets. After 30 minutes the Royal Marines would take over whilst the SEALs would depart. An hour later, A and D company would be flown in by Chinook and Sea King helicopters and the rest of 40 commando would then move out and capture the rest of the peninsula and the town of al-Faw. 3 ships from the Royal Navy and 1 from the Royal Australian Navy were assigned to fire support. A B-52 bomber would drop 16 JDAMs on Iraqi positions 17 minutes before the SEAL insertion, a flight of A-10s, the SEALs assault on the MSS and the pipelines was successful, after a brief firefight they killed 1 Iraqi soldier and captured 13 more. At the same time, air and sea landings secured the gas, SEAL Teams 8 and 10 captured the Mina Al Bakr Oil Terminal and Polish GROM commandos captured the Khor Al-Amaya Oil Terminal. 32 Iraqi prisoners were also captured, explosive Ordnance Disposal were then landed on the platforms to search for and remove explosive booby traps and demolition charges. Resistance was light, D company came under fire from an Iraqi Bunker. The Iraqi POWs captured by the SEALs were given over to the commandos, D company neutralized another Iraqi bunker with naval gun fire, without taking any casualties,40 Commando took over 200 Iraqi prisoners. A second assault by 42 Commando followed at 2225 hours, the Marines were preceded by USMC AH-1 Cobra helicopters gunships and flown in by USMC helicopters to land just north of the town of Al Faw, destroying Iraqi artillery. The insertion began badly with appalling visibility, worsened by fires, the cloud base dropped even further and the commander of the US Marine Air Wing decided to call off any further landings. A new insertion was planned, using RAF Chinook and Puma helicopters for dawn, the landings finally took place, six hours late and onto insecure landing zones, all the objectives were taken and secured. 42 Commando became the most forward unit in the al-Faw peninsula and they came under friendly fire from a USMC Cobra but no casualties occurred. A few hours after the Commandos landed, a group of Iraqi soldiers approached the position, the commandos machineguns and an AC-130 fired on them killing all but one. Fedayeen Saddam paramilitaries continued scattered fighting around Umm Qasr, two Royal Navy Sea King helicopters collided, killing 7 people. 15 MEU achieved their objectives of securing Umm Qasr ahead of schedule
11.
Battle of Basra (2003)
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The Battle of Basra lasted from 21 March to 6 April 2003 and was one of the first battles of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The British 7 Armoured Brigade fought their way into Iraqs second-largest city, Basra, on 6 April coming under constant attack by the Iraqi Army 51st Division, while elements of the Parachute Regiment cleared the old quarter of the city that was inaccessible to vehicles. Basra is a city of more than one people, located in Southern Iraq. To military and economic planners, it represents a strategic objective because it sits near a port that provides access from inland Iraq to the Persian Gulf, the area around Basra itself produces much of Iraqs oil, which is processed at a local refinery. To the south-east is Rumaila oil field, which by itself contains billions of barrels worth of crude oil—14% of the world supply, to the north-east is the West Qurna Field, the second-largest oil field in the world. Britain captured Basra from the Ottoman Empire in 1914, in 1932, Iraq became nominally independent of Britain and British troops left a few years later. During the Second World War, the brief Anglo-Iraqi War broke out during 1941, British forces, unopposed, seized the city and surrounding area as a base for an advance towards Baghdad although the war came to an end before that occurred. The city was a target during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s and was bombed by the US in the 1991 Gulf War. Basra was the site of a 1991 uprising to overthrow Saddam Hussein after the US had driven the Iraqi Army from Kuwait, residents became embittered when support promised by the US did not materialize. Basra then suffered from years of sanctions and bombing, as well as bad treatment from Hussein, an Iraqi living in exile said in 2001, Iraqis think Saddam is Americas man. These people are not going to forget what has happened to them, in their eyes, it is genocide. And people do not forget genocide, the population of Basra saw a dramatic increase in birth defects and childhood cancer during the 1990s, these illnesses and others were blamed on US depleted uranium munitions used in 1991. Sanctions compounded the problem by blocking access to equipment and increasing the price of supplies. The United States bombed Basra routinely throughout the 1990s and leading up to the Iraq War, Basrans learned of the planned invasion in late 2002 began to prepare for an attack—forming militias and building fortifications. Regular bombings of Basra continued during this period, the US declared Basra as one of its first targets of the war. Spokespeople for the US military told the media that Basras Shiite population would welcome the invading forces and this claim played a role in the public relations campaign conducted by the US and UK governments to win public support for the war. Among Iraqi cities, Basra “would be one that would quickly and would yield immediate photogenic results”. It would give a message to the regime - we have got your oil and commercial centre
United States 
Iraq
Islamic state of Iraq