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Operation Iraqi Freedom is an
operation carried out by the US coalition forces on March 20, 2003. The main
goal of Operation Iraqi Freedom was to throw Saddam Hussein from power and
destroy all weapons of mass destruction that he had apparently developed.
Overall it was a US victory even though the press thought that it was a failure. It was considered a failure because no weapons of mass destruction were ever found. But it was successful because Saddam Hussein was caught, tried in court, and executed. The weapons of mass destruction were never found and are thought to have been shipped to a neighboring country before the US invaded. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ On March 19, 2003, two F-117 stealth bombers dropped four satellite guided “Bunker Busters” on Saddam Hussein’s presidential palace compound. Next, three US ships and one British ship fired forty Tomahawk cruise missiles. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ On March 20, 2003, US F-15 fighters carried out a second air raid. The US 1st Marine Division and the British Royal Marines started to cross the Iraqi border around 5:45. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ On March 23, 2003, US 2nd Expeditionary Brigade and Iraqi forces engaged in the bloodiest battle of the war in a town called Nasiriyah. After six days the US won the battle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Another important battle that took place was the Battle of Basra. British 40 Commando Royal Marines and the 7th Armored Brigade launched an assault on the city of Basra in April 2003. This battle killed over 400 from the Iraqi forces. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ On April 12, 2003, the US first took the airport and soon captured the capital of Iraq, Baghdad. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ There were two other bloody encounters in the city of Fallujah. The city was taken by US Marines in December 2004 on their second attempt. |
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