Talk:2003 invasion of Iraq/Other
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The 2003 Iraq War, was a war that began 20 March 2003 fought between a coalition consisting primarily of American and British, but also Polish, Australian and many other nations' forces, and Iraq. {{2003 Invasion of Iraq}} The war was a result of Iraqi government ongoing noncompliance with repeated UN resolutions. After approximately three weeks of fighting, Iraq was occupied by coalition forces and the rule of Saddam and his Ba'ath Party came to an end. Approximately 250,000 United States troops, with support from 45,000 British, and smaller forces from other nations, collectively called the "Coalition of the Willing", entered Iraq primarily through a staging area in Kuwait. Plans for opening a second front in the north were abandoned when Turkey officially refused the use of its territory for such purposes, due in no small part to their opposition to possible Kurdish attempts at independence. Coalition forces also supported Iraqi Kurdish militia troops, estimated to number upwards of 50,000.
Facing them was a large but poorly equipped military force. The regular Iraqi army was estimated at 280,000–350,000 troops, with four Republican Guard divisions with 50,000–80,000 troops, and the Fedayeen Saddam, a 20,000–40,000 strong militia, which used guerrilla tactics during the war. There were an estimated thirteen infantry divisions, ten mechanized and armored divisions, as well as some special forces units. The Iraqi Air Force and Navy played a negligible role in the conflict.
On 17 March 2003, in his Address to the Nation, U.S. President George W. Bush demanded that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his two sons Uday and Qusay leave Iraq, and gave them a 48-hour deadline; Iraqi President Saddam Hussein refused to leave. The next day Bush's spokesman Ari Fleischer announced that the U.S. would invade Iraq whether Saddam Hussein left or not, stating that "the bottom line is, a coalition of the willing will disarm Saddam Hussein's Iraq, no matter what."
United States military operations were conducted under the name Operation Iraqi Freedom, United Kingdom military operations as Operation Telic, and Australian operations as Operation Falconer.