Operation Iraqi Freedom Day is observed annually on March 19. It occurs on the anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the day on which, in 2003, the United States and coalition forces led by the United Kingdom declared war on Iraq. Also referred to as the Second Persian Gulf War. The United States invaded Iraq with the intention of destroying Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and ending Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship. An insurgency arose in opposition to coalition forces and the post-invasion Iraqi administration, prolonging the conflict for the majority of the following decade.
The background of Operation Iraqi Freedom Day
In March of 2003, the United States declared war against Iraq. When Saddam Hussein refused to depart Iraq, hostilities began. Multiple bombs were dropped by U.S. aircraft on a bunker complex where the Iraqi president was believed to be conducting senior staff meetings. Within days, U.S. forces invaded Iraq after a succession of airstrikes.
This conflict resulted from the administration of George W. Bush’s conflict on Terror, which followed the September 11 attacks. Hussein fled into hiding shortly after the American invasion, only communicating with his people via audiotape. It took the coalition forces only three weeks to overthrow his regime and seize the main cities of Iraq. In May of that year, President Bush declared the end of significant combat operations.
This was the initial phase of a two-part war. The second was lengthier and involved an insurgency opposing a U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. This conflict resulted in at least 155,000 deaths and the displacement of more than 3,300,000 individuals within the country. In 2005, after a two-year manhunt, U.S. soldiers discovered Saddam Hussein sheltering in Tikrit. His arrest and trial commenced.
In January 2005, the Iraqi people elected a 275-member Iraqi National Assembly, following the transfer of authority to the Iraqi Interim Government in June 2004. In October, the country’s new constitution was ratified. The U.S. declared an end to the war in 2011, nearly a decade after the conflict began, without discovering any weapons of mass destruction.
International Read To Me Day 2023: Date, History, Facts, Activities
5 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE IRAQI FREEDOM OPERATION
General Tommy Franks commanded the U.S. military.
Ayad Allawi served as the first prime minister of the new government of Iraq for one year before resigning.
In September 2010, Operation Iraqi Freedom was renamed Operation New Dawn.
Numerous estimates exist; one made in late 2006 placed the total at over 650,000, whereas many other estimates place the figure between 40,000 and 50,000.
Numerous antiwar demonstrations occurred in American cities, but numerous opinion surveys indicated support for military action against Iraq before and during the war, and as the war progressed, more and more Americans became opposed to it.
OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM DAY DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | March 19 | Sunday |
| 2024 | March 19 | Tuesday |
| 2025 | March 19 | Wednesday |
| 2026 | March 19 | Thursday |
| 2027 | March 19 | Friday |