IRAQ C Cullen Aug 2013 Baghdad, capital city of Iraq After World War 1 ended, Iraq was placed under British control. Iraq has experienced religious and ethnic tensions for many years. The Shia Arabs are mainly in the southern part of Iraq, the Sunni Arabs in the central region, and the Sunni Kurds in the northern section that borders Turkey and Iran. In 1932, Iraq was granted independence from Britain. In 1958, Iraq became a republic. One year later, Saddam Hussein tried to assassinate the prime minister, and was shot in the leg. He was sentenced to death but escaped to Syria. He later moved to Egypt to study law. Saddam Hussein as a youth In 1963, Saddam Hussein returned to Iraq and became a member of the Baath Party. He was arrested and jailed a year later for plotting to rebel against the government in power, but escaped in 1967 and helped a Baath led coup overthrow the government. Hussein became a prominent member of the new regime. In 1972, the new Iraqi government nationalized all the oil companies in the country, most of which were owned by American, French or Dutch companies. The Americans imposed an embargo on Iraqi oil, but the Iraqis did not suffer too much financially, as they sold their oil to the Soviet Union. In 1979, Saddam Hussein became president of Iraq. One year later, Iraq attacked Iran in a conflict over oil fields on the border. This was a brutal war that killed a million people and created many refugees. Some historians have compared the tactics in this war to World War 1. Saddam Hussein authorized the use of mustard gas against the Iranians. The international community condemned this action but no significant penalties were imposed. In , the Iraqis launched Operation Anfal, which authorized attacks on the Kurdish population. Four thousand Kurdish villages were destroyed and tens of thousands of people died. Thousands of Kurds died from chemical weapons (mustard gas). In 1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait over a conflict about slant-drilling for oil, which led the United Nations to launch a multi-nation force to liberate Kuwait to the Persian Gulf War. The Americans coordinated Operation Desert Storm to remove Iraqi forces from Kuwait. This campaign was also known as the Persian Gulf War or First Gulf War. The UN operation was very successful and the Iraqi army was defeated. When the Iraqi army retreated from Kuwait in 1991, they set many of the oil fields on fire which caused major environmental, economic, and health consequences. The United Nations voted to enforce a safe haven and northern no-fly zone for the Kurds in northern Iraq and the US ordered Iraq to cease any military action in this region. A no-fly zone was also established in the south to try to protect the Shias and provide a buffer between Iraq and Kuwait. After the successful resolution of Operation Desert Storm, the USA and Saudi Arabian governments decided that American troops could remain on Saudi Arabian soil to enforce the no fly zones. This upset many Muslims in neighboring Arab countries as they viewed American military bases in the sacred land of Arabia as an unwelcome intrusion. Osama bin Laden was outraged about this development and openly denounced both the royal family of Saudi Arabia and the George Bush government. He was eventually expelled from Saudi Arabia in 1991 and had his citizenship revoked. The United Nations imposed severe economic sanctions upon Iraq to limit Hussein from using oil sales to strengthen his regime. Unfortunately, Iraqi civilians, particularly young people suffered greatly during this time. It is estimated over 500,000 Iraqi children died, mainly from complications due to malnutrition. George Bush Senior was the suspected target of a failed car bomb assassination plot by a group of Iraqis in Kuwait in This is one reason sometimes cited for his sons determination to remove Saddam from power. In 1995, the United Nations brought in an oil-for-food program that allowed Iraq to use oil profits in order to buy food and medicine for its citizens who were suffering from the oil embargo. Although the UN plan provided some relief to ordinary people, much of the new revenue seemed to go directly to Saddam Husseins family and supporters. Saddams presidential palace Saddams eldest son Uday allowed gravely abused his positions of power. As head of Iraqis Olympic and soccer organizations, Uday tortured athletes who failed to perform up to expectations. He also routinely kidnapped attractive young women and raped and sometimes murdered them. Younger son Qusay kept a much lower profile and was head of the Republican Guard. Both sons were killed in a 2003 firefight with American forces. Uday Hussein In 1998, Hussein announced he would no longer cooperate with UN inspectors who were supposed to monitor the destruction of Iraqs weapons of mass destruction. In response, the US and Britain launched Operation Desert Fox, a bombing campaign against Iraq intended to destroy possible chemical, biological or nuclear targets. UN weapons inspectors returned to Iraq in 2002 and Hussein was warned of serious consequences if he didnt comply. American In Feb 2003President George W. Bush stated In Iraq a dictator is building and hiding weapons that could enable him to dominate the Middle East and intimidate the civilized world. One month later, the UN chief inspector said that Hussein was showing more cooperation and asked for more time was needed to finish the inspection. But Bush announced that Hussein and his sons had 48 hours to leave Iraq or face war. On March 20, 2003, American forces, aided by Britain, attacked Iraq using the new shock and awe tactic and the Iraqis were quickly defeated. This invasion was not supported by the United Nations. On May 1, 2003, Bush announced that the major combat action was over and that the mission had been accomplished. The Americans established a ten square kilometer Green Zone around central Baghdad, in the area around the former presidential palace. This became the heavily fortified international zone. The invading forces failed to secure many of the important historical, cultural and political sites in Iraq and many suffered looting, including the National Museum in Baghdad, home to many ancient, priceless artifacts. Saddams presidential palaces were opened up for the public to see. The Americans disbanded the Iraqi army and removed all Baath party members from their jobs. This was done for security reasons, but also served to create a void in the civil service and to breed anger amongst many Iraqi middle class, who now found themselves unemployed. Suicide bombings, improvised explosive devices and violence amongst rival religious factions killed and injured many civilians and slowed the rebuilding process. In December, 2003, Saddam Hussein was found hiding in a small bunker in Tikrit and was put on trial for crimes against humanity, dating back to his chemical weapons attack on the Kurds. He was eventually hanged three years later by Iraqi forces. In 2004, the US handed over political power in Iraq to an interim government, and elections were held in A new constitution was approved by the Shia and Kurdish representatives but was rejected by the Sunnis. In 2004, 60 Minutes released disturbing photos that outlined human rights abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad. Eventually 11 American soldiers were convicted in military trials. Two received jail terms, while the others were dishonourably discharged. Although sectarian violence still continues today in Iraq, some progress has been made in the country achieving political stability and to find compromises that satisfy the various groups in the country. President Barack Obama announced that American forces would be pulled out of Iraq, and the last troops were withdrawn in Dec