Iraq War Through Historical Photos: From City Streets to Desert Outposts, 2003-2011

The Iraq War stands as one of the most controversial and consequential military conflicts of the 21st century.

Spanning nearly nine years, it reshaped not only Iraq’s political landscape but also U.S. foreign policy and global perceptions of military intervention.

What began as a swift invasion soon spiraled into a prolonged and deadly struggle marked by shifting objectives, mounting casualties, and deep political fallout.

This collection of historical photographs captures the complexity of the conflict—images of soldiers patrolling desert outposts, tense cityscapes, and moments of daily life disrupted by war.

The conflict unfolded in two distinct phases. The first began in March 2003, when U.S. and British forces—alongside smaller contingents from other countries—launched a rapid military campaign to overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein.

Within weeks, Iraqi military and paramilitary resistance collapsed, and Baghdad fell under Coalition control. This conventional phase was short-lived, lasting just over a month.

But the initial military success quickly gave way to a far more complex and violent second phase: a drawn-out occupation marked by insurgency, sectarian violence, and widespread instability.

The U.S.-led invasion was presented by the Bush administration as a critical front in the broader war on terror, launched in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.

Citing intelligence reports that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and alleged ties between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda, the administration secured Congressional authorization for military action in October 2002.

On March 20, 2003, the war officially began with a “shock and awe” bombing campaign, followed by a ground invasion that toppled the Ba’athist government. Saddam Hussein was captured later that year and executed in 2006.

However, the removal of Saddam’s regime triggered a deep political vacuum. The Coalition Provisional Authority, established to govern post-invasion Iraq, struggled to maintain order and made several decisions—such as disbanding the Iraqi army and purging Ba’ath Party members from government—that deepened unrest.

As rival factions competed for power, Iraq descended into a brutal sectarian conflict between the Shia majority and Sunni minority.

These divisions, coupled with growing resentment toward the occupying forces, gave rise to an increasingly organized and deadly insurgency.

By 2006, Iraq was engulfed in near-daily violence. In an effort to regain control, the United States launched a major troop surge in 2007, deploying an additional 170,000 soldiers.

The surge helped to quell some of the bloodshed and stabilized parts of the country, but it did not bring a lasting peace.

In 2008, President George W. Bush agreed to a timeline for withdrawal, a plan that was implemented by his successor, President Barack Obama, culminating in the formal end of the U.S. military mission in December 2011.

One of the most contentious aspects of the war was its justification. No weapons of mass destruction were ever found, and the 9/11 Commission concluded in 2004 that there was no credible evidence linking Saddam Hussein to al-Qaeda.

These revelations fueled both domestic and international criticism. Then–UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan declared the war illegal, arguing it violated the UN Charter.

Years later, the British Chilcot Report, published in 2016 after a long public inquiry, concluded that peaceful alternatives had not been exhausted and that the decision to go to war was made prematurely.

The war also had significant political repercussions within the United States. The faulty intelligence, absence of WMDs, and deteriorating conditions in Iraq became central issues in the 2004 U.S. presidential election, with George W.

Bush narrowly securing a second term. Over time, public opinion turned sharply against the war.

Polls showed a steep decline in support, with a growing number of Americans questioning not only the rationale for the invasion but also the handling of its aftermath.

The human cost of the Iraq War was staggering. Approximately 4,500 American service members lost their lives, and more than 32,000 were wounded.

Estimates of Iraqi deaths vary widely, but conservative figures place the toll at over 150,000, including more than 100,000 civilians.

The majority of these casualties occurred during the years of insurgency and sectarian strife that followed the initial invasion. The physical and psychological scars of the war continue to affect millions, long after the final troops departed.

(Photo credit: U.S. Department of Defense / Wikimedia / Britannica).