2003 invasion of Iraq 2003 invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was the first stage of the Iraq War (also called "Operation Iraqi Freedom"). The invasion phase began on 20 March 2003 and lasted just over one month, including 21 days of major combat operations, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq. This early stage of the war formally ended on 1 May 2003 when U.S. President George W. Bush declared the "End of Major Combat Operations", after which the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) was established as the first of
Nasiriyah on their behalf, having curried their favor by strongly supporting the 1908 Young Turk Revolution. In the early 20th century, Nasiriyah had a population of roughly 10,000. Most of its inhabitants were Shia Muslim Arabs, although there were about 1,000 Sunni Muslim Arabs, 300 Mandeans, 300 Persians, 200 Ethiopians, 150 Jews, 50 Turkmens, 50 Kurds and 20 indigenous Christians. It was a major center of trade in Ottoman Iraq and imported foreign goods via commerce with Baghdad and Basra. The chief commodities Nasiriyah produced included leather, grain and ghee. The town contained about 600 well-built stone houses, but most buildings