2003 invasion of Iraq

The 2003 invasion of Iraq was the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion began on 20 March 2003 and lasted just over one month, including 26 days of major combat operations. The invasion was conducted by a U.S.-led combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Poland.

According to U.S. president George W. Bush and UK prime minister Tony Blair, the coalition aimed "to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction [WMDs], to end Saddam Hussein's support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people"; however, just before the start of the invasion, a UN inspection team led by Hans Blix found no evidence of the existence of WMDs. According to Blair, the trigger was Iraq's failure to take a "final opportunity" to disarm itself of alleged nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons that U.S. and British officials called an immediate and intolerable threat to world peace. The invasion was strongly opposed by some long-standing U.S. allies, including the governments of Canada, France, Germany, and New Zealand. In September 2004, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan called the invasion illegal under international law and said it was a breach of the UN Charter. On 15 February 2003, a month before the invasion, there were worldwide protests against the anticipated invasion of Iraq, including a rally of three million people in Rome which the Guinness World Records listed as the largest-ever anti-war rally.