1. MARCH 19, 2003: Bush launches invasion of Iraq

2. The Fighting Began with an Aerial Bombardment

3. US Ground Troops Quickly Advanced Toward Baghdad

4. The US Military Topples Saddam: APRIL 9, 2003

5. APRIL 11, 2003---Massive Looting Begins as US Soldiers Watch

6. MAY 1, 2003: President Bush Declares Major Combat Operations Over

7. Summer 2003-Spring of 2004: The Insurgency (rebellion) Grows

8. AUGUST 20, 2003: The UN Mission in Baghdad is Bombed

9. Who Were the Insurgents? Ba’athists Who Didn’t Want to Give up Power Other Sunnis Who Resented the American Occupation of Their Towns and Villages

10. Al Qaeda in Iraq Led By Zarqawi---They Wanted To Defeat America and Establish a Sunni Islamic State. They Used Car Bombings to Maximize Chaos.

11. Shiite Militias, Including Sadr’s Mahdi Army` These Groups fought for control of Iraq’s Govt. and To Protect Shiites Against Sunni Groups. They often randomly abducted and kIlled Sunnis and engaged in criminal behavior

12. MARCH 31, 2004---4 US Contractors are Murdered in Fallujah, a Sunni Town

13. In Response: The US Attacks Insurgents in Fallujah, Destroying the City

14. SEPTEMBER 7, 2004: Death toll of U.S. soldiers in Iraq reaches 1,000

15. Desperate to Learn More About the Insurgents, US Soldiers Used Abusive Tactics During Interrogations of Iraqis

16. APRIL 28, 2004: Pictures of US Soldiers Humiliating, Abusing and Killing Iraqis at Abu Grhraib Prison Comes to Light

17. Many (Maybe Most)of the Prisoners Are Innocent Civilians –And These Pictures Were Soiled America’s Reputation Across the World

18. The Insurgency Gained Strength, and More Iraqi Civilians and US Soldiers Died

19. Sunni Militants Increasingly Targeted Shiite Civilians and Shiite Shrines, Hoping to Create Civil War

20. February 22, 2006: Iraq’s Golden Mosque in Samarra badly damaged in a bomb attack that fuels sectarian tensions

21. In 2006, Shiites Increasingly Struck Back, and Sectarian (Shiite vs. Sunni) Violence Soared

22. JANUARY 10, 2007: Faced with escalating violence in Iraq Bush announces “Troop Surge.” sending 20,000 additional American soldiers.

23. The Surge Brought Safety for Many

24. 2006--The Sunni Awakening Began. This involved the US Paying Former Insurgents to Work With the US and To fight Al Qaeda. Together the Surge and the Awakening Dramatically Reduced Violence

25. In 2007-2008 Violence Came Dramatically Down