START OF THE US-IRAQ WAR US-led forces take control of Baghdad. Iraqi civilians cheer on advancing US troops in a celebration of the end of Saddam Hussein's hard 24-year-long rule. Iraqis, taken care of by US Marine, knocked down a huge statue of Saddam in Baghdad's main area.On Aug. 19, 2003, a truck bomb exploded outside the UN headquarters building in Baghdad. It is one of the worst attacks on UN people in the organization's history. On Oct. 27, 2003, suicide bombings made the International Red Cross headquarters a target, killing 12 people. This bombing is the first suicide attack on the Swiss-base ICRC, who is neutral, in its 140-year history.In the largest anti-insurgent operation by Iraqi soldiers to date, 40,000 members of the Iraqi army and security forces launch Operation Lightning in order to have them come down on insurgents in Baghdad. The operation is the first phase of a nationwide assault meaning to put Iraqi troops on the opposite side and against the insurgents. |