America+involved+in+the+Iraq+War+on+March+20,+2003+-+Group+3

= Iraq War =

==Overview== A year after the U.S. turned sovereignty over to the Iraqis and two years into the conflict that has taken the lives of more than 1,700 U.S. soldiers, President Bush sent a message that America needs to stay in Iraq because fighting for freedom is the price we must pay to prevent another attack like 9/11. "The war reached our shores on September 11, 2001. The terrorists who attacked us and the terrorists we face murder in the name of a totalitarian ideology that hates freedom, rejects tolerance and despises all dissent. Their aim is to remake the Middle East in their own grim image of tyranny and oppression by toppling governments, by driving us out of the region and by exporting terror," states Bush.

Main Point
"We fight today, because Iraq now carries the hope of freedom in a vital region of the world. And the rise of democracy will be the ultimate triumph over radicalism and terror." The trigger on attacking Iraq was the anticipated refusal of Iraq to resubmit to inspections for weapons of mass destruction under the United Nations Sanctions imposed after the Gulf War. U.S. also believed that by extending the war, they could make the case for hitting Saddam's regime over its plan to produce weapons of mass destruction. The invasion of Iraq led to the capture of President Hussein, who was later executed by the new Iraq government. In late 2008, the U.S. and Iraqi governments approved a Status of Forces Agreement. The Iraqi Parliament also ratified a Strategic Framework Agreement with the U.S. The agreement aimed to ensure cooperation in constitutional rights, threat deterrence, education, energy development, and other areas.

Conclusion
In February of 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama announced a new 18-month withdrawal window for "combat forces". With nearly 50,000 troops remaining in the country, he advises troops "to advise and train Iraqi security forces and to provide intelligence and surveillance. General Ray Oderno, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, believes all U.S. troops will be out of the country by 2011. The Iraqi Prime Minister Mouri al-Maliki has said he supports the accelerated pullout of U.S. forces.

References (2009-10.1.2.C)
Beaumont, Peter. "Secret US plan for Iraq war." //The Observer// 2 Dec. 2001. Web. 16 Oct. 2009. [].

Photograph. //St. Louis Area Iraq War Veterans//. Web. 16 Oct. 2009. [].