Overview of the War

The war began a day earlier than planned when intelligence that proved to be faulty indicated the Saddam Hussein and his sons were at a location South of Baghdad and could be killed in an air strike. The strike was successful but Saddam Hussein and his sons had never been there. The next day the US and its coalition launched its attack. Much to the surprise of the Iraqis the US did not start the war with a number of days of bombing but with an immediate ground assault. In the first few days, the attack US forces successfully seized the Southern Oil feeds. US forces divided into two main forces the Marine Expeditionary Force that moved toward Baghdad from the East and the Army. Both prongs of the US offensive moved forward- their major opposition turned out not to be the Republican Guard but rather a combination of the weather and Fedayeen Fighter who attacked US troops from the back of Toyota Pickups. Twenty Days after the war was launched American troops occupied downtown Baghdad. Unfortunately, the war had only just begun.