Analysis of the causes of the US military's entry into Iraq in 2003
In March 2003, US troops entered Iraq to conduct Operation Iraqi Freedom to overthrow Saddam Hussein's regime. The event came to public attention as the war in Iraq. It took place during the presidency of George Walker Bush in the so-called war on terror, or terrorism, which was adopted in response to the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. It declared retaliation not only to terrorist groups but also to regimes financially or otherwise supporting these groups. The terrorist group Al-Qaeda was blamed for the September attacks, with Afghanistan as one of its training centers and the refuge of group leader Osama bin Laden as the main target of this new form of American foreign policy. However, President GW Bush's speeches on the state of the Union before the US Congress have shown that he will not be left with Afghanistan alone.