“Shock and awe” – U.S.-led Iraq War

March 17, 2023 - Twenty years after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq – in what it called a massive “shock and awe” bombing campaign, roughly 2,500 U.S. troops remain scattered around the country, mainly in military installations in Baghdad and the north.

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While it is a far cry from the 170,300 U.S. forces in Iraq at the peak of the war in 2007, U.S. officials say the continued troop level is critical to hedge against Iranian influence and weapons trafficking.

Power struggles between the Shiites and the Sunnis fueled the civil war, ultimately leading to America’s withdrawal in December 2011.

The Pentagon does not reveal the number of U.S. special operations forces that routinely move in and out of the country to assist Iraqi troops or travel into Syria for counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State (IS).

“Iraq is still under pressure from IS,’ said retired Marine Corps Gen. Frank McKenzie, who led U.S. Central Command and served as the top U.S. commander for the Middle East from 2019 to 2022. “We still help them continue that fight.”

On Tuesday, March 7, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited the Iraqi capital, where he vowed to continue the fight against the IS.

“We’re deeply committed to ensuring that the Iraqi people can live in peace and dignity, with safety and security and with economic opportunity for all,” Austin said.

The war took a grim toll on the people of Iraq and the armed forces of the U.S.-led coalition. The conflict claimed the lives of more than 4,000 U.S. and coalition troops and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis.