View source for Timeline of the Iraq War

{{short description|Sequence of events in the US invasion of Iraq}}

{{for|events before May 1, 2003|Timeline of the 2003 invasion of Iraq}}
{{see also|2003 in Iraq|2004 in Iraq|2005 in Iraq|2006 in Iraq|2007 in Iraq|2008 in Iraq|2009 in Iraq|2010 in Iraq}}
{{Campaignbox Iraq War}}
{{Campaignbox Persian Gulf Wars}}
[[File:UStanks baghdad 2003.JPEG|300px|thumb|right|M1A1 Abrams pose for a photo under the "[[Victory Arch|Hands of Victory]]" in [[Grand Festivities Square]], [[Baghdad, Iraq]].]]

The following is a '''timeline of major events during the Iraq War''', following the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]].

==2003==

===March===
*March 20: The [[United States]] begins the [[invasion of Iraq]]; coordinating a satellite-guided [[Tomahawk (missile family)|Tomahawk cruise missile]] strike on Baghdad.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/03/19/sprj.irq.main/ | title =U.S. launches cruise missiles at Saddam | publisher =cnn.com | date =March 20, 2003}}</ref> American, [[United Kingdom|British]], [[Australia]]n, [[Poland|Polish]], and [[Denmark|Danish]] military operations begin; ground troops move into [[Ba'athist Iraq|Iraq]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/lcwa/html/iraq/iraq-overview.html | title =Iraq War, 2003 Web Archive | author =[[United States Library of Congress]] | publisher =loc.gov | date =August 5, 2011}}</ref>

===April===
*April 9: [[Battle of Baghdad (2003)|Fall of Baghdad]]: [[Coalition Forces Land Component Command|Coalition forces]] moved into Baghdad, symbolically ending the twenty-four year reign of [[President of Iraq|Iraqi President]] [[Saddam Hussein]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/10/opinion/the-fall-of-baghdad.html | title =The Fall of Baghdad | author =New York Times | work =[[The New York Times]] | date =April 10, 2003| author-link =New York Times }}</ref>

===May===
*May 1: U.S. President George W. Bush [[2003 Mission Accomplished Speech|declares major combat operations in Iraq over]].
*May 15 - U.S. forces launch [[Operation Planet X]], capturing roughly 260 people.
*May 23 - [[L. Paul Bremer]] issues [[Coalition Provisional Authority Order Number 2]], dissolving the Iraqi Army and other entities of the former Ba'athist state.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iraqcoalition.org/regulations/20030823_CPAORD_2_Dissolution_of_Entities_with_Annex_A.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2008-12-09 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040701202042/http://iraqcoalition.org/regulations/20030823_CPAORD_2_Dissolution_of_Entities_with_Annex_A.pdf |archive-date=2004-07-01 }}</ref>

===June===
*June 15: The U.S. military begins [[Operation Desert Scorpion (Iraq 2003)|Operation Desert Scorpion]], a series of raids across Iraq intended to find Iraqi resistance and heavy weapons.
*June 24 - Six soldiers from the British [[Royal Military Police]] are killed by a mob in [[battle of Majar al-Kabir|Majar al-Kabir]] in Southern Iraq.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/jan/08/iraq.military|title=Focus: Massacre of the red caps|first=Mark|last=Townsend|date=8 January 2006|website=the Guardian}}</ref>

===July===
*July 2: U.S. President George W. Bush challenges those attacking U.S. troops to "bring 'em on!".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=uKdbZWNqF00#President_George_W._Bush_Says__Bring__em_on_|title=President George W. Bush Says "Bring 'em on"|last=ListenOnRepeat.com|website=ListenOnRepeat}}{{Dead link|date=June 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
*July 13: The ''[[Iraqi Governing Council]]'' is established under the authority of the Coalition Provisional Authority.
*July 22: [[Uday Hussein|Uday]] and [[Qusay Hussein]], Saddam Hussein's sons, are killed in [[Mosul]] during a raid by [[Task Force 20]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cfr.org/timeline/iraq-war|title=The Iraq War|website=Council on Foreign Relations|language=en|access-date=2019-04-01|archive-date=2024-08-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240811104055/https://www.cfr.org/timeline/iraq-war|url-status=live}}</ref>

===August===
*August 7: [[Jordanian embassy bombing in Baghdad|Bus bombing of the Jordanian embassy]], the first VBIED bombing of the occupation.
*August 19: [[Canal Hotel bombing]]: Truck bomb at the [[United Nations]] headquarters kills the top UN envoy, [[Sergio Vieira de Mello]], and 21 others.
*August 29: Influential [[Shiite]] cleric [[Ayatollah Mohammed Baqr al-Hakim]] is killed in a [[Imam Ali mosque bombing|car bombing]] as he leaves his mosque after Friday prayers. At least 84 others are killed.

===September===
*September 3: First post-Saddam government.
*September 23: Gallup poll shows majority of Iraqis expect better life in 5 years. Around two-thirds of Baghdad residents state the Iraqi dictator's removal was worth the hardships they've been forced to endure.

===October===
*October 2: [[David Kay]]'s [[Iraq Survey Group]] report finds little evidence of [[Weapons of mass destruction|WMD]] in [[Iraq]], although the regime did intend to develop more weapons with additional capabilities. Such plans and programs appear to have been dormant, the existence of these though were concealed from [[UNSCOM]] during the inspections that began in 2002. Weapons inspectors in Iraq did find a clandestine "''network of biological [[laboratory|laboratories]]''" and a deadly strain of [[botulinum]]. The US-sponsored search for WMD has so far cost $300 million and is projected to cost around $600 million more.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}
*October 16: [[United Nations Security Council|UN Security Council]] issues [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1511|Resolution 1511]] which envisions a [[multinational force in Iraq|multinational force]] and preserves Washington's quasi-absolute control of Iraq.
*October 27: [[27 October 2003 Baghdad bombings]], beginning of the [[Ramadan Offensive (2003)|Ramadan Offensive]].

===November===
*November 2: In the heaviest single loss for the coalition troops up to that time, two US [[CH-47 Chinook|Chinook]] helicopters are fired on by two [[surface-to-air missile]]s and one crashes near [[Fallujah]] and on its way to Baghdad airport; 16 soldiers are killed and 20 wounded.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=DWZGY4XS5WOC4CRBAEZSFFA?type=topNews&storyID=3737651 | title=Archived | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051203234206/https://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=DWZGY4XS5WOC4CRBAEZSFFA?type=topNews&storyID=3737651 | archive-date=December 3, 2005 }}{{dl|date=May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/11/02/sprj.irq.int.main/index.html | work=CNN | title=U.S. helicopter shot down in Iraq | date=November 2, 2003 | access-date=April 10, 2010 | archive-date=April 23, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090423175041/http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/11/02/sprj.irq.int.main/index.html | url-status=live }}</ref>
*November 12: A suicide truck bomb [[2003 Nasiriyah bombing|blows up the Italian headquarters in Nasiriyah]], killing 19 Italians (17 of them soldiers) and 14 Iraqis.
*November 15: The Governing Council unveils an accelerated timetable for transferring the country to Iraqi control.
*November 22: [[2003 Baghdad DHL attempted shootdown incident|2003 Baghdad DHL attempted shoot down incident]]: An [[Airbus A-300]] freighter belonging to German courier firm [[DHL Aviation|DHL]] is forced to make an emergency landing with a wing fire and all three hydraulics lost. Using differential engine thrust to land the aircraft, after being struck by a portable shoulder-fired [[SA-14 Gremlin|SA-14 missile]].
*November 27: [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[George W. Bush]] makes a stealthy [[Thanksgiving|Thanksgiving Day]] visit to [[Baghdad]] (the [[White House]] having announced that he would be at home with his family) in an attempt to boost morale among the troops and ordinary Iraqis. Bush is accompanied by [[Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs|National Security Advisor]] [[Condoleezza Rice]], and he is flown in to [[Baghdad International Airport]] aboard [[Air Force One]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,104246,00.html | work=Fox News | title=Bush Makes Surprise Visit to Troops in Baghdad – Fox News | date=October 20, 2011 | archive-date=April 27, 2006 | access-date=November 30, 2003 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060427012406/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,104246,00.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/11/27/thanksgiving.rdp/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040214154221/http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/11/27/thanksgiving.rdp/index.html |archive-date=February 14, 2004 |title=CNN.com - Holiday surprise: Bush thanks troops in person - Nov. 28, 2003 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3245120.stm | work=BBC News | title=How Bush was whisked to Iraq | date=November 28, 2003 | access-date=April 10, 2010 | archive-date=February 26, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070226030728/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3245120.stm | url-status=live }}</ref>
*November 30: The US military reports killing 46 militants and wounding 18 in clashes in the central =

===December===
*December 13: [[Saddam Hussein]] is captured in [[Operation Red Dawn]]; it was announced the next day.
*December 17: The [[U.S. 4th Infantry Division]] launches [[Operation Ivy Blizzard]], lasting from dawn until mid-morning. The operation resulted in the arrest of 12 [[Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011)|insurgents]].
*December 27: [[2003 Karbala bombings]].

==2004==

===January===
*January 26: The [[Japanese Iraq Reconstruction and Support Group]] is deployed to Iraq.
*January 28: [[David Kay]] testifies before the [[United States Senate Committee on Armed Services|Senate Armed Services Committee]] expressing doubt about the presence of [[Iraq and weapons of mass destruction|Iraqi weapons of mass destruction]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/01/28/kay.transcript/|title=CNN.com - Transcript: David Kay at Senate hearing - Jan. 28, 2004|website=www.cnn.com|access-date=2019-04-01|archive-date=2006-08-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060820150256/http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/01/28/kay.transcript/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===February===
*February 1: Two suicide bombers [[2004 Erbil bombings|strike Kurdish political offices]] in the northern city of [[Erbil]], killing 117 and injuring 133.
*February 21: U.S. permits Red Cross to visit Saddam Hussein for first time since his capture in December.

===March===
*March 2: [[2 March 2004 Iraq Ashura bombings|Multiple bombings]] in [[Baghdad]] and [[Karbala]] at the climax of the [[Shi'a Islam|Shi'a]] festival of [[Aashurah]] kill nearly 200, the deadliest attacks up to that time.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3527221.stm | work=BBC News | title=Iraqis mourn Shia massacre dead | date=March 3, 2004 | access-date=April 10, 2010}}</ref>
*March 8: Provisional [[Constitution of Iraq|Iraqi Constitution]] signed.
*March 31: [[31 March 2004 Fallujah ambush]]: Four [[Blackwater Worldwide|Blackwater]] contractors ambushed and killed in [[Fallujah]], causing a [[First Battle of Fallujah]].

===April===
{{main|Iraq spring fighting of 2004}}

*April 4: Beginning of violent clashes between the coalition and followers of [[Shia]] cleric [[Muqtada al-Sadr]], which will end at the end of August 2004.
*April 8: Beginning of the [[Foreign hostages in Iraq|kidnapping of foreign civilians]] in Iraq, with the abduction of several Japanese.
*April 18: [[Spain]], led by newly elected [[José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero]] ([[Spanish Socialist Workers' Party|Socialist Party]]) vows to withdraw its troops.
*April 18: [[Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse]]; Beginning of the diffusion of images of humiliated Iraqi detainees by US soldiers in [[Abu Ghraib]].
*April 26: The [[Iraq Interim Governing Council]] announce [[Flag of Iraq#2004 flag controversy|a new flag]] for post-Saddam Iraq. This creates much controversy, in part because of the similarity of color and design with the [[flag of Israel]], and difference with other Arab nation flags. The flag is not adopted.

===May===
*May 17: [[Ezzedine Salim]], head of the Iraqi Governing Council, killed in a suicide attack.
*May 19: [[Mukaradeeb killings]]; US bombs a wedding party, killing 42 people.

===June===
*June 1: Assuming of functions of the [[Iraqi Interim Government]] led by [[Iraqi Prime Minister|Prime minister]] [[Iyad Allawi]]; [[Ghazi Mashal Ajil al-Yawer|Ghazi al-Yawer]] is designed head of the Iraqi state.
*June 8: [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1546|UN Security Council Resolution 1546]] on the transfer of sovereignty from the Coalition Provisional Authority to the Iraqi Interim Government.
*June 21: [[2004 Iranian seizure of Royal Navy personnel]]
*June 28: At 10:26 am, the US-led [[Coalition Provisional Authority]] formally transferred sovereignty of Iraqi territory to the Iraqi interim government, two days ahead of schedule. L. Paul Bremer departed the country two hours later.
*June 30: Saddam Hussein and eleven high ex-governmental figures are put under the Iraqi Interim Government's authority.

===July===
*July 1: [[Trial of Saddam Hussein]]: Saddam Hussein appears at his first hearing.
*July 20: [[Gloria Macapagal Arroyo]], [[president of the Philippines]], confirms that hostage [[Kidnapping of Angelo dela Cruz|Angelo dela Cruz]] has been freed by his captors after their demands for a one-month-early withdrawal of all 51 Filipino troops from [[Iraq]] were met.

===August===
{{main|Battle of Najaf (2004)}}
*August 5–27: Forces loyal to [[Muqtada al-Sadr]] resist government authority in Najaf; the fighting is ended with [[Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani]]'s help.

===September===

*September 14: The [[Haifa Street helicopter incident]] kills 13 Iraqis and is televised around the world.
*September 30: A car strikes an American officer handing out candy to children, killing up to 35 children.

===October===
*October 1: [[Battle of Samarra (2004)]]
*17 October: [[Abu Musab al-Zarqawi|Al-Zarqawi]] pledged allegiance to [[al-Qaeda]] network
*Late October: The [[Al Qa'qaa high explosives controversy]] comes to light.

===November===
*November 7: [[Second Battle of Fallujah]] begins.
*November 8: Insurgents regroup and begin the [[Battle of Mosul (2004)|Battle of Mosul]].

===December===
*December 21: [[2004 Forward Operating Base Marez bombing]] kills 22, including 18 Americans.

==2005==

===January===
*January 30: [[January 2005 Iraqi legislative election|Iraqi legislative election]]. The Shia [[United Iraqi Alliance]] obtained a majority, followed by the [[Kurdish Alliance]]; Sunnis largely boycotted.

===February===
*February 28: [[2005 Al Hillah bombing]]: In the deadliest single blast up to that time, a car bomb kills 127 in Hillah; the identity of the bomber as a Jordanian caused a diplomatic row between Iraq and [[Jordan]].

===March===

*March 4: [[Rescue of Giuliana Sgrena]]: Liberation of Italian journalist [[Giuliana Sgrena]], during which secret [[SISMI|Italian agent]] [[Nicola Calipari]] is killed by US fire. [[Silvio Berlusconi|Berlusconi]]'s government announces a partial retreat of Italian troops from the coalition.
*March 16 First meeting of the transitional [[National Assembly of Iraq|National Assembly]].
*March 31: The [[Iraq Intelligence Commission|Iraqi Intelligence Commission]] concludes in its final report that prewar intelligence regarding WMD's was false.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Report to the President of the United States : March 31, 2005|date=c. 2005|publisher=Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction|isbn=0160724767|oclc=449221385}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

===April===
*April 2: [[Battle of Abu Ghraib]]
*April 6: Election of Kurdish [[Jalal Talabani]] as [[President of Iraq]].
*April 7: [[Ibrahim al-Jaafari]] is nominated as [[Prime minister of Iraq]].
*April 28: The Parliament votes its trust towards the new government.

===May===
*May 8: [[Battle of Al Qaim]], US aiming to stop the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq.
*May 15 Formation of the parliamentary commission charged of the draft of the [[Iraqi Constitution|new Constitution]].

===July===
*July 19: [[2005 Musayyib bombing]] kills nearly 100 Shia.

===August===
*August 1–4: [[Battle of Haditha]]
*August 15: Unable to find a consensus between the main political leaders, the Parliament postpones for a week the transmission of the draft constitution to its members.
*August 22: The constitution's draft is presented to the Iraqi Parliament.
*August 28: The constitution is presented to parliament.
*August 31: [[2005 Baghdad bridge stampede]]: Rumors of a suicide bomber lead to a stampede on the [[Al-Aaimmah bridge]]; about 1,000 people died.

===September===
*September 1: [[Battle of Tal Afar (2005)|Battle of Tal Afar]]: US troops launch an offensive in [[Tal Afar]], a city that would become a "model" for the Americans.
*September 14: [[14 September 2005 Baghdad bombings]]: In the deadliest day of the insurgency in Baghdad, bombs kill 160 and injure more than 500.
*September 19: [[Basra prison incident]]: British troops storm a police station in [[Basra]] to free two soldiers being held there.
*September 29: [[2005 Balad bombings|Bombings in Balad]] kill at least 95.

===October===
*October 15: [[2005 Iraqi constitutional referendum]]: Voters approve Iraq's new constitution.
*Oct. 19: Start of Saddam Hussein's trial.
*Oct. 24 – The [[Palestine Hotel]] and the [[Sheraton Ishtar]] hotel in Baghdad are hit by truck bombs; the attacks are captured on film.

===November===
*Nov. 5: [[Operation Steel Curtain]] launched to root out foreign fighters.
*Nov. 15 - 173 prisoners are found in an Iraqi government bunker in Baghdad, having been starved, beaten and tortured.
*Nov. 18: [[2005 Khanaqin bombings|Bombings in Khanaqin]] kill at least 74.
*Nov. 19: [[Haditha killings]]: American soldiers kill 24 people, including 15 noncombatants, in [[Haditha]], after an insurgent attack.
*Nov. 25: [[2005–2006 Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis]] begins.

===December===
*December 14 - U.S. President George W. Bush says that the decision to invade Iraq in 2003 was the result of faulty intelligence, and accepts responsibility for that decision. He maintains that his decision was still justified.
*December 15: [[December 2005 Iraqi legislative election]]

==2006==

===February===

*February 22 The [[al-Askari Mosque bombing (2006)]]: Shi’ite [[Al Askari Mosque]] is bombed by Sunni militants, sparking a [[Sectarian violence in Iraq (2006–2008)|sectarian civil war]]. [[Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011)|Shi’ite, Sunni and other militant groups]] also start advancing within [[Battle of Baghdad (2006–2008)|Baghdad]].

===March===
*March 12: [[Mahmudiyah killings]].

===April===
*April 24: [[Hamdania incident]]. Marines allegedly abduct an Iraqi civilian from a house, kill him, and place components and spent [[AK-47]] cartridges near his body to make it appear he was planting an [[improvised explosive device|IED]].

===May===

*May 20 The new [[Government of Iraq from 2006|Iraqi government]], which succeeds to the [[Iraqi Transitional Government]], begins its functions.

===June===

*June 7 [[Abu Musab al-Zarqawi]] is killed.
*June 14: [[Operation Together Forward]] begins.
*June 17: [[Battle of Ramadi (2006)]] begins.

===July===

*July 9: [[Hay al Jihad massacre]] - Shia militias kill 40 Sunnis.
*July 23: Two powerful bombs in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood kill at least 66.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/23/AR2006072300778.html |title=(Washington Post) |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=2019-12-16 |archive-date=2019-12-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216085730/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/23/AR2006072300778.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
*July 24 [[Saddam Hussein]], 69, the deposed former [[Iraq]]i President, is force-fed in a [[Baghdad]] hospital through a tube after 16 days of [[hunger strike]].<ref>[http://today.reuters.com/business/newsarticle.aspx?type=tnBusinessNews&storyID=nMAC322880&imageid=2006-07-23T102325Z_01_BAG20_RTRIDSP_2_IRAQ.jpg&cap=Wounded%20Iraqi%20children,%20victims%20of%20a%20car%20bomb%20attack%20rest%20in%20their%20beds%20in%20a%20hospital%20in%20Baghdad's%20Sadr%20City%20July%2023,%202006.%20REUTERS/Kareem%20Raheem%20%20(IRAQ) (Reuters)]</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5207874.stm (BBC)]</ref>
*July 25 Operation River Falcon begins.

===August===

===October===
*Oct. 19: [[Battle of Amarah]].  Clashes erupt between the [[Mahdi Army]] and the [[Badr Organization]].
*Oct. 28: The first of the [[Chlorine bombings in Iraq]].

===November===
*November 7 - The [[2006 United States general elections|United States midterm elections]] removed the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] from control of both chambers of the [[United States Congress]]. The failings in the Iraq War were cited as one of the main causes of the Republicans' defeat, even though the Bush administration had attempted to distance itself from its earlier "stay the course" rhetoric.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/23/AR2006102301053.html |title=Bush's New Tack Steers Clear of 'Stay the Course' |first=Peter |last=Baker |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=2006-10-24}}</ref>
*November 19: [[Ammar al-Saffar]], Deputy Health Minister, becomes the highest-ranking Iraqi to be kidnapped.
*[[23 November 2006 Sadr City bombings]] kill more than 200 Shias in [[Sadr City]].

===December===
*December 6: The [[Iraq Study Group]] releases their final report.
*December 21: [[2006 US raid on Iranian diplomats]]
*December 25: [[Diyala campaign]] begins.
*Dec. 30: [[Execution of Saddam Hussein]].

==2007==

===January===
*January 10: The [[Iraq War troop surge of 2007]] is announced.
*January 11: [[US raid on Iranian Liaison Office in Arbil]].
*January 20: The [[Karbala provincial headquarters raid]] results in the kidnapping and killing of five American soldiers.  The US blames Iran.
*January 28: Followers of the Shia cult [[Soldiers of Heaven]] initiate the [[Battle of Najaf (2007)]], which left nearly 300 dead.

===February===
*February 3: [[3 February 2007 Baghdad market bombing|A bomb in Baghdad market]] kills 135 people.
*February 6: [[Baghdad kidnapping of Iranian diplomat (February 2007)|Baghdad kidnapping of Iranian diplomat]].
*February 27: [[Siege of U.K. bases in Basra]] begins.

===March===
*March 6: [[2007 Al Hillah bombings]] kill 120 Shias.
*March 23: [[2007 Iranian seizure of Royal Navy personnel]]: Iran seizes 15 British Royal Navy personnel patrolling near Iraq, who are released on 4 April.
*March 27: [[2007 Tal Afar bombings and massacre|A bombing in Tal Afar]], which killed 152, set off Shia retaliation which left 70 Sunnis dead.
*March 29: [[29 March 2007 Baghdad bombings|Suicide bombings in Baghdad]] kill 82 Shias.
*[[Battle of Baqubah]].

===April===
*April 6: [[Operation Black Eagle]]. Fighting between Coalition forces and the Madhi Army.
*April 18: [[18 April 2007 Baghdad bombings|Bombings across Baghdad]] kill nearly 200.
*April 23: [[2007 Mosul massacre]] of [[Yazidi]] workers, in revenge for the [[Stoning of Du'a Khalil Aswad]].

===May===
*The [[Iraq oil law (2007)]] is proposed.

===June===
*June 13: [[2007 al-Askari Mosque bombing]] blows up two of the mosque's minarets.
*June 16: [[Operation Phantom Thunder]] begins.

===July===
*July 12: The [[Initial Benchmark Assessment Report]] is released.
*July 16: The [[2007 Kirkuk bombings]] kill 86.
*July 17: [[2007 Amirli bombing|Truck bomb in Amirli]] kills 156.
*July 26: A [[26 July 2007 Baghdad market bombing|Baghdad market is bombed]], killing 92.

===August===
*[[Operation Phantom Strike]] begins.
*August 14: [[2007 Yazidi communities bombings]]. In the most deadly insurgent strikes to date, four bombings in [[Kahtaniya]] and Jazeera, in northern Iraq, strike Yazidi communities, killing 796 people and injuring more than 1,500.

===September===
*The [[Nisour Square massacre]] in Baghdad killed 17 Iraqi civilians.

==2008==

===January===
*January 8: [[Operation Phantom Phoenix]] begins.
*January 18: [[2008 Iraqi Day of Ashura fighting]].
*January 23: [[Ninawa campaign]] begins.

===February===
*[[1 February 2008 Baghdad bombings|Bombings in Baghdad]] kill 98.
*February 21: [[2008 Turkish incursion into northern Iraq]] [[Turkey]] launches an offensive in northern Iraq against [[Kurdistan Workers' Party|PKK]] rebels.

===March===
*March 23: [[Iraq spring fighting of 2008]].
*March 25: [[Battle of Basra (2008)]].

===July===
*July 29: [[Operation Augurs of Prosperity]] launched.

===October===
*Oct. 26: [[2008 Abu Kamal raid]] into [[Syria]].

===November===
*[[2008 attacks on Christians in Mosul]]
*The [[U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement]], which stipulates that U.S. troops will be out of Iraq by the end of 2011, is approved and ratified by the Iraqi Parliament.

==2009==

===January===
*January 31: [[2009 Iraqi governorate elections]]
*A total of 191 Iraqis were killed in violence during January, the lowest monthly toll since the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|US-led invasion]] of March 2003.<ref name=feb11>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090216050210/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g_QWwG3XXa2yxB5-7S04ir_1vWtw At least 26 dead as bombs, shootings shatter Iraq lull]. Retrieved on 11 February 2009 </ref> Sixteen U.S. troops died in Iraq during this month.<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_casualties_jan09.htm U.S. Casualties in Operation Iraqi Freedom January 2009] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090218005436/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_casualties_jan09.htm |date=2009-02-18 }}. GlobalSecurity.Org, Retrieved on 12 February 2009</ref>

===May===
*May 11: [[Camp Liberty killings]]
*May 28: The last of the U.K.'s combat troops are withdrawn.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aslB2LAf_hWs|title=404. Page Not Found - Bloomberg|website=Bloomberg.com|date=9 June 2023 }}</ref>

===July 25===
*[[2009 Iraqi Kurdistan legislative election]]

===August===
*[[19 August 2009 Baghdad bombings]] kill 101.

===October===
*[[25 October 2009 Baghdad bombings]] kill 155.

===December===
*[[8 December 2009 Baghdad bombings]] kill 127.
*December 31: The US suffers only four troop deaths, and no combat deaths, the lowest figure since the war began.<ref>[http://www.icasualties.org/ Iraq coalition casualty count] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211005051/http://www.icasualties.org/ |date=February 11, 2015 }}</ref>

==2010==

===March===
*March 7: [[2010 Iraqi parliamentary election]]

===April===
*April 18: [[Islamic State of Iraq]] leaders [[Abu Ayyub al-Masri]] and [[Abu Omar al-Baghdadi]] are killed in a joint U.S.-Iraqi operation near [[Tikrit]], [[Iraq]].<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/world/2-most-wanted-al-qaeda-leaders-in-iraq-killed-by-u-s-iraqi-forces "2 Most Wanted Al Qaeda Leaders in Iraq Killed by U.S., Iraqi Forces"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924180418/http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/04/19/iraqi-al-qaeda-leader-killed-countrys-intelligence-team-pm-maliki-says/ |date=2015-09-24 }} [[Fox News]], 19 April 2010.</ref>

===August===
*August 18: American combat operations in Iraq end as its last [[Brigade combat team|combat brigade]] departs for [[Kuwait]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Last US combat brigade leaves Iraq|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2010/08/201081818840122963.html|publisher=Al Jazeera English|access-date=21 July 2012|date=20 August 2012|archive-date=3 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103010140/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2010/08/201081818840122963.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===September===
*September 30: 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment conducted a Transition of Authority with 3rd BDE, 3rd ID and assumed responsibility for the five northern Provinces of United States Division-South under MG Vincent Brooks and the 1st Infantry Division.<ref>[[3d Armored Cavalry Regiment]]</ref>

==References==
{{Portal|Iraq}}
{{Reflist|2}}

{{Iraq War}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iraq War Timeline}}
[[Category:Timelines of the Iraq War| ]]
[[Category:Iraq War|*]]
[[Category:Iraq War-related lists|*]]
[[Category:United States military history timelines]]
[[Category:Timelines of 21st-century military conflicts]]