Causes
There were many causes for the Iraq War. One is the U.S believing there were weapons of mass destruction being built. Iraq had supported terrorist groups and was very aggressive towards others. Also, Iraq had violated many UN resolutions. U.S wanted to spread democracy throughout the middle east and they also felt Iraq had a harsh ruler named Saddam Hussein. The main reason why the U.S went to war with Afghanistan was because the government wasn't handing over Osama Bin Laden. Which he was found to be the leader of the 9/11 attack along with the al-Qaeda terrorist group. Since they were not cooperating the U.S attacked Afghanistan to stop terrorism from continuing.
This is a map of Iraq. Baghdad was a huge spot where fighting occurred. They have access to rivers and the ocean. It is right in the middle of the middle east.
This is a map of Afghanistan which is in the middle east. It is a dry region with mountains. The province boundary is shown in green.
Setting
The war in Iraq was the first time the U.S had attacked first. This war was between the U.S and Iraq government. At the time Saddam Hussein was the leader in Iraq and a cruel dictator. He would kill people who disobeyed him. Many prisoners in Iraq would be tortured by U.S soldiers like in Abu Ghraib. There has been over 1 million civilian deaths in Iraq. Mass suicide bombings would occur here and in Afghanistan. Osamas Bin Laden was in Afghanistan and so was al-Qaeda. This is the reason the U.S went to war with them. The Taliban was another group that was in Afghanistan. On the roads IEDs are placed to kill U.S soldiers. U.S troops are highly disliked in both countries and are slowly being taken out in Iraq.
This is a picture of when the U.S bombed Baghdad in Iraq. The city was completely destroyed and civilians were fleeing the city to find safety. Here you can see a huge cloud of smoke after a bomb had exploded.
Here are U.S soldiers carrying off an injured soldier. U.S troops will never leave a man behind. In the background you can see buildings that have been destroyed. Many soldiers have been killed or hurt in Afghanistan.
U.S Involvement
The U.S is involved in Iraq due to Saddam being a cruel ruler and that they were building weapons of mass destruction. Also, Iraq had taken over Kuwait which had oil that the U.S wanted. Iraq was destroying it and the U.S got involved to help save it and Kuwait. U.S wanted to help the Middle East to become a democracy and free the Iraqi people. In Afghanistan the U.S got involved because the organization that planned 9/11 was there. They wanted to end terrorism so Afghanistan was invaded to stop the Taliban and al-Qaeda. After 9/11 many people had enlisted into the military to fight the war on terrorism. Now the war is slowly stopping in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This is a chart of Iraqi and U.S military deaths throughout a 3 year time span. In Green is the Iraqi Forces which was high in October of 2006 and July of 2007.
This chart shows the amount of U.S troops in Afghanistan. In 2001 there were less than 5,000 troops there. By 2009 there are 50,000 or more troops over in Afghanistan.
Home Front
At first the Iraq and Afghanistan War had many civilians enlist to protect there country. Now it has been going on way to long. The war has caused separations between families for a long time. People feel that the deploying of U.S troops needs to stop. The U.S has spent over 800 billion dollars towards the Iraq war and 500 billion dollars towards the Afghanistan War, which it could of been used for a better cause. Like every war though this does bring an improvement for businesses that help to advance the U.S technology. Soldiers are treated well among civilians by being acknowledged at sporting events, charities for the wounded or killed and many more ways to help or support them.
The poster is in support of the war in Iraq. It is saying that the war will help out their economy get out of a recession. There are soldiers and planes rushing into battle. The facial expressions show that they are ready for battle.
After the attack people felt like they couldn't trust Islams and automatically assume all of them are terrorists. This cartoon has an Islam saying that the new constitution is good, but there is a limitation. He holds a sword behind his back which symbolizes aggression and that there will be an attack.
End
The Iraq War ended this year and all troops are suppose to leave by December 31st. This war has caused many casualties but no soldier died in vain. They accomplished their goal of taking down a harsh ruler and start a democracy. The U.S started with 170,000 troops in 2007 and now will leave around 4,000 troops to watch over Iraq. In Afghanistan it is just as bad as Iraq with the amount of casualties. Though soldiers have been pulled out slowly from there not all of them will be taken out until 2014. Obama slowly is going to let the Afghanistan Government control their country. The U.S mission was accomplished by the assassination of Osama Bin Laden. Also,al-Qaeda and the Taliban have been extremely weakened and aren't as big as a threat.
This soldier is and EOD which they defuse bombs. He is wearing his protective gear in case one goes off. The Iraq and Afghanistan War brought the use of IEDs which are bombs that are placed in the ground. They have been one of the biggest weapons used to kill U.S soldiers.
The two people are Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein which they were against the U.S. Saddam Hussein was the dictator of Iraq that we found and captured. Osama Bin Laden was the leader of al-Qaeda which the U.S sent in Navy Seals and they had killed him. They both were seen as the people who planned 9/11.
Quotes
1) Charles Adams felt like he wanted to be the best so he enlisted into the Marines. He was someone who believed in fighting for his country. Adams wanted to be out there in the fight. He said, "Two times. Volunteered for a third but was unable to go." (Library of Congress). This man new he could lose his life but he didn't care. He wanted to make a difference and volunteered to go on another tour that takes a lot of courage.
2)It was hard to keep in touch with family when over seas. People had to figure out how they would contact their families. First Sergeant Jimmy Adams had decided to buy a satellite phone. He said, "Um. I bought a satellite phone, Thuraya satellite phone. The generic satellite phones did not work. Myself and four other soldiers got together and we bought ourselves a Thuraya satellite phone."(Library of Congress). This was the only way he would be able to speak to his loved ones. The hardest part for soldiers was to leave their family and this gave them something to look forward to.
3) An Army Veteran had told me that life is hard now after he got out of the war. "He served for less than 3 years and is now suffering. He had said to me that he was diagnosed with PTSD and that he had many other problems" (History Alive). This goes to show that war isn't exciting. It is devastating and can hurt people physically and mentally. War isn't anything to be proud of it should never of even started.
4) Sometimes you can be very lucky to survive in the war. Master Sergeant Matthews was on of those people. "He had gone on many missions and came out fine with his crew, but a month after he got out of the war his crew was shot down and killed" (History Alive). This is how quick an event could happen and it makes you realize that could of been you. Now he will live the rest of his life wishing he could of been there to save his friends.
Quotes
1) Charles Adams felt like he wanted to be the best so he enlisted into the Marines. He was someone who believed in fighting for his country. Adams wanted to be out there in the fight. He said, "Two times. Volunteered for a third but was unable to go." (Library of Congress). This man new he could lose his life but he didn't care. He wanted to make a difference and volunteered to go on another tour that takes a lot of courage.
2)It was hard to keep in touch with family when over seas. People had to figure out how they would contact their families. First Sergeant Jimmy Adams had decided to buy a satellite phone. He said, "Um. I bought a satellite phone, Thuraya satellite phone. The generic satellite phones did not work. Myself and four other soldiers got together and we bought ourselves a Thuraya satellite phone."(Library of Congress). This was the only way he would be able to speak to his loved ones. The hardest part for soldiers was to leave their family and this gave them something to look forward to.
3) An Army Veteran had told me that life is hard now after he got out of the war. "He served for less than 3 years and is now suffering. He had said to me that he was diagnosed with PTSD and that he had many other problems" (History Alive). This goes to show that war isn't exciting. It is devastating and can hurt people physically and mentally. War isn't anything to be proud of it should never of even started.
4) Sometimes you can be very lucky to survive in the war. Master Sergeant Matthews was on of those people. "He had gone on many missions and came out fine with his crew, but a month after he got out of the war his crew was shot down and killed" (History Alive). This is how quick an event could happen and it makes you realize that could of been you. Now he will live the rest of his life wishing he could of been there to save his friends.
