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Saturday, November 22, 2008

Iraq: 5 years of war

The surge in US troops and alliances between coalition forces, Iraqi soldiers and Sunni tribal chiefs have helped lower violence in war-torn Iraq. Yet, five years after the start of the US-led invasion, the situation remains fragile.

Five years after the first US bombs landed on Bagdad on March 20^th 2003, heralding the start of the US-led invasion of Iraq, President George W. Bush has hailed the prospect of a “strategic victory in Iraq”.

With Bush’s mandate at the White House ending in January 2009, criticism of his Iraq policy has extended way beyond opposition Democrats in Congress. Five years on, public opinion has become less inclined to support a war that has cost billions of dollars and claimed the lives of over 4,000 US soldiers.

The so-called “surge” in US troops announced in January 2007, along with alliances struck with Arab Sunni Muslim chiefs to fight al Qaeda fighters, appear to have reduced the number of suicide attacks plaguing Iraqi people’s daily life. Since 2007, violence has abated in Bagdad and the country’s west, though a resurgence in deadly attacks at the start of 2008 prompts fears of a return to chaos in the capital.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the violence has caused over 150,000 deaths among Iraqi civilians since March 2003. Amnesty International suggests over 4 million people have been displaced due to the ensuing havoc and insecurity.

Click here to visit our Observers' page on Iraq

Easter with Iraqi Christians After the kidnapping and assassination of Archbishop Paulus Faraj Rahho, Iraq’s Christians are preparing for an Easter of “sadness and discretion” as they continue to struggle, five years after the US invasion.

Voters running out of patience on Iraq While George W. Bush still talks of victory in Iraq, voters are running out of patience. Anti-war protests are expected to get under way to mark the 5th anniversary of the Iraqi invasion. (FRANCE 24 Report : G. Meyer)

Escape to Syria Syria is still the principal destination for refugees fleeing the violence in Iraq. But as they join approximately 1.5 million Iraqis already in the country, Syrian authorities are struggling to cope.

Inside Iraq with Lucas Menget In January 2008, FRANCE 24's Lucas Menget spent a month in Iraq reporting on the tense peace that prevails five years after the US invasion. Watch his 26-minute report and read his reporter's notebook.