The U.S. Invaded Iraq 20 Years Ago

A U.S. soldier watches as a statue of Iraq's President Saddam Hussein falls in central Baghdad, April 9, 2003. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic  

USA Today: On the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, these photos tell the story of the war 

Sunday marks 20 years since American and coalition forces invaded Iraq on a mission to topple Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship and find weapons of mass destruction. 

Former President George W. Bush and his administration wagered to the American public and the international community that Hussein was hiding weapons of mass destruction. 

The coalition found no such weapons, and two years later the WMD Commission, established by Bush, acknowledged in a report that the "WMD" fiasco was “one of the most public – and most damaging – intelligence failures in recent American history.” 

Forces did succeed in knocking Hussein out of power, clearing the way for a fraught nation-building project that would stretch for nearly a decade.  

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Update #1: 3 takeaways 20 years after the invasion of Iraq (NPR)  

Update #2: Iconic images from the Iraq War, 20 years after it began (Reuters)  

WNU Editor: What a difference 20 years make.  

Update #3: Of course they do not want any comparisons made .... Tony Blair: Putin can't use Iraq to justify Ukraine invasion (DW).

The U.S. Military Has Been Engaged In Iraq For 30 Years Now

U.S. jets flying over burning oil wells in Kuwait during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. U.S. Air Force photo

Forbes: The U.S. Military Has Been Engaged In Iraq For 30 Years Now

August 2020 marks the 30th anniversary of Iraq’s infamous invasion of Kuwait. It also marks 30 years since the U.S. military begun its involvement in Iraq. That involvement has lasted, in one form or another, almost continuously to this day.

On August 2, 1990, Saddam Hussein launched his invasion of Kuwait and conquered the tiny oil-rich sheikdom in a highly effective two-day operation. By doing so, he rapidly turned the United States and most of the world against him.

The George H.W. Bush administration promptly established a multinational coalition consisting of 35 countries. It launched Operation Desert Shield, a military build-up in Saudi Arabia primarily aimed at protecting that kingdom from any potential Iraqi attack.

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More News On The First Iraq War 30 Years Ago

Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and Gulf War, through the pages of Gulf News -- Gulf News
30 years after Iraq invaded Kuwait, veterans commemorate Americans killed in Gulf War -- Chicago Sun Times
Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and Gulf War, through the pages of Gulf News -- Gulf News
Thirty years on, Iraq's invasion of Kuwait still haunts region -- Al Jazeera
In pictures: The Gulf War 30 years on -- TRT World

Remembering The Battle For Fallujah 15 Years Later

Andrea Scott, Marine Times: The second battle of Fallujah: 15 years later

The dust and grime were finally starting to settle as the sun set in Iraq.

Marine Cpl. Stephen Berge was in an ­abandoned factory in Fallujah when he felt the tides turning.

He didn’t know at the time that this second ­battle of Fallujah he currently was in, also known as Operation Phantom Fury, would become known as the bloodiest battle of the Iraq War.

But he did have a feeling in his gut he would be going home soon.

It was Thanksgiving Day. And Berge was sitting down to his first hot meal since the Marines had invaded the city on Nov. 7, 2004.

A tire on a broken-down tram loader had required someone to stay behind that day, and the heavy equipment operator was it.

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WNU Editor: 15 years already?!?!?! Time travels fast. The above YouTube video is a documentary on the battle for Fallujah.

CIA Agents Who Were On The Ground Before The 2003 Invasion Of Iraq Are Now Speaking Up

A statue of Iraq's President Saddam Hussein falls in central Baghdad on April 9, 2003. (Reuters/Goran Tomasevic/file)

Aaron Gell, Task & Purpose: CIA Agents Were On The Ground Before We Invaded Iraq, And They Knew It Was Going To Be A Clusterf*@k

Months before war was declared, a covert team of CIA paramilitaries and Green Berets slipped unnoticed into northern Iraq. They surveyed the battlespace, struck a deal with the enemy — and foresaw the disaster to come.

On March 20, America will be celebrating — if that’s the right word for it — the 15th anniversary of our invasion of Iraq, one of the most well-executed projections of U.S. military might in history. Despite fears that we were underestimating Saddam Hussein’s capabilities (not to mention an elaborate $250 million dress rehearsal during which the team playing the enemy quickly decimated the U.S. fleet), a coalition including American, British, Australian and Polish armed forces managed to seize control of the country within a mere 21 days, with relatively few casualties on either side.

Leaving aside the difficulties presented by the subsequent occupation, Operation Iraqi Freedom was an impressive feat of warfighting, arguably every bit the “cakewalk” that one widely mocked column predicted it would be.

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WNU Editor: For those who are interested in the 2003 Iraq invasion, a story on what did the CIA was doing in northern Iraq before the invasion.

Iraqi Shiite And Kurdish Militias Trade Fire

A Kurdish man walks in front of burned vehicle during clashes with Shia militiamen in Tuz Khurmatu, April 24, 2016. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

Asharq Alawsat: Iranian and Hezbollah Militias Fight against the Kurds of Iraq

Kirkuk- Yesterday evening fierce clashes fired up once again across Tuz Khormato, the central city located in the Saladin Province, Iraq. The multi-ethnic city, comprising both Kurds and Turkmen, is overwhelmed with militias. The rounds of fire exchanged last evening were between the Shi’ite Turkmen Popular Mobilization Forces and armed Kurdish Peshmerga Forces.

Kurdish sources told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that Iranian soldiers and militants belonging to the Lebanon-based Hezbollah had been a part of the recent battles, fighting alongside the Mobilization Forces.

During the first hours of battle, over 25 combatants belonging to the Turkmens’ side were reported dead.

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WNU Editor: A truce has been reached .... Peshmerga-Shiite militia reach truce in Khurmatu after deadly fighting (RUDAW), but any hopes of an alliance between Kurdish and Iraqi forces to take Mosul have taken a set-back.

More News On Iraqi Kurd - Shiite Clashes

Clashes erupt between Kurdish, Shiite fighters in Iraqi town -- AP
Kurd-Shi'ite clashes in northern Iraq kill ten, key road cut -- Reuters
Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga, Shiite Militia Clash in Northern Iraq -- Wall Street Journal
Peshmerga Ministry calls on Hashid al-Shaabi to leave Tuz Khurmatu -- NRT
Iraq: The Fight Within the Fight Against the Islamic State -- Stratfor

UN Report: Iraqi Civilians Are Suffering 'Staggering' Violence

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

CNN: (CNN)Nearly 19,000 civilians were killed in Iraq between January 2014 and October 2015 -- a toll the United Nations calls "staggering" in a new report.

The report, released Tuesday, outlines the horrific impact that Iraq's ongoing conflict is having on its civilian population.

The numbers are mind-boggling. In the 21-month period:

• At least 18,802 civilians were killed, about half of them in Baghdad alone.

• Another 36,245 were wounded.

• About 3.2 million people were internally displaced, including a million school-aged children.

The actual figures could be much higher, the report said.

More News On The Recent UN Report On Civilian Suffering In Iraq

Civilians suffering 'staggering' violence -- BBC
UN: Nearly 19,000 Civilians Killed in Iraq in Under 2 Years -- AP
Nearly 19,000 civilians killed in under two years in Iraq -- Irish Times
Nearly 19K Iraqi civilians killed in ISIL fighting, UN says -- Al Jazeera
UN: Nearly 19,000 Iraqi Civilians Killed Since January 2014 -- VOA
UN: Islamic State holds 3,500 slaves in Iraq, mostly Yazidi women and children -- UPI
Islamic State holding estimated 3,500 slaves in Iraq, says UN -- The Guardian
ISIS holding 3,500 Iraqis as slaves, UN report says -- FOX News
About 3,500 slaves held by Islamic State in Iraq: U.N. report -- Reuters
The Extent of the Islamic State's Atrocities in Iraq Has Been Laid Bare by the UN -- VICE News

Hillary Clinton Emails Contain Secret Iraq War Documents Detailing An Agreement Between President George Bush And British Prime Minister Tony Blair To Invade Iraq Nearly A Year Before The War Began

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Daily Mail: Smoking gun emails reveal Blair's 'deal in blood' with George Bush over Iraq war was forged a YEAR before the invasion had even started - despite claiming he wanted peace

* Leaked White House memo shows former Prime Minister's support for war at summit with U.S. President in 2002
* Bombshell document shows Blair preparing to act as spin doctor for Bush, who was told 'the UK will follow our lead'
* Publicly, Blair still claimed to be looking for diplomatic solution - in direct contrast to email revelations
* New light was shed on Bush-Blair relations by material disclosed by Hillary Clinton at the order of the U.S. courts

A bombshell White House memo has revealed for the first time details of the ‘deal in blood’ forged by Tony Blair and George Bush over the Iraq War.

The sensational leak shows that Blair had given an unqualified pledge to sign up to the conflict a year before the invasion started.

It flies in the face of the Prime Minister’s public claims at the time that he was seeking a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

He told voters: ‘We’re not proposing military action’ – in direct contrast to what the secret email now reveals.

Update #1: Tony Blair agreed to act as Iraq war cheerleader according to newly released memo -- The Telegraph
Update #2: Former British PM Tony Blair Committed UK to Iraq War Year Before Invasion: Report -- AFP
Update #3: Report: Hillary Emails Contain Secret Bush Iraq War Documents -- Newsmax

WNU Editor: Cannot say that I am surprised .... but if Hillary Clinton was not interested in this subject matter, we may never have seen this memo.

The Magnificent Bastards Remember The Battle Of Ramadi Ten Years Ago

The Magnificent Bastards Look Back On A Key Iraq Battle -- USA Today

The men of 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines arrived in Ramadi in 2004 prepared to support the economy and government of a critical Sunni city in western Iraq.

On April 6 those plans were cast aside when insurgents launched deadly attacks on the Marines throughout the city.

"We we're going there to improve the quality of life," said Lt. Col. Robert Weiler, who was a company commander with the battalion in 2004. "They basically started a jihad."

Marines fought with insurgents throughout the city in running gun battles that day. By the time the dust settled 12 Marines had been killed in action that day, a devastating loss for a single infantry battalion.

Under clear blue skies this past weekend the veterans of the battalion, called the Magnificent Bastards, gathered at Camp Pendleton in California to mark the 10th anniversary of the battle and the battalion's seven-month deployment. Hundreds of veterans of the battalion as well as families of the fallen gathered Sunday to reunite and reminisce.

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WNU Editor: The above video is a video tribute of 2/4 Ar Ramadi, Iraq 2004.

Marine Refuses To Lend The American Flag That Covered Saddam's Statue Before It Fell 10 Years Ago

Marine Refuses To Lend Military The American Flag That Covered Saddam’s Statue -- Gawker

Ten years ago today, TV carried one of the most iconic, if stage-managed and misremembered, images of the invasion of Iraq: Moments before toppling the statue of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in Baghdad's Firdos Square, several Marines used a United States flag to cover Saddam's face before prudently swapping it for an Iraqi standard.

In anticipation of that anniversary, the National Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, Virginia, went looking for the American flag, hoping to put it on display. But the flag's keeper, former Lt. Tim McLaughlin, has told the Corps he won't provide it, because he doesn't want it used for pro-war propaganda.

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Update: Flag that covered Saddam’s face stashed in N.H. safety deposit box -- Salon

My Comment: I say .... let him keep his flag .... he did his tour and duty.

Remembering The Fall Of Baghdad 10 Years Ago

On 10-Year Anniversary Of Baghdad's Fall, Iraqis Remain Torn -- Jane Arraf, Christian Science Monitor

Many Iraqis are glad Saddam Hussein is gone, but still grieve about what followed.

Ferdos square, where Saddam Hussein's statue stood until toppled by jubilant Iraqis on this day in 2003, was largely deserted today. Elsewhere in the capital, Baghdad residents struggled to get to work on streets choked with traffic and blocked by concrete walls and security checkpoints.

Iraqis have largely shrugged off the 10-year anniversary of the fall of Baghdad, even as they struggle still with the fallout of the US invasion: heightened security measures, ongoing violence, and a country much more divided than it was a decade ago.

Read more ....

More News On The Ten Year Anniversary On The Fall Of Baghdad 10 Years Ago

Baghdad residents view 10-year anniversary of city’s fall with grief, relief -- Washington Post/AP
Iraq quietly marks decade since fall of Baghdad -- Global Post/AFP
Iraq marks decade since fall of Baghdad -- Al Jazeera
10 years ago today: Saddam Hussein statue toppled in Baghdad -- MSNBC
Ten Years Since 'Fall Of Baghdad' -- Radio Free Europe
Iraqis Debate Impact of War -- Voice of America
The long shadow of the Iraq war -- Deutsche Welle
Ten Years After Baghdad's Fall, a Look Back at the Iraq War -- Justin Scuiletti, PBS Newshour

The Question That Should Have Been Asked 10 Years Ago

U.S. Marines from 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment patrol from Expeditionary Patrol Base Dulab to a ridge along the outskirts of Dulab, Iraq, Sept. 26, 2007. The Marines are working with Iraqi police in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Al Anbar province of Iraq. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Shane S. Keller

“No one from the intelligence community, anyplace else ever came in and said, ‘What if Saddam is doing all this deception because he actually got rid of the WMD and he doesn't want the Iranians to know?' Now somebody should have asked that question. I should have asked that question. Nobody did. Turns out that was the most important question in terms of the intelligence failure that never got asked.”

— Stephen Hadley, President George W. Bush's national security adviser, speaking at a "Foreign Policy" confab last week on the U.S. invasion of Iraq, launched 10 years ago this week.

From Battleland.

Commentaries, Opinions, Editorials, And Analysis On The Iraq War

Muddling Through is Not Enough: Why U.S. Needs a New Iraq Policy -- Eli Sugarman, The Diplomat

A decade after the invasion, America’s “one-Iraq” policy is pulling the country apart. Supporting the Kurds is the key to saving it.

March 19th marks the ten-year anniversary of the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Iraq has largely fallen off the United States foreign policy agenda since U.S. troops left the country at the end of 2011. Meanwhile, Washington has embraced a passive “one-Iraq” policy that derives its name from its emphasis on the importance of keeping Iraq unified – as a single country – and managing its ethno-sectarian fault lines through its Constitution.

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Commentaries, Opinions, Editorials, And Analysis On The Iraq War

Mixed Views in Iraq on 10th Anniversary of US-Led Invasion -- Scott Bobb, Voice of America
Army Brass On Iraq Anniversary: Shock And Awe? Never Again -- Sydney J. Freedberg Jr., Aol Defense
How The American People Were Sold The Iraq War -- Paul Szoldra, Business Insider
What Saddam’s ouster achieved -- Amir Taheri, New York Post
What did we learn from Iraq? -- Doyle McManus, Baltimore Sun
Iraq war: Was it worth it? -- Cami McCormick/CBS
Was Iraq Worth It? -- Patrick Buchanan, Human Events
Trying to Put Iraq Back Together -- Mark Thompson, Time
Five valid Iraq critiques and five debates that still matter -- Peter Feaver, Shadow Government/Foreign Policy
Blair: Syria justifies our removal of Saddam -- The Telegraph
Iraq: What I Got Wrong, and What I Still Believe -- Jonathan Chait, New York Magazine
Iraq, a decade after U.S. invasion, torn between progress and chaos -- Ernesto Londoño, Washington Post
History and the blame game ten years after Iraq -- James Jay Carafano, FOX News
In Iraq, a tyrant was toppled - and then no one was in charge -- Andy Nelson, Christian Science Monitor
10 years later: The Iraq war's lasting impact on U.S. politics -- Stephanie Condon/CBS
'The dead family I just can't forget': War reporter returns to Iraq on 10th anniversary of conflict to find father who begged for freedom... and then lost SEVENTEEN of his relatives -- Daily Mail
Iraq, 10 years on: Did invasion bring 'hope and progress' to millions as Bush vowed? -- F. Brinley Bruton and Ghazi Balkiz, NBC News
The Iraq war: Decade of regret -- The Economist
The slow road back -- The Economist
Ten Years After Iraq Invasion, War Does Not Look Like A Noble Endeavor -- Maura Pennington, Forbes
Baghdad, A Decade Later -- Kelly McEvers, NPR
Iraqi democracy was not so bad - until US pulled out -- Reidar Visser, The National
Iraq isn’t as fragile as it looks -- Lowell Schwartz, Special to CNN
Iraq, 10 years later: A people in need -- Rebecca Angel Baer, CNN
Army veteran still thinks about Iraq War 'every single day' -- McClatchy News
6 Predictions Days Before the Iraq War -- Paul D. Shinkman, US News and World Report
An 'Absolute Will To Forget': Iraq Casts Shorter Shadow Than Vietnam -- Alan Greenblatt, NPR
Iraq 10 years on: the myth of 'shock and awe' -- The Telegraph

Remembering The Start Of The Iraq War 10 Years Ago

10 Years Ago, The U.S. Invaded Iraq -- Kenneth T. Walsh, US News and World Report

Any time that the president orders U.S. troops into harm's way, it's an important moment for America. And it's always a fact of life that no one can know how a battle, or a war, will turn out until the fighting actually begins.

But the start of the Iraq war 10 years ago was different. President George W. Bush and his spokesmen predicted with unusual aggressiveness that America would prevail relatively easily, and Bush strategists forecast that the Iraqis would welcome their liberators with open arms as they headed to a bright future.

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More News On Remembering The Iraq War On The Tenth Anniversary Of The Invasion

Ten years in Iraq -- Al Jazeera
Obama pays tribute to troops on Iraq War anniversary -- USA Today
On anniversary of Iraq war, Obama salutes US soldiers who served -- Washington Post
Obama walks fine line on Iraq war anniversary -- Politico
10 Years After the Iraq Invasion -- ABC News
Lessons From Iraq War: Army Leaders Meet on 10th Anniversary -- Wall Street Journal
10 years later, Iraq War vivid for troops, civilians -- USA Today
Iraq War 10 Years Later: Where Are They Now? -- NBC
Iraq 10 years on: photographing the war -- The Telegraph
Iraq war 10 years on: the museum's story - video -- The Guardian
Iraq in Photos: Then and Now -- ABC News
Iraq invasion: 10 years later (Photo Gallery) -- CBS

Iraq War Costs U.S. More Than $2 Trillion

Iraq War Costs U.S. More Than $2 Trillion: Study -- Reuters

(Reuters) - The U.S. war in Iraq has cost $1.7 trillion with an additional $490 billion in benefits owed to war veterans, expenses that could grow to more than $6 trillion over the next four decades counting interest, a study released on Thursday said.

The war has killed at least 134,000 Iraqi civilians and may have contributed to the deaths of as many as four times that number, according to the Costs of War Project by the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University.

When security forces, insurgents, journalists and humanitarian workers were included, the war's death toll rose to an estimated 176,000 to 189,000, the study said.

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Update: Iraq war cost US more than $2 trillion – study -- RT

My Comment: Add in interest, health, and disability costs .... the final cost may approach a staggering $6 trillion. Depressing numbers throughout. The Costs of the Wars report is here.

60 British Special Forces Soldiers Against 100,000 Iraqi Soldiers

The Great Escape -- Toby Harden, Real Clear World/The Times

The men of the Special Boat Service’s M Squadron were used to the unexpected, but as their brigadier detailed their mission, they looked at each other in silent disbelief. It was almost a decade ago and they were gathered in a “forward mounting base” in the Middle East, the location of which still cannot be disclosed.

For weeks the men had known they would be going to war with Iraq. While frantic discussions were taking place at the United Nations in New York, the SBS team had been training on the plains of Kenya in preparation for driving through a desert behind enemy lines.

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My Comment: A riveting report on what is basically a "run for your' life story while under withering fire. It is amazing that this fiasco did not cost the lives of all of the British soldiers. There is no mention in this report on whether or not any superior officers were "canned" for this disaster.

Guardian/BBC Report: U.S. Secret Detention And Torture Centres Were More Widespread In Iraq Than What Was Reported

Revealed: Pentagon's Link To Iraqi Torture Centres -- The Guardian

Exclusive: General David Petraeus and 'dirty wars' veteran behind commando units implicated in detainee abuse

The Pentagon sent a US veteran of the "dirty wars" in Central America to oversee sectarian police commando units in Iraq that set up secret detention and torture centres to get information from insurgents. These units conducted some of the worst acts of torture during the US occupation and accelerated the country's descent into full-scale civil war.

Colonel James Steele was a 58-year-old retired special forces veteran when he was nominated by Donald Rumsfeld to help organise the paramilitaries in an attempt to quell a Sunni insurgency, an investigation by the Guardian and BBC Arabic shows.

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My Comment: If true .... this is a very disturbing report. The full report/documentary is here.

The Red Team's 2005 Report On Iraq

U.S. Army Spc. Deonty Eastmon secures his sector during a patrol through Al Betra, Iraq, Nov. 26, 2007, as the rest of his squad asks local residents about recent insurgent activity. Eastmon is assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Adrian Cadiz

About That Red Team Report… -- George W. Casey, Foreign Policy

Michael R. Gordon's story overstates the importance of a review I ordered on Iraq.

Michael Gordon's attempt to represent the August 2005 Red Team report as a missed opportunity to shorten the war is wishful thinking and not supported by the realities we were wrestling with in Iraq at that time.

The report was one of many Red Team reports chartered by me, and by the U.S. ambassadors and me, to provide us alternative views and to cause the U.S. civilian and military leadership in Iraq to come to grips with the difficult issues confronting the mission. These reports were one of many inputs the ambassador and I used to build our understanding of the environment and to shape our guidance to the U.S. Mission and Multinational Force. We used this particular report to help us shape a December 2005 joint statement of our mission for 2006, and to prepare a joint campaign plan that we issued in April 2006. We also used it as the impetus to implement a joint planning and assessment process that significantly improved our ability to integrate our efforts in 2006 and beyond. The idea that it was "ignored by generals" is not true. I didn't agree with all of it, but I did not ignore it.

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My Comment: As I said in my own post on this story a few days ago .... Coulda ... woulda .... shoulda ....


We are all geniuses with hindsight .... but in real time we must always second guess with the information that we have .... and sometimes we get it right .... and sometimes no. In Iraq .... by the time that we had figured it out .... it was too late.

The CIA's Failure On Iraq's 'Weapons Of Mass Destruction'

At the UN, Colin Powell holds a model vial of anthrax, while arguing that Iraq is likely to possess WMDs. Wikipedia

Did The CIA Just Mess Up On Iraq's 'Weapons Of Mass Destruction'? -- Brad Knickerbocker, Christian Science Monitor

Recently-declassified CIA documents blame 'analyst liabilities' for mistakenly concluding that Saddam Hussein had chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons programs – the rationale for invading Iraq. But some say the situation was more sinister.

Remember those “weapons of mass destruction?” How chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons programs were said to be part of Saddam Hussein’s arsenal – posited as the rationale for invading Iraq in the wake of 9/11, along with the belief that the Iraqi dictator somehow was helping Al Qaeda?

After a massive US-led invasion in 2003 and 4,486 American service men and women lost in Iraq over the years, the images remain:

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My Comment: I am skeptical of claims that there was a disinformation campaign within the intelligence community to advocate for an invasion of Iraq. The debate on Saddam Hussein's WMD program goes back to the first Gulf war, and the general consensus among everyone (Europeans, both political parties in Washington, nuclear inspectors, etc) .... then and just before the second Gulf war .... was that Saddam Hussein's WMD program was very real.

It was not .... and the blame for this colossal intelligence failure should fist go to the intelligence community, (second) to the politicians who failed in providing the proper oversight, and (three) to President (Bush) who made the final decision to go to war.

How The Murderous Reign Of Two Al Qaeda Executioners Were Ended During The Height Of The Iraq War

Image: SAS logo

Top Secret Report Reveals How Al Qaeda Executioners Were Captured By Ingenious SAS... Using Bisto Granules -- Daily Mail

They killed with apparent impunity, effortlessly dodging capture by the world’s deadliest special forces.

Nothing, it seemed, could stop Al Qaeda’s two top Iraqi terrorists as they orchestrated a campaign of high-profile kidnappings, car bombings and executions in Baghdad and beyond.

At the height of their reign, one of them, Maher Ahmed Mahmoud az-Zubeidi, better known by his alias Abu Rami, was believed to have been responsible for the murders of 200 people each month.

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My Comment: Patience .... and good intel ..... that was the key for them to capture these murderers.

The Iraqi Whose Lies On Iraq's WMDs Led To War Confesses That He Lied

Man Whose WMD Lies Led To 100,000 Deaths Confesses All -- Military.com/The Independent

Defector tells how US officials 'sexed up' his fictions to make the case for 2003 invasion

A man whose lies helped to make the case for invading Iraq – starting a nine-year war costing more than 100,000 lives and hundreds of billions of pounds – will come clean in his first British television interview tomorrow.

"Curveball", the Iraqi defector who fabricated claims about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, smiles as he confirms how he made the whole thing up. It was a confidence trick that changed the course of history, with Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi's lies used to justify the Iraq war.

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Update: Iraqi defector whose phony WMD intel and "sexed up graphics" led to 100,000+ deaths: "Yes, I lied." -- Boing Boing

My Comment: No single man can provide evidence that will push a nation into war .... and blaming him for the war is a bit of a stretch. This war was an accumulative failure among the entire intelligence community, foreign governments, the media and pundit class, a Democrat/Republic Congress who overwhelmingly authorized the use of force .... and .... of course .... the man in the White House.