Iraqi insurgency

An armed campaign against the post-2003 Iraqi government and foreign military presence, conducted by diverse groups with shifting aims and alliances.

Coalition Provisional Authority: The U.S.-led authority that governed Iraq from April 2003 until the transfer of sovereignty in June 2004. Its occupation policies, including dissolving the Iraqi army, helped shape grievances and armed opposition.
2003 invasion of Iraq: The U.S.-led military invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein's government in March and April 2003. The invasion ended the old regime and began the foreign military presence opposed by insurgents.
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi: A Jordanian jihadist who led al-Qaeda in Iraq until his death in a U.S. airstrike in 2006. His organization carried out attacks that shaped the insurgency and deepened sectarian conflict.
First Battle of Fallujah: A U.S.-led offensive against insurgents in Fallujah in April 2004 that ended before the city was retaken. The battle became an early emblem of resistance and exposed the limits of a direct assault.
Islamic State: A jihadist organization that seized territory in Iraq and Syria and declared a caliphate in 2014. Al-Qaeda in Iraq's evolution and later insurgent networks contributed to its rise.
De-Ba'athification: The removal of Ba'ath Party members from Iraq's public institutions after the 2003 invasion. It excluded many former officials and contributed to resentment and insurgent recruitment.
Fall of Baghdad: The capture of Baghdad by U.S.-led forces in April 2003, ending the Ba'athist government's control of the capital. The government's rapid collapse left a power vacuum in which armed resistance could organize.
Saddam Hussein: The president of Iraq from 1979 until his government was overthrown in 2003. Former regime networks and loyalists became one strand of opposition after his rule ended.
Second Battle of Fallujah: A major U.S.-led offensive that recaptured Fallujah from insurgent forces in November and December 2004. Its scale showed the intensity of urban combat and temporarily displaced insurgent networks.
Mahdi Army: An Iraqi Shi'a militia led by cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, active in fighting U.S. forces and Iraqi rivals. Its armed campaigns show that opposition to foreign forces was not limited to Sunni groups.

Linked from 14 pages