We are not at WAR with Russia. The resolution was adopted after the US-led invasion was declared a success and coalition forces moved to a period of military occupation. Finally, assuming the Ukrainians do fight hard in significant numbers, given the usual rule-of-thumb ratios for counterinsurgency forces to local inhabitants, 190,000 is unlikely to be enough. The majority of Iraqi parliamentarians wanted it to be made into a binding international agreement rather than simply presenting it as a local Iraqi law. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity. The war in Ukraine has jacked the global arms trade, . Yet their exodus was not welcomed by many Western countries. "I think the Russians will gradually react quite adversely and it will affect their policies. Prashant Rao: A Russian invasion of Ukraine looks imminent. In 2006, Ukraine downsized its peacekeeping force to just 40 soldiers. The Iraqi parliament voted on Saturday December 20, 2008, after a second reading of this law, to reject it and send it back to the Iraqi cabinet. In Petraeuss estimation, however determined Vladimir Putin may be to invade Ukraine, he lacks the troops and the popular support needed to succeed in taking over the country for any significant period of time. Can Russia actually control the entire landmass of Ukraine? The sanctions were so debilitating that a generation of Iraqis suffered unspeakable pain and its rippling effect is still visible in the current Iraqi economy. The video is more than a decade old, and shows American troops at a mosque in Samarra, Iraq. Many dismiss all arguments to the contrary as "echoing Putin's talking points," "siding with Putin," or circulating Russian propaganda and "disinformation." The most significant reduction in coalition strength came in September 2005, when Italy began pulling out all of its 3,000 troops. In March 2003, U.S. forces invaded Iraq vowing to destroy Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and end the dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein. In contrast, a book Allied Participation in Operation Iraqi Freedom produced by the US Army Center of Military History, lists 7000 as a cumulative total for ground troops from March 2003 to December 2005 with Ukraines peak deployment 1630 (page 116). The Iraq War. Instead, the Trump and Biden administrations poured weapons into Ukraine, approved joint military exercises between U.S. and Ukrainian forces, and even prodded the allies to include Ukraine in NATO war games. (Iran did not participate in IDEX.) "Not a single one of our missiles, mines or projectiles since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine has been covered by an agreement or delivered in such a way that one of the parties to the conflict was the end user. Troops in Kuwait During Persian Gulf War- American soldiers deployed in Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War rest in front of a mural of Saddam Hussein. But then, we quickly realized that we didnt know where we could go there could be fighting literally everywhere in this country.. Some world leaders seem to have an insatiable greed for invading other countries, said Samer al-Idreesi, a 47-year-old from the capital Baghdad. Transnistria-Ukraine relations is the bilateral relationship between the Pridnestrovian Moldovan Republic . Its uncanny how history can repeat itself its like Im again in 2003, watching news that told us urban warfare was intensifying in Baghdad or in Basra, Saade said. Samuel Ramani. One hundred and ninety thousand forces sounds like a lot, but counterinsurgency operations are very soldier-intensive. Only a minority of the Iraqi population comprised or supported the Sunni extremists and insurgents and Iranian-supported Shia militia. In 2001 they reached the highest value in the history of bilateral relations 293.1 million dollars. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview broadcast Sunday that after Russia suspended its participation in the last . This report on the vote notes Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchmas concern over the failure of diplomatic initiatives at the UN to prevent the war. "We are leaving this place, but Ukrainian color will (still) be represented in the Republic of Iraq. A minority (16 percent) believed the war benefited America, and 21 percent felt the war both benefited and negatively impacted the nation. For more information, please refer to our In Iraq, the Ukraine war is highlighting divisions in an already fractured landscape during stalled efforts to form a new government, five months after parliament elections were held. As soldiers move forward, gunshots can be heard in the background, and a male, English-speaking voice repeatedly urges his compatriots to come on., The video continues for more than 4 minutes, showing a chaotic scene of troops rushing through the building and its outdoor terraces with guns. More than 5,000 Ukrainian troops have served in Iraq during Ukraine's five years of service in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During the pre-war period, economic cooperation between Ukraine and Iraq was developing exclusively within the framework of the United Nations "oil-for-food" program. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In December 2008, the American and Iraqi governments signed the U.S.Iraq Status of Forces Agreement, which covered only American troops. Your mission in Iraq has been successfully completed," said Viktor Nedopas, Charge d'Affairs of the Ukrainian Embassy in Iraq. Rao: How would you expect countries in the West to react to a Ukrainian insurgency? Russia bin launch one major military . On. [1] In 2004, Ukraine was recognized as providing "excellent support" in the American administration's campaign against "terrorists" in Iraq. [3] The commodity structure of trade in the second period was determined by the presence of the international sanctions, which reduced possible assortment of Ukrainian production. An AP photo from Oct. 3, 2004, shows a U.S. Army patrol with the mosque in the background. ", Critics of the war have argued that, in addition to direct incentives, the involvement of other members of the coalition was in response for indirect benefits, such as support for North Atlantic Treaty Organization membership or other military and financial aid. Upon its victory, Russia permanently detached two secessionist-minded Georgian regions and put them under permanent Russian control. Of course, the Ukrainian presidents declaration in the past 24 hours of a state of emergency and call-up of the reserve military forces has presumably reduced some of the constraints on the establishment of defensive obstacles, fortifications, and so on. [3] In May 2001 in Baghdad the Embassy of Ukraine in Iraq re-opened. In March 2006, British newspaper, The Independent, reported that companies based within the United Kingdom had received at least 1.1bn in contracts for reconstruction work in post-invasion Iraq. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq, which does humanitarian work and has a number of guards and military observers, has also operated in Iraq since 2003. The members of Parliament reminded us that, in addition to the several dozen combat brigades, there are also special-forces units and several dozen partisan brigades (made up of civilians, with modest training on weekends) in Ukraine. She paused for a few seconds and resumed the conversation. But once the regime collapsed, we had nowhere near enough forces to prevent the terrible looting early on, and later we did not have enough to deal with the insurgent and extremist elements when they increased the violence dramatically in 2006 until we received the additional forces during the 18-month surge, together with the accompanying change in strategy and development of increasing numbers of reasonably competent Iraqi forces. National borders were shut to them, boats taking refugees to cross the Mediterranean Sea were intercepted, and many still remain in detention centres. Mariam Jaber, a 34-year-old Iraqi who lived in Basra during the US-led Iraq attack in 2003 and moved to the United States shortly after, said any sight of the suffering in Ukraine was too hard to watch and it instantly brought back horrible memories. However, the culpability of the United States and its NATO allies also is sizable. [3] Iraq also has an embassy in Kyiv. President Joe Biden said there is no rationale in sending Ukraine F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine at the moment given the war may go on for another year, two, or even three in an interview for Friday . For reprint rights: Fact Check: No, this is not a Ukrainian tank from the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Fact Check: This picture of an emotional old man and his cat is not from war-torn Ukraine, Fact Check: No, this video DOES NOT show protests in Moscow against ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, Amit Shah takes jibe at Congess, says party wiped out from northeast, Gangster Atiq Ahmed's aide's house bulldozed in Prayagraj. A conversation with David Petraeus on what the American experience in Iraq means for Russias conflict with Ukraine. By Alex J. Rouhandeh On 3/17/22 at 9:41 AM EDT. French and German wariness delayed that endeavor, but the NATO summit communique affirmed that both countries would eventually achieve that status. Text overlaid on the video at one point reads, Task force viper & the 36th Commando Bn Killed 4 enemy, Captured 25 enemy, and secured the Shrine intact.. It has become especially fashionable in such circles to insist that NATO's expansion to Russia's border was in no way responsible for the current Ukraine crisis. After 2006 they had only 40 troops in country in a peacekeeping role. In 2003 there were conditions for development of relations between Ukraine and Iraq on a qualitatively new, wider basis. Rebel groups sprung up across the country, either in opposition to American forces or with the intent to exploit the vacuum left by a lack of central governance. In essence, Ukrainian insurgents would require just about all that the Iraqi and Afghan insurgents and extremists needed, except for suicide bombers, which I assume would not be employed. As Russias conflict in the Ukraine continues, a social media post claims that 7000 Ukrainian forces were involved in the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Global hacking group Anonymous launches 'cyber war' against Russia. The Ukrainian flag is missing in the original image. CAMP ECHO, Iraq - The Ukrainian Army hosted an end of mission ceremony at Camp Echo in Central Iraq, Dec. 9. Dynamics of trade turnover in the first half of 2004 indicates a gradual renewal of the volumes of Ukrainian exports to Iraq, as well as its diversification. Lachkov led a moment of silence during the ceremony to honor those who gave their lives and the family members they left behind. Yet even though Ukraine has an importance to Russia comparable to Canada's importance to the United States, our leaders expected Moscow to respond passively to the growing encroachment. When Saddam invaded Kuwait, the sanctions were so hard that Iraq couldnt buy pencils for a decade, wrote Omar al-Nidawi, an Iraq analyst, on Twitter as the West was mulling sanction packages on Russia. A week later, the White House listed Ukraine among 49 countries committed to the coalition. At the same time prominent political . "Ukraine started accomplishing its mission in Operation Iraqi Freedom through assistance to the Iraqi government to establish constitutional order and a secure environment from the very beginning in 2003," said Col. Henadii Lachkov, senior commander for the Ukrainian forces in Diwaniya. Ukraine forces made contributions that enabled all Coalition partners to be successful here, but it has not been without cost. One person shared the photo on Twitter and said, In 2003, Ukraine invaded Iraq. The Associated Press reported at the time that U.S. and Iraqi forces launched an offensive on the city of Samarra in order to retake control of a militia stronghold in the city. The Ukrainians served as the third-largest coalition forces contingent during Iraqi occupation. Indeed it was, and Moscow began to push back. The battles following the invasion were in some way more brutal than the ones fought during it. Iraq is ready to focus on improving everyday life for its people. Approximately 5000 Ukrainian soldiers, in total, served in Iraq in the wake of the 2003 invasion of Iraq and subsequent Occupation of Iraq (20032011). The word sanctions unfortunately is not unfamiliar to Iraqis. . Russian helicopter Mil Mi-8 AMTSh (Mi-171Sh) in Minsk, 23 February 2022. copied, re-sold or re-distributed, framed, linked, shared onto social media or otherwise used whether for compensation All rights reserved. And when one gets down to the actual boots on the ground available for serious counterinsurgency operations conducted 24 hours a day and seven days a week, the resulting number is much less formidable, and [troops are] inevitably spread very thin. [124] The channel's videos have over eight million views. Russians cannot expect to be applauded as they invade Ukraine. The caption on the photo taken by Langevin Jacques said, U.S. You helped create the Iraqi Security Force and instilled in them a solid foundation of skills essential to the future security and prosperity of Iraq," said Ferriter. Leaving aside the ugly miasma of McCarthyism enveloping such allegations, the underlying argument is factually wrong. Exports from Ukraine to Iraq increased from 2,5 million dollars in 1998 to 122.7 million dollars in 2002. The U.S. Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a request to provide additional verification of the scene. [3], In December 2009 Ukraine agreed to supplying arms worth of $550 million to Iraq. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Moscow to engage in meaningful diplomacy peace in Ukraine during his first face-to-face talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov since war began. Many Iraqis are conflicted on the introduction of harsh sanctions on Russia: some are cheering the punishments to Putin over the war, while others are worried they could end up only making ordinary Russians lives miserable without doing much in curbing Putin and his oligarchs ability to wage wars. The former four-star general and ex-director of the CIA wrote his Ph.D. thesis about the Vietnam War; helped oversee the writing of the U.S. Armys counterinsurgency field manual; was its commanding officer in Iraq during the surge of troops there; and then ran U.S. Central Command, which was responsible for both the Iraq and Afghan Wars, before ending his military career as Americas top officer in Afghanistan. Ukraine and Bulgaria, two of Washingtons staunchest partners in the war, quickly followed suit and withdrew the bulk of their forces the following year, it says. "I think it is the beginning of a new cold war," he stated. It was all, says Geoff . Would they support itwhether overtly or covertly, with arms or fundsor would they seek to disavow any such efforts? . [127], Many MNF-I member countries had received monetary gain, among other incentives from the United States, in return for their sending of military forces to Iraq, or otherwise supporting coalition forces during the Iraq War. The decision followed a UN Security Council resolution on March 22, which determined the political role of the UN in the post-conflict restoration of Iraq. The posts claim inflates both Ukraines role in the Iraq War, and its troop deployment as highlighted by news reports. The photo was shared with the claim that it was from Ukraine's participation in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. posted online identify the scene as a 2004 raid led by U.S. and Iraqi soldiers to recapture the Al-Askari Shrine, also known as the Golden Mosque, in Samarra. The war consisted of military conflicts between different governmental, political and . But I really hope the suffering that we experienced as Iraqis would not be repeated in Ukraine., Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights. With the help of reverse image search, we found the image published in an article in 2013 on a news portal. The war in Ukraine is still unfolding and the situation is fast changing. AFP. Petraeus: This is hard to say, as there are many factors that would come into play, including, again, whether the insurgency is conducted from a sizable portion of Ukraine still under government control or from outside the country, which would be much more problematic. Misleading The claim is accurate in parts but information has also been presented incorrectly, out of context or omitted. Allies Shrinks Steadily in Iraq", "BBC NEWS Middle East Iraqi MPs back foreign troop deal", "Canada offered to aid Iraq invasion: WikiLeaks", "Canadians punch above their weight in international military command", "Canadian General Takes Senior Command Role in Iraq", "PM says 'it's possible' Canadian soldiers in Iraq", "Iraq approves return of small British force", "Reports: UK to begin withdrawing Iraq troops", "Britain to cut troops in Iraq to 2,500 in 2008", "Plans to cut UK troops in Iraq put on hold", "UK to start Iraq troop withdrawal by May 31 latest", "Brown Says U.K. As of May 2011, all non-U.S. coalition members had withdrawn from Iraq,[4] with the U.S. military withdrawing from the country on December 18, 2011, thus, bringing about an end to the Iraq War.[5]. The Multi-National Force - Iraq ( MNF-I ), often referred to as the Coalition forces, was a military command during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and much of the ensuing Iraq War, led by the United States of America ( Operation Iraqi Freedom ), United Kingdom ( Operation Telic ), Australia, Italy ( Operation Ancient Babylon ), Spain and Poland, I choose not to follow the news as closely simply because I think it will be too much for my mental health, and I can only pray that everything will be fine soon, she said. The Facebook post says: 7,000 Ukrainian troops invaded a sovereign Iraq in 2003 for no reason. Again, so much depends on whether the Ukrainians can successfully control a large part of their country or not. [11] A compromise was reached and the law passed on December 23, 2008, with the Iraqi government agreeing to then sign bilateral agreements with the affected countries.[12]. All information, text and images included on the AAP Websites is for personal use only and may not be re-written, Equal parts engaging and grinding, Porter navigates the path to war in London during 2002 and early 2003 with the rigor of a forensic coroner reconstructing a murder. The Ukraine episode proved to be an intolerable provocation to neighboring Russia. Early in the war, Yuriy Vernydub, manager of the famous FC Sheriff Tiraspol quit his job in order to fight for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Have the gutless politicians in D.C. officially declare it. NATO as an organization had no role in the decision to undertake the campaign or to conduct it. But guess none felt the same pain because the victims were from different faith and race.. Amazingly, though, the Obama administration still sought to turn Ukraine into a NATO political and military asset. In the photo, the tank could be seen standing in front of a mural of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. Rodney Foliente serves with the 2nd BCT, 4th Inf. Iraq has an embassy in Kyiv and Ukraine has an embassy in Baghdad . The India Today Anti-Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found the viral image was digitally altered. More explosions dey reported overnight inside di Ukrainian capital and oda cities around di kontri. Moscow's cruel overreaction deserves emphatic condemnation. May 12, 202202:21 In Ukraine, the U.S. and NATO are helping the country build on its existing strengths instead of reinventing the military top to bottom as the U.S. had to do in Iraq when it. The Council on Foreign Relations report doesnt count the Ukraine among the nations contributing significantly to the coalition by 2007. These groups have been involved in intelligence-gathering . A precious 18 Ukrainian Soldiers have died here," said Ferriter. Rally goers who went to the capitol to support solider in Ukraine's war speak out after it marks one year since Russia invaded the country. No one knows what could happen in Ukraine. Maybe there will be insurgents and maybe there will be more bloodshed, or maybe it will end soon with a peace talk, al-Idreesi said. Yet cheering them on can be dangerous in the "fog of war," she said. In February 1991, US-led coalition forces liberated Kuwait from Iraqi forces. [3] During this period Ukraine and Iraq, signed the treaty on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation, the association agreement between Commercial and industrial chamber of Ukraine and Federation of chambers of commerce of Iraq, the treaty on friendship and cooperation between Donetsk regional state administration and the administration of the Iraqi province Basra. A book by the US Army Center of Military History put the Ukraines cumulative total of ground troops at 7000 from March 2003 to December 2005. | Army Organic Industrial Base Modernization Implementation Plan, Fusion Directorates open their doors in time for Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, Army announcement on Fort Hood leadership, Message to the Army Force regarding its continued support to civil authorities, Army announces upcoming 2nd BCT, 82nd Airborne Division, unit rotation, Military leaders meet with privatized housing company executives, Department of the Army announces upcoming 3rd Cavalry Regiment deployment, Army Announces 2017 Superior Supplier Incentive Program List, Department of the Army announces 16th Combat Aviation Brigade, 7th Infantry Division deployment, Department of the Army announces 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division deployment, TWO BRIGADES FROM 4TH INFANTRY DIVISION TO DEPLOY TO AFGHANISTAN. Thus, we conclude that a digitally altered photo from the first Gulf War was shared with the claim that it was from the Ukrainian participation efforts in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Lets not forget that most Iraqis did initially welcome our liberation of the country from the brutal, kleptocratic Saddam Hussein regime. Amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, several people on social media shared a photo of an armoured tank with the Ukrainian flag on its back. Ukrainians, on the other hand, could enter the European Union, a place many Iraqis have risked their lives trying to enter without a visa. "Ukraine started accomplishing its mission in Operation Iraqi Freedom through assistance to the Iraqi government to establish constitutional order and a secure environment from the very beginning. ), Army announces Korea Rotational Force Transition, U.S. Army STAND-TO! Many Iraqis, from the capital Baghdad to provinces such as Anbar where the fighting was some of the most intense during the US invasion, are watching attentively as Russian troops are closing in on Ukrainian capital Kyiv and the Ukrainian armed forces, along with armed civilians, are vehemently defending. Misleading. A majority (61 percent) felt the war in Iraq did not benefit America, and a minority (13 percent) thought it did. Fact Check: No, this is not a Ukrainian tank from the 2003 invasion of Iraq Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, a photo of an armoured tank with the Ukrainian flag on its back went viral with the claim that it was from Ukraine's participation in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Alex Lefebvre. The Ukrainian War of Independence was a series of conflicts involving many adversaries that lasted from 1917 to 1921 and resulted in the establishment and development of a Ukrainian republic, most of which was later absorbed into the Soviet Union as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic of 1922-1991.. Blinken arrives in Kazakhstan seeking ties in shadow of Ukraine war AFP; February 27, 2023; . The Ukraine was not part of the invading force in March 2003. One can readily imagine how Americans would react if Russia, China, India, or another peer competitor admitted countries from Central America and the Caribbean to a security alliance that it ledand then sought to add Canada as an official or de facto military ally. I reached out to Petraeus to ask him about what the Ukrainian armed forces can do, and what his experience in Iraq can tell us about what comes next in Ukraine. Speaking during the debate on the matter at the Bundestag, Stefan Keuter, Member of German Bundestag for Alternative Fur Deutschland (AfD) stated that he went . From exclusion from SWIFT, a dominant international financial messaging system, to a targeted asset freeze, the West appears determined to ensure Russia faces the consequences of the invasion. They have been proven disastrously wrong, and thanks to their ineptitude, the world is now a far more dangerous place. Iraq, Libya, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Yemen as well as on the migrant trail through the Balkans . On December 18, 2008 the Iraqi government published a law that covered the status of non-U.S. foreign forces in the country from the end of the U.N.'s mandate on December 31, 2008 through to their withdrawal on July 31, 2009. In August of 1990, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, causing a coalition of countries to deploy troops into the region to expel Iraq from Kuwait.. Then American President George W Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, alleging then leader Saddam Hussein was building weapons of mass destruction while harbouring operatives from al-Qaeda, the armed group held responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. Countries that remain with the Coalition in Iraq include: Albania, Australia, Bulgaria, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, the United Kingdom and the United States. It used to be so difficult that it was hard to even buy bread, said Maher Mensour, an Iraqi who lived through the crushing sanctions imposed on Iraq following the invasion of Kuwait. Russian forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine Thursday, days after Russia recognized the independence of two separatist-controlled areas in eastern Ukraine, according to The New York Times. 27 Feb 2022 Baghdad, Iraq - The air assaults and gunfire on Ukrainian soil following the Russian invasion are stirring up memories barely sealed in Iraq nearly 19 years after the US-led. [6] The majority of countries that deployed military forces to Iraq as part of the MNF-I generally confined them to their respective military installations,[6] due to widespread violence throughout the country. (Photo: India Today AFWA). Dr David Kilcullen, who was senior adviser to General (Ret.) The U.N. Assistance Mission in Iraq was not a part of the MNF-I, but a separate entity. Ukraine is not part of NATO. The decision was an about-face on Ukraines view of the invasion after an investigation on whether Ukraine had sold Iraq weapons systems in 2000. CLAIM: Video of soldiers rushing into a building with guns shows Russian troops in Ukraine during Russias February 2022 invasion. The goal of the MNF will be to help the Iraqi people to complete the political transition and will permit the United Nations and the international community to work to facilitate Iraq's reconstruction. In the spirit of reconciliation Australian Associated Press acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. This is not that much more than the coalition forces during the surge in Iraq. The horrific scenes unfolding in Ukraine have also played out in Iraq. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky enacted a Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council decision to sanction 109 Russian citizens involved in the forced deportation of Ukrainian children. The Ukraine was not part of the invading force in March 2003. In late 2013 and early 2014, the United States and several European governments meddled shamelessly to support the efforts of demonstrators to unseat Ukraine's generally pro-Russia president, Victor Yanukovych, some two years before the expiration of his term. Ukraines invasion is a painful reminder for many Iraqis who have lost their hopes and dreams due to conflict. Approximately 5000 Ukrainian soldiers, in total, served in Iraq in the wake of the 2003 invasion of Iraq and subsequent Occupation of Iraq (2003-2011). Iraq War, also called Second Persian Gulf War, (2003-11), conflict in Iraq that consisted of two phases. Belarus, a close ally of Russia, has supported its eastern neighbour in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. In 1996, Baghdad sent the Iraqi Army into the autonomous region of northern Iraq to intervene in a Kurdish civil war. Petraeus: Im sure there is some modest planning going on; however, those who likely would comprise the insurgent ranks are most likely focused at present on determining how to defend their country against a possible invasion, not on how to conduct an insurgency in the event all or part of their country is occupied by Russian invaders. The tank was sent by the Crusaders to Iraq Destroyed Today. [125], The stated purpose of the YouTube channel is to "document action as it appeared to personnel on the ground and in the air as it was shot." "We know that violence is at its lowest level in five years, and the Iraqi Security Forces, partnering with Coalition forces, will take the lead in defending their country," said Maj. Gen. Michael Ferriter, deputy commanding general for operations, Multi-National Corps-Iraq. Former president George W. Bush misspoke on May 18, condemning the "unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq" during a speech on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Allied Participation in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Written by trained, experienced journalists using authoritative sources, Accredited by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), Corporate and individual packages available, The wire up to the minute news at your fingertips.