2003 Invasion facts
While investigating facts about 2003 Invasion, I found out little known, but curios details like:
The Mask of Warka, the oldest discovered accurate depiction of a human face (3100 BC), disappeared from the National Museum of Iraq after the 2003 US invasion. A US military mission to recover lost artifacts found the mask, undamaged, buried in a farmer's backyard.
The 2003 invasion of Iraq was initially called "Operation Iraqi Liberation", but was quickly changed to "Operation Iraqi Freedom" due to the acronym spelling out "OIL".
In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across. Here are 35 of the best facts about 2003 Invasion I managed to collect.
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Saddam Hussein offered to step down to exile from the Iraqi government in 2003 prior to the invasion if he was allowed to keep USD $1 Billion
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In 2003, Republican Bob Ney changed French Fries to Freedom Fries in the Congressional cafeterias because of France's opposition to the proposed invasion of Iraq. The French reacted to this news by saying they focus on serious issues, adding that fries are in fact a Belgian invention.
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During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, US forces built a military base on ancient ruins of the city of Babylon, causing substantial, irreparable damage, which included levelling areas for helipads
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Details from the plot of 1996 Nicolas Cage thriller The Rock was used by an intelligence agent to fabricate evidence for false WMD intelligence and aided in the case for the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
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The U.S. had 500,000 Purple Hearts manufactured in anticipation of the invasion of Japan. In 2003, there were still 120,000 of these medals in stock.
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US military operations during the 2003 Iraq invasion were originally conducted under the codename Operation Iraqi Liberation. They later changed it to Operation Iraqi Freedom because of the acronym.
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Just prior to the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, a 'mobile weapons factory' was photographed during an inspection, which was used as evidence of WMD's. It was later found that it contained helium to fill children's balloons.
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The majority of Iraqis are under the age of 18, with their lives almost entirely being in the post 2003 invasion
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About "Baghdad Bob", Information Minister for Iraq during the 2003 invasion. When asked where he got his info, he replied "authentic sources—many authentic sources"
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A key detail from the plot of the 1996 thriller The Rock was apparently used by an intelligence agent to fabricate evidence which aided the case for the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
What is true about 2003 invasion?
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During the 2003 Iraq invasion, the Baghdad Zoo lost nearly all it's animals. By the 8th day of the invasion only 35 of the 650-700 survived.
Dubai was an important refuelling base during the 2003 Iraq invasion.
Pope John Paul II criticized the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, saying in his State of the World address "No to war! War is not always inevitable. It is always a defeat for humanity." - source
The South Park episode "Canceled" made a joke at the very end about "Americans and Iraqis have an all-out brawl". The episode aired March 19, 2003, the same day as the US invasion of Iraq.
Saddam was more concerned about Iran than the US leading up to the invasion in 2003, and he was trying to bluff the Iranians into thinking he might have WMDs. thinking Iran was the bigger threat. - source
The first British soldier to die in the 2003 invasion of Iraq was killed by friendly fire
Prior to the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, Saddam Hussein created a video where he advocated for the use of Slingshots in insurgency.
After the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Bassetki statue, one of the Iraqi National Museum's most valuable pieces, more than 4,200 years old, was recovered by MP's at the bottom of a Baghdad cesspool!
Dick Cheney in 1994 predicted the mess he helped to create in 2003 by strongly encouraging the invasion of Baghdad.
TL that Dick Cheney, the supporter of the Iraqi invasion in 2003, suggested in 1994 during an interview that invading Iraq would be a "quagmire" and that it would lead to the breakup of the Iraqi state.