The occupation of Iraq

According to the Bush administration, its allies, and the U.S. military; the occupation ended on June 28, 2004, but Iraqis and non-Iraqis who reject the presence of foreign soldiers in Iraq staunchly believe it continued. Indeed, the expulsion of occupation forces is the main objective of Iraqi guerrilla fighters who launched a widespread and deadly guerrilla war against, primarily, American troops (specifically US Marines in Al Anbar Province and the US Army in and around Baghdad), the security forces of the US-influenced and Shi'ite-dominated Iraqi government, and later Shi'ite civilians perceived as supporting the occupation. Polls conducted by American companies have found that a majority of Iraqi citizens are not only against the occupation, but support attacks on foreign soldiers. Additionally, Iran and Syria are strongly opposed to the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq, and there have been widespread protests demanding the withdrawal of troops in several countries, the largest of which occurred in the United States, the UK, South Korea, Spain and Italy. President Bush has continuously rejected the rationale of the insurgents, claiming that "...what is causing violence in Iraq is the fact that Iraq is heading toward freedom."^[5]

The United States deployed more than seven-eighths of the soldiers in the occupying coalition with the majority of other troops coming from the United Kingdom and the rest made up from several other allies. Although their status as Coalition Provisional Authority, or "Occupying Powers" under a United Nations resolution, changed when the new government came to power on June 28, although still heavily influenced by the massive US military and diplomatic presence in the country.[3]

As of February 5, 2007, the United States Department of Defense had confirmed that 3,093 U.S. troops had been killed fighting in Iraq.

Mission objectives according to the US Military

MNF-I objectives as of May 2006

• Iraq is at peace with its neighbors
• Iraq is an ally in the War on Terror^{[citation needed]}
• Iraq has a representative government that respects the human rights of all Iraqis
• Iraq has a security force that can maintain domestic order and deny Iraq as a safe haven for terrorists

The government of Iraq enjoys broad international support, including from nations of the Arab League. Jordan is assisting in training of the Iraqi Security Forces, and the United Arab Emirates have donated military equipment (bought from Switzerland), for example.

Iraq is, nominally, a pluralistic democracy. The US-influenced Constitution of Iraq[4] guarantees freedoms of speech, assembly and religion, private ownership of property, privacy and equality before the law, as well as total immunity to all occupying troops in the country. The first parliamentary elections occurred in December, 2005.

As of September 2006, in theory, 302,000 Iraqi security forces have been trained and equipped. However, there have frequent reports of Iraqi personnel being poorly armed, trained and motivated; suffering heavy casualties and in many instances deserting or failing to report for duty[5]. By the end of 2006, MNF-I believes that all 325,000 planned ISF members will be trained and equipped. ISF may be fully capable of maintaining domestic order sometime in 2007, perhaps with coalition help in logistics, close-air support and medical assistance, according to the US military. ^[6]

In November 2006, the United Nations Security Council voted to extend the mandate of the multinational force in Iraq until the end of 2007. The move was requested by the Iraqi government, which said the troops were needed for another year while it built up its own security forces.^[7]

Coalition of the willing

The origin of the phrase

The precise origins of the phrase are unknown, but it has been used since at least the late 1980s to refer to groups of nations acting collectively, often in defiance of the United Nations. Specific uses of the phrase in the context of disarming Iraq began appearing in mid-2001.

Criticism of the phrase

Iraq War critics such as John Pilger have pointed out that 98% of the military is from the U.S. and Britain and is therefore accurately described as a predominantly Anglo-American force rather than as a coalition.

In a 2004 U.S. presidential debate, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry questioned the size of the coalition, saying that Bush portrayed the effort as a widespread international consensus when actually only two major allies of the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, had comparatively substantial numbers of soldiers on the ground during the initial invasion. President Bush responded by saying, "Well, actually, he forgot Poland". The phrase You forgot Poland subsequently became a humorous shorthand for the perception that most members of the coalition were not contributing much to the war effort compared to the main three allies. The majority of the population in most countries involved did not, according to some surveys, support the endeavour or their nation's participation.^[8]

U.S. Senator Robert Byrd, ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, has referred to the coalition formed for the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the acronym COW, expressing his concern that the United States was being "milked" as a "cash cow." A Canadian MP Carolyn Parrish referred to the "Coalition of the Willing" as the "Coalition of the Idiots". She was reprimanded for these comments, and was eventually removed from the Liberal Party caucus.

Dave Chappelle parodied the phrase on his sketch comedy show Chappelle's Show with the sketch "Black Bush".

Michael Moore devoted one sub-chapter to the Coalition in his book Dude, Where's My Country?. He remarked that most countries in the Coalition did not really help and that several had no army. He dubbed it "The Coalition of the Coerced, Bribed, and Intimidated".

List of nations in the coalition

More than 100,000 soldiers

•  United States - As of April 1 2007, there are currently around 155,000 Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps personnel deployed to the western, northern and central regions of Iraq. The latest approximate figure includes 15,000 troops sent to Iraq as part of the troop surge plan, which began in early 2007. The remaining 15,000 troops are projected to arrive by June 2007. When completed, the increase of 30,000 personnel will consist of about 17,500 troops deployed to Baghdad, around 4,000 to Anbar Province, 2,200 military police to guard an increasing number of prisoners, and 6,000 - 7,000 support soldiers. As of April 2, 2007, a total of 3,265 American military personnel (including all branches of the military) had been killed in Iraq: 2,658 in engagements and ambushes (assault rifle and sniper fire; RPG, Katyusha and mortar attacks; the shooting down of several helicopters and a jet; but mostly roadside bombings) as well as vehicle accidents which occurred as a result of hostile fire. 607 were killed in non-hostile incidents including a small number of drownings, illnesses and electrocutions, but mostly accidental vehicle crashes and weapon discharges. As of March 24, 2007; at least 50,502 American military personnel have fallen ill, been wounded or injured: 26,188 of these requiring medical evacuation. One soldier, Matt Maupin, was kidnapped after an attack on his convoy on April 9, 2004 and remains missing.^[9][10] Another soldier, Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie, an Iraqi-American, was kidnapped in Baghdad on October 24, 2006 and also remains missing.^[11]

More than 1,000 soldiers

•  United Kingdom - 7,100 troops in Southern Iraq as of February 2007;^[12], Britain commands the Multi-National Division (South East) which includes troops from several other countries. About 1,300 UK personnel are stationed in The Persian Gulf region. On February 20, 2007, the British government declared that British soldiers would begin a timetabled withdrawal from Iraq, with 1,600 expected to return from Iraq by the end of February and a further 1,600 by the beginning of 2008.^[13] After the invasion (which involved 45,000 British troops), approximately 8,500 troops were stationed in the south of the country, but 1,300 were withdrawn in early 2006.^[14] Prime Minister Tony Blair had considered an expansion of up to 2,000 troops during 2004 to replace those of Spain and other departing nations. However, military commanders as well as former diplomats criticizing U.S. military tactics put that into question and the idea has since been shelved. On September 6 2006, the Ministry of Defence declared that 300 additional soldiers would be sent to Iraq temporarily to reinforce security during an upcoming six-monthly rotation, these were withdrawn by January 2007.^[15] The deployment includes infantry, mechanized infantry and armored units as well as water-borne patrol personnel and a range of aircraft. The UK has lost 140 soldiers in Iraq: 107 in ambushes, engagements, bombings or other attacks (including the shooting down of a C-130 Hercules transport plane which killed 10 soldiers). Out of the remaining 33, the cause of death included accidents, friendly fire, illnesses, and suicide. See also: Operation Telic (operational name for the UK's involvement in Iraq) for further information.

• Image:Flag of South Korea (bordered).svg Republic of Korea - 2,300 troops in North-Eastern Iraq as of February 2007. The South Korean government has announced its intention to withdraw around 1,200 troops during the first half of 2007, with a complete pullout likely by the beginning of 2008. The country's contingent peaked at 3,600 during 2005, however, 1,300 troops were withdrawn in early 2006 folllowing a December 2005 vote by the National Assembly^[16] (10-3 with one abstention), thus approving a government proposal. Their main tasks have been to provide medical services and to build and repair roads, power lines, schools and other public works. The original contingent consited of 3,000 soldiers, mostly combat engineers of the Zaytun ("olive-peace") Division, who were deployed in late September 2004 to Irbil in the Kurdish-controlled region of northern Iraq and converged with the 600 humanitarian troops that had been operating in southern Iraq since April 2003. Although South Korea has the third-largest contingent in Iraq, the only deaths attributed to their presence were accidents involving both South Korean and Iraqi civilians.

More than 100 soldiers

•  Australia - Australian involvement in Iraq (designated Operation Catalyst by the Australian military) consists of about 1,400 troops divided amongst several specialized units in and around the country. The largest contribution is the Overwatch Battle Group (West), based in Southern Iraq and consisting of 518 soldiers. This unit was previously known as the Al Muthanna Task Group, which had about 450 troops and was deployed on February 22 2005 for the purpose of replacing the withdrawn Dutch contingent. Other Army deployments include 400 personnel stationed in Kuwait, a security detachment (SECDET) composed of approximately 100 troops protecting the Australian embassy in Baghdad, and an Australian Army training team of about 20 troops and several dozen liaison officers distributed throughout Iraq. Australia has a naval presence in the Persian Gulf as part of Australian-led Task Force 158 (TF158) which involves the periodic rotation of Anzac class frigates, currently the HMAS Warramunga (221 personnel). The Royal Australian Air Force has deployed two AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and two C-130 Hercules transport aircraft (330 personnel). There have been several injuries but no deaths of Australian troops in Iraq attributed to hostile action, however, a SASR commando was killed in a vehicle accident in Kuwait, and a soldier Jacob Kovco assigned to the Baghdad SECDET, died from an accidental discharge of his pistol.^[17] (See also: Australian contribution to the 2003 invasion of Iraq)
•  Poland - Currently, 900 non-combat troops from the 'First Warsaw Division'. Poland leads the Multi-National Division (South Central) which consists of forces from several other countries. In accordance with the decision of the former Polish Minister of Defense Jerzy Szmajdziński, the number of troops was reduced from 2,500 to 1,500 during the second half of 2005. Poland's former leftist government, which lost September 25 2005 elections, had planned to withdraw the remaining 1,500 troops in January. However, the new defense minister, Radosław Sikorski, visited Washington on December 3 for talks on Poland's coalition plans, and Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz declared that he would decide after the Iraqi elections on December 15, whether to extend its troops' mandate beyond December 31.^[18] On Tuesday 22 December, Prime Minister Marcinkiewicz announced that he had asked President Lech Kaczyński to keep Polish troops in Iraq for another year, calling it "a very difficult decision."^[19] On January 5 2006, Polish troops handed over control of the central Babil province to U.S. troops and decided to remain on bases in Kut and Diwaniyah for the remainder of their mandate,^[20] cutting their contingent from 1,500 troops to 900 troops two months later,^[21] and switching their main objective from patrolling their sector to the training of Iraqi security forces. Poland has lost 19 soldiers in Iraq: 13 in bombings or ambushes and 6 in various accidents. In July 2004, Al Zarqawi released a statement threatening Japan, Poland and Bulgaria over their troop deployments. He demanded of the Polish government 'Pull your troops out of Iraq or you will hear the sounds of explosions that will hit your country.' Hours later Prime Minister Marek Belka denied, and deputy Defence Minister Janusz Zemke said pulling out would be a 'terrible mistake.'
• Image:Flag of Romania.svg Romania - About 865 troops, most of whom operate under British command (South-East Iraq),^[12] working on infrastructure and clearing mines, with a few dozen intelligence officers stationed north of Baghdad. Romanian President Traian Basescu announced on August 30 2006 that, within two months, Romania would withdraw its troops from Iraq. However, on November 8, 2006, Romanian Defense Minister Sorin Frunzaverde stated that there was to be no scheduled withdrawal.^[22] One Romanian soldier died in a Kuwaiti hospital, ten days after shooting himself in the head, and another was killed in a roadside bombing (along with three Italians). 130 more troops were deployed for UNAMI.
• Image:Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark Denmark has 460 troops under UK command (South-East Iraq) including infantry and military police, based near Basra at "Camp Danevang". This is in addition to 35 troops operating under UNAMI. On February 21 2007 Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced the withdrawal of Danish troops in Iraq would be completed by August 2007.^[23] Denmark has lost six soldiers in Iraq; one to friendly fire, one in a vehicle accident, and four to hostile incidents, while several more have been wounded. From 2003 to mid-2006, Denmark extended its Iraq deployment during biannual parliamentary meetings. However, in May 2006 the Danish parliament voted to extend the Danish military force in Iraq for a full year until July 2007. The Danish government repeatedly guaranteed that its forces would remain as long as the Iraqi government requested. In early 2006, the Iraqi insurgency released a statement calling for more attacks on the Danish army in the retaliation to Danish cartoon controversy.^[24]
• Image:Flag of El Salvador.svg El Salvador - 380 troops from the 'Cuscatlan Battalion' under Polish command (Central South Iraq). El Salvador has lost five soldiers in Iraq, four in hostile incidents and one in an accident.
• Image:Flag of Georgia (bordered).svg Georgia - 300 infantrymen under U.S. command in Baqouba. In June 2004, three soldiers were wounded in an attack on a U.S. base, and in November 2005, four were wounded in a bombing. 550 more forces were deployed in June 2005 for UNAMI. On March 9, 2007, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili announced his nation's plans to increase total Georgian troop strength in Iraq to 2000 soon.^[25]
• Image:Flag of Bulgaria (bordered).svg Bulgaria - There are currently 120 Bulgarian troops guarding Camp Ashraf in Iraq^[12] with 35 support personnel. This deployment was approved by the Bulgarian parliament on January 17, 2007.^[26]Bulgaria withdrew its original contribution of about 400 soldiers in 2005, their objective had been guarding the city center of Diwaniyah, 13 of whom died: 7 in hostile circumstances, 5 in accidents, while one was shot dead by a U.S. soldier.
• Image:Flag of Azerbaijan.svg Azerbaijan - 150 troops under U.S. command at the city of Hadid, in the far north of Iraq. They provide security for the local Turkmen population and guard important sites, including a dam.
• Image:Flag of Mongolia.svg Mongolia - 100 infantrymen (previously 160) in a company known as the 'Peacekeeping Operations Battalion' under Polish command.^[12]
• Image:Flag of Latvia.svg Latvia - 125 troops under Polish command (Central South Iraq). Latvia lost three soldiers in Iraq due to insurgent attacks.
• Image:Flag of Albania.svg Albania - 120 non-combat troops under U.S. command, stationed at Mosul airport.

100 or fewer soldiers

• Image:Flag of the Czech Republic (bordered).svg Czech Republic - 100 troops under British command (South-East Iraq).^[12] (Reduced from about 300 troops and 3 civilians running a field hospital, first deployed in late 2003) After 2006, the goal changed from training Iraqi police to guarding Shaibah logistics base.
• Image:Flag of Lithuania.svg Lithuania - 53 troops under Danish command (Central South Iraq).^[12] The Lithuanian government has declared its intention to stay until August 2007.
• Image:Flag of Armenia.svg Armenia deployed a unit of 46 medics, engineers and logistics personnel under Polish command. On December 5 2005, the Armenian government declared its intention to stay in Iraq for another year,^[27], and did the same on December 6 2006^[28]
• Image:Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg Bosnia and Herzegovina deployed a unit of 37 men to destroy munitions and clear mines as of June 2005, in addition to 6 command personnel.
• Image:Flag of Estonia (bordered).svg Estonia - 35 infantry troops known as the 'EstPla-11' unit under U.S. command in Baghdad. Two soldiers were killed in Iraq in separate insurgent attacks.
• Image:Flag of Macedonia.svg Republic of Macedonia - 33 special forces soldiers under U.S. command somewhere in the center of Iraq.
• Image:Flag of Kazakhstan.svg Kazakhstan - 29 military engineers under Polish command. One was killed (09/01/2005) along with eight Ukrainians when a pile of booby-trapped munitions was detonated by insurgents.
• Image:Flag of Moldova.svg Moldova - 12 de-mining specialists on July 15 2004, reported that Moldova had quietly halved its contingent from 24 to 12. It was widely believed that Moldova withdrew these remaining troops in February 2005, but they were replaced by a fresh contingent. A third rotation took place in February 2006.

United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI)

• Image:Flag of Georgia (bordered).svg Georgia - 550 soldiers from the 'Shavnabada Battalion' were assigned to perform UN protection duties (separate from 300 Coalition troops). However, they were placed under U.S. command in a "Middle Ring Security" mission in the Green Zone. One soldier was severely injured in May 2005 in an IED attack on an American convoy, and treated at Walter Reed hospital in the United States.
• Image:Flag of Fiji.svg Fiji - 168 Fijian troops protecting UN buildings and staff in and around the Green Zone as of August 2006. In early April 2007, it was reported that an additional 15 troops would be sent on the 25th of that month, with the remainder (number unspecified) to arrive during May.[6] In response to an 'urgent request' by the UN, Fiji sent an additional 34 soldiers on August 30 2006 to complement its existing 134.^[29] As many as 300 had been in Baghdad during the January 2006 elections. ABC News reported on the October 20, 2004, that the contingent (trained, equipped and transported to Iraq by Australia) would be deployed the following month. A Fijian soldier died of a suspected heart attack on March 16, 2006. According to a BBC Monitoring report, the Republic of Fiji Military Forces had abandoned plans to deploy a battalion to Iraq under the Coalition, for financial reasons.
• Image:Flag of Romania.svg Romania - 130 blue-helmets performing UN protection duties in addition to 600 Coalition soldiers under British command.
• Image:Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark - 35 troops under UNAMI and NATO in addition to 460 Coalition soldiers under British command.

NATO-Sponsored Training of the Iraqi Police Force (NTM-1)

• Image:Flag of Slovenia (bordered).svg Slovenia - In March 2006, Slovenia deployed 4 officers and an unspecified number of subordinate troops to a fortified compound in Rustamiyah, Baghdad to assist in the training of Iraqi police. The troops will ostensibly stay for six months, and are the first Slovenian soldiers that have been sent to the country.^[30]
• Image:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands - Currently there are 15 Dutch soldiers in Iraq, training police as part of a NATO mission.^[31] An independent contingent of 1,345 troops (including 650 Dutch Marines, three or four Chinook helicopters, a military police unit, a logistics team, a commando squad, a field hospital and Royal Netherlands Air Force AH-64 attack helicopters in support) was deployed to Iraq in 2003, based in Samawah (Southern Iraq). On June 1 2004, the Dutch government renewed their stay through 2005. The Algemeen Dagblad reported on October 21 2004, that the Netherlands would pull its troops out of Iraq in March 2005, which it did, leaving half a dozen liaison officers until late 2005. The Dutch Government reportedly turned down an Iraqi Government request to extend the Dutch contingent for another year. The Netherlands lost two soldiers in separate attacks.
• Image:Flag of Slovakia (bordered).svg Slovakia - 11 Slovak officers remain in Iraq to help train the Iraqi armed forces.[7]. On January 27 2007, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced that all but 11 of the 110 Slovak troops (primarily engaged in destroying ordnance) operating under the US-led Coalition had been transferred from Diwaniya in Iraq to Kuwait, arriving home in February. Four Slovak soldiers were killed by mortars and roadside bombs during their deployment in Iraq.

Nations no longer participating in ground operations

2006 withdrawals

•  Canada - Canada disclosed that there have been Canadian military liaison personnel "embedded in American and coalition forces since the beginning of the conflict."^[32] In addition, an undisclosed number of JTF2 operators were deployed to Iraq temporarily, working closely with U.S. and British special forces to carry out the rescue of the Christian Peacemaker Hostages.^[33] The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Canadian Security Intelligence Service were also involved in that operation.^[34] The Canadian government was criticized by opposition parties for the participation of less than ten navy personnel participating in Iraq on a NATO exchange.^{[citation needed]}

•  Japan - The last 280 of the original 600 medics and engineers based in Samawah (Southern Iraq) had been withdrawn by July 25, 2006, arriving home in Tokyo in the early morning.^[35] The reconstruction mission in Samawa had limited the troops' activities to "non-combat zones". Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Cabinet decided on December 8 2005 to allow its 600 troops to stay for another year,^[36] despite a poll by the Asahi newspaper which found that 69% of respondents were against renewing the mandate, up from 55% in January. Despite the apparent year-long extension of the mandate, PM Koizumi announced on June 20 2006 that the Japanese contingent would be withdrawn within 'several dozen days',^[37] citing the completion of the Japanese mission in Samawah. However, he suggested expanding airborne logistical support from southern parts of the country to Baghdad in place of the ground force. Three Japanese hostages were captured in Iraq in early 2004 but were released unharmed a week later. Later, in a statement released in July 2004, Al Zarqawi released a statement threatening Japan, Poland and Bulgaria over their troop deployments. He demanded the Japanese government to 'do what the Philippines have done' and withdraw its troops, and said that 'lines of cars laden with explosives are awaiting you' if his demands were not met. Mortars and rockets have been lobbed at the Japanese camp several times, causing no damage or injuries.

•  Italy - On September 21, 2006, Italian forces handed over Dhi Qar province in southern Iraq to newly-trained Iraqi security forces, thus ending their military mission: "The Italian contingent is going back. The mission is accomplished — the security of the province is in your hands", Minister of Defence Arturo Parisi said to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.^[38] About a month earlier, on August 23, the Italian contingent stood at 1,600 troops. The 'Garibaldi Brigade' served its final four month tour of duty between May and September 2006, and included mechanized infantry, helicopters and Carabinieri in South Central Iraq, based around Nasiriyah. The original contingent consisted of about 3,200 troops, but on July 9 2005, former PM Berlusconi announced that Italian soldiers would gradually be withdrawn in groups of 300. New Prime Minister Romano Prodi had pledged to withdraw the troops in his first speech to the senate and called the war "a grave mistake that has complicated rather than solved the problem of security".^[39][40] Shortly after, on May 26 2006, Italian foreign minister Massimo D'Alema announced that the Italian forces would be reduced from 1,800 to 1,600 by June. On June 8, he said Italy's military presence in Iraq would end before 2007.^[41] The Italian forces have lost 33 soldiers in Iraq. 25 were hostile deaths: Two in separate engagements, six in various roadside bombings, 17 in a late 2003 suicide bombing on the Italian HQ in Nasiriyah (which also killed at least two Italian civilians), eight were accidents and one, a ranking major general, was a controversial friendly fire incident. Italy has another 84 troops stationed on bases in the Persian Gulf. Recently, A-129 Mangusta attack helicopters and more Dardo tracked IFVs have been sent to Iraq.

• Image:Flag of Norway.svg Norway - 140 of 150 troops (engineers and mine clearers) withdrawn on June 30, 2004 citing growing domestic opposition and the need for the troops elsewhere; the ten remaining liaison officers had been withdrawn by August 2006. The Bondevik II government insists the troops were never part of the invasion force, citing a UN humanitarian mandate. This does not seem to have come to the attention of the international community, as Al-Qaeda has included Norway in videotaped threats on at least two occasions, and U.S. organizations have included Norway on their lists of participating nations. The actual status of Norwegian engineering and administrative personnel past and present are still a matter of domestic controversy, in part because troops serving in a war zone are entitled to better pay.

2005 withdrawals

•  Portugal - had 128 military policemen under Italian command (South East Iraq). Troops were withdrawn on February 10 2005, two days ahead of schedule.
• Image:Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine - As of December 22, 2005, all remaining Ukrainian troops crossed the Iraqi border into Kuwait and arrived home in the Ukraine by December 30. This fulfills a long-planned withdrawal pledged by President Viktor Yushchenko who was sworn in on the January 23, 2005, and executes a ruling by the Ukrainian legislative body, the Verkhovna Rada, which passed a motion for the withdrawal of all troops. An independent contingent originally consisting of 1,650 mechanized infantry troops in Kut (South Central Iraq), had been slashed to around 900 between March 15 and May 15,