Esta es una lista de operaciones militares de la coalición de la Guerra de Irak , llevadas a cabo por la Fuerza Multinacional Irak . La lista cubre operaciones desde 2003 hasta diciembre de 2011. Para operaciones posteriores, véase Intervención liderada por Estados Unidos en Irak (2014-presente) .
Aunque la guerra inicial duró sólo 21 días, la coalición pronto se encontró luchando contra fuerzas insurgentes. Una vez finalizado el conflicto inicial, las tropas de la coalición iniciaron operaciones de contrainsurgencia, humanitarias, de seguridad y de otros tipos para estabilizar el país.
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Durante los primeros años de la ocupación, una serie de errores humanitarios, tácticos y políticos de los planificadores de la coalición, en particular de Estados Unidos y el Reino Unido, que fueron ampliamente citados, condujeron a una creciente resistencia armada, generalmente llamada "insurgencia iraquí" (como se refieren a ella los principales medios de comunicación y los gobiernos de coalición). Se cree que las fuerzas antiocupación/anticoalición están compuestas predominantemente, aunque no exclusivamente, por árabes musulmanes sunitas iraquíes, además de algunos combatientes árabes y musulmanes extranjeros, algunos de estos últimos vinculados a Al Qaeda. Varios miembros menores de la coalición se han retirado de Irak; esto ha sido considerado ampliamente como un éxito político para las fuerzas antiocupación.
A pesar de ello, a principios de 2004 se produjo una reducción de la violencia en todo Irak gracias a la reorganización de las fuerzas insurgentes. Durante ese tiempo se estudiaron las tácticas utilizadas por las fuerzas de la coalición y la insurgencia empezó a planificar una nueva estrategia. Sin embargo, la calma no duró mucho y, una vez que la insurgencia recuperó el equilibrio, los ataques se reanudaron y aumentaron. Durante el resto de 2004 y hasta el día de hoy, la insurgencia ha empleado los atentados con bombas como su principal medio de lucha contra las fuerzas de la coalición. Esto ha provocado la muerte de cientos de civiles y policías iraquíes, además de las fuerzas de la coalición contra las que luchaban. Muchos murieron en una serie de atentados masivos contra mezquitas y santuarios en todo Irak. Los atentados indicaban que, a medida que la relevancia de Saddam Hussein y sus seguidores disminuía, los islamistas radicales, tanto extranjeros como iraquíes, estaban aumentando para ocupar su lugar. Se estaba haciendo evidente una insurgencia suní organizada, con raíces profundas y motivaciones tanto nacionalistas como islamistas. El Ejército del Mahdi también comenzó a lanzar ataques contra objetivos de la coalición y a arrebatar el control a las fuerzas de seguridad iraquíes. En las partes sur y central de Irak comenzaron a estallar combates de guerrilla urbana mientras las fuerzas de la coalición intentaban mantener el control y se preparaban para una contraofensiva.
En respuesta a los ataques de los insurgentes, las fuerzas de la coalición se centraron en la persecución de los líderes restantes del antiguo régimen, lo que culminó con la muerte a tiros de los dos hijos de Saddam en julio. En total, más de 200 altos dirigentes del antiguo régimen fueron asesinados o capturados, así como sus partidarios y personal militar durante el verano de 2004.
Coalition and Iraqi government forces continue to battle Iraqi militants and other fighters. During early and mid-May 2005, the U.S. also launched Operation Matador, an assault by around 1,000 Marines in the ungoverned region of western Iraq. Coalition and Iraqi soldiers, Iraqi fighters and civilians have been killed in these conflicts. As of late July 2007, nearly 3,700 U.S. soldiers have been killed, and around ten times this many have been wounded. The number of Iraqi citizens who have fallen victim to the fighting has risen. The Iraqi government, with some holdovers from the CPA, engaged in securing control of the oil infrastructure (a source of Iraq's foreign currency) and control of the major cities of Iraq. The insurgency, the developing the New Iraqi Army, disorganized police and security forces, as well as a lack of revenue have hampered efforts to assert control. In addition, former Baathist elements and militant Shia groups have engaged in sabotage, terrorism, open rebellion, and establishing their own security zones in all or part of a dozen cities. The Allawi government vowed to crush the insurgency.
An election for a government to draft a permanent constitution took place during this time (ed. see Politics of Iraq for more information on the political state of Iraq). Although some violence and lack of widespread Sunni participation marred the event, much of the eligible Kurd and Shia populace participated. Sectarian violence has also been prominent part of the militant and guerrilla activity. Targets here where often Shia gatherings or civilian concentrations mainly of Shias. As a result, over 700 Iraqi civilians died in the month.
The beginning of 2006 was marked by government creation talks, growing sectarian violence, and continuous anti-coalition attacks. Sectarian violence expanded to a new level of intensity following the al-Askari Mosque bombing in the Iraqi city of Samarra, on 22 February 2006. The explosion at the mosque, one of the holiest sites in Shi'a Islam, is believed to have been caused by a bomb planted by Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Although no injuries occurred in the blast, the mosque was severely damaged and the bombing resulted in violence over the following days.
As of 20 October the U.S military announced that Operation Together Forward had failed to stem the tide of violence in Baghdad, and Shiite militants under al-Sadr seized several southern Iraq cities.[17]
On 23 November, the deadliest attack since the beginning of the Iraq war occurred. Suspected Sunni-Arab militants used five suicide car bombs and two mortar rounds on the capital's Shiite Sadr City slum to kill at least 215 people and wound 257. Shiite mortar teams quickly retaliated, firing 10 shells at Sunni Islam's most important shrine in Baghdad, badly damaging the Abu Hanifa mosque and killing one person. Eight more rounds slammed down near the offices of the Association of Muslim Scholars, the top Sunni Muslim organisation in Iraq, setting nearby houses on fire. Two other mortar barrages on Sunni neighborhoods in west Baghdad killed nine and wounded 21, police said.[18]
After capture in December 2003, Saddam Hussein was hanged on 30 December 2006, after being found guilty of crimes against humanity by an Iraqi court.[19]
2007 saw a rise in humanitarian and peacekeeping operations as well as a large "surge" in US forces designed to help stabilize the region.
On 10 January 2007, President Bush announced changes in the administration's political and military strategy in the Iraq War during a television speech broadcast. The speech and underlying strategy had been crafted under the working title "The New Way Forward." In the address Bush stated "America will change our strategy to help the Iraqis carry out their campaign to put down sectarian violence and bring security to the people of Baghdad. This will require increasing American force levels. So I've committed more than 20,000 additional American troops to Iraq. The vast majority of them—five brigades—will be deployed to Baghdad."
As part of this new strategy, 2007 saw several major military operations aimed at eliminating insurgent activities, increase support services such as medical facilities and utilities and the training of Iraqi citizens as police or military personnel.
The largest of these new operations were Operations Law and Order, Phantom Thunder and Phantom Strike.
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