10-Year Iraq War Timeline

March 19, 2013 -- intro: On the 10-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, here's a look back at pivotal moments of the war, from the capture of former Iraq leader Saddam Hussein to the prison scandal of Abu Ghraib.

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quicklist:1title: Congress Authorizes Iraq War category: Oct. 2, 2002text: On Oct. 2, President George W. Bush announced the introduction of the Joint Resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq. Congress came to an agreement on U.S. involvement in Iraq later that month and Bush signed the bill Oct. 16. This bill ultimately gave Bush the authorization to use force as he deemed necessary.

See More: Storify: A Look Back On The Iraq War

"In Baghdad, the regime will note that full compliance with all U.N. security demands is the only choice," Bush read in the Rose Garden after Congress's decision. "And the time remaining for that choice is limited."

What ensued was a nine-year combat engagement that cost more than 4,400 U.S. lives and more than $728.4. billion in direct appropriations.

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quicklist:2title: Combat Beginscategory: March 19, 2003text: President Bush announces the United States will invade Iraq. Military strikes began against targeted members of Saddam Hussein's regime. Two days earlier, Bush issued an ultimatum to Hussein to step down as leader of the country, but the deadline for Hussein to step down came and went.

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quicklist: 3title: Saddam Hussein Iraq Airport Overtakencategory: April 3, 2003text: The U.S. troops faced almost no military opposition as they took over the Saddam International Airport. The U.S. military's strategy for taking over Baghdad was to isolate it from the rest of the country.

ABC News anchor Peter Jennings called it a "tremendous psychological impact" on the Iraqi psyche and regime.

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quicklist:4title: Hussein's Regime Toppledcategory: April 9, 2003text: With the symbolic toppling of a statue of Hussein came the toppling of an era in Iraq. Saddam Hussein's regime officially collapsed in April 2003 as the U.S. military and its allies gained control of certain areas in Iraq's capital after days of fighting.

Troops were greeted by smiling and waving citizens who thanked the U.S. government for fighting against Hussein's regime.

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quicklist:5title: George W. Bush Says 'Mission Accomplished'category: May 1, 2003text: Bush lands on the USS Abraham Lincoln and states that the mission in Iraq has been accomplished as "major combat operations in Iraq have ended." He said U.S. allies and troops had prevailed but did not say that the United States had yet won the war.

But the battles continued. A grenade attack wounded seven U.S. soldiers in Fallujah earlier in the week Bush announced the end to major combat operations.

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quicklist: 6title: Saddam Hussein Capturedcategory: Dec. 14, 2003

text: After nine months of hiding, Saddam Hussein was captured by the United States in a "spider hole" next to a farmhouse 15 miles from his hometown of Tikrit. Hussein reportedly surrendered without a fight. Iraqi citizens celebrated in streets across the country. There were no shots fired or injuries sustained during the capture. About $750,000 and two AK-47 rifles were found on the scene. Hussein was later taken into custody and given medical attention but was described as "disoriented" and "haggard."

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