Earlier posts leading up to the anniversary date, 19 March 2003 - 2013, can be found here, here and here.
17 March 2013 - The lies of two Iraqi spies were central to the claim - at the heart of the UK and US decision to go to war in Iraq - that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. But even before the fighting started, intelligence from highly-placed sources was available suggesting he did not, Panorama has learned.
Six months before the invasion, the then Prime Minister Tony Blair warned the country about the threat posed by Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
"The programme is not shut down," he said. "It is up and running now." Mr Blair used the intelligence on WMD to justify the war.
That same day, 24 September 2002, the government published its controversial dossier on the former Iraqi leader's WMD. read more>>>
Key intelligence used to justify the invasion of Iraq ten years ago was based on "fabrication" and "wishful thinking", a documentary is to claim.
Soldiers from the Kings own Scottish Borderers patrolling a camel train near the Tigres river outside Al Amara in Northern Iraq in 2003. Photo: PA
17 Mar 2013 - The US and UK are accused of relying on questionable information that suggested Saddam Hussein was manufacturing weapons of mass destruction (WMD), despite warnings over its authenticity.
At the same time, other foreign intelligence that suggested no such programme existed was dismissed, according to a BBC Panorama investigation.
One Iraqi spy – codenamed "Curveball" – whose claims to have witnessed the manufacture of WMD were seized upon by the Americans told the programme the invasion had been based on his "lie". read more>>>
March 19 – April 12, 2013: Photographer Franco Pagetti arrived in Iraq three months before the American bombs fell on March 19, 2003. Photographing under the watchful eye of Saddam’s minders and secret police proved to be easier than what followed. Journalists would soon need the protection of armed men and a chase car and, by 2005, even that become prohibitive. Violence spiraled out of control with daily bombings and kidnapping threats. The only way to cover the story was to be surrounded by even more men with guns, that is, to be embedded with the American military. Amidst these risks, Pagetti continued to return through 2008 and became one of the few western journalists to cover the changing tides of the war. Looking back, he compares his time in Iraq to, “watching the sea and following a wave, going up and down, up and down.” read more>>>
19 Mar 2013 - A decade after the invasion of Iraq by US led forces, calls are still being made for an independent inquiry into Australia's role in the conflict.
And a human rights organisation is also calling for investigations into abuses that it says continue to this day.
Ten years ago, this month, the United States and its allies invaded Iraq.
"At this hour American and Coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from great danger. On my orders coalition forces have begun striking selected targets of military importance to undermine Saddam Hussein's ability to wage war."
The initial ferocious air strike - under the military doctrine of shock and awe - was the start of what the Americans dubbed Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The following day, on the 20th of March 2003, ground forces invaded Iraq. read more>>>
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Mar 18, 2013 - A former director at Australia's key intelligence organisation is warning today that unless there is a full inquiry into why Australians went to war in Iraq, this country is at risk of heading into an unnecessary war in Iran or North Korea. Rod Barton, a former UN weapons inspector and former director at the Defence Intelligence Organisation, joins The World Today.
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19 March 2013 - When the administration of President George W. Bush planned the invasion of Iraq, hopes ran high that the massive deployment of troops and money wouldn’t just result in the toppling of Saddam Hussein: The United States would help create a country that stood as an example to others.
Ten years ago Tuesday, Bush announced military operations "to disarm Iraq, to free its people and to defend the world from grave danger." He warned that the coalition campaign "could be longer and more difficult than some predict," but vowed to give the Iraqis a "united, stable and free country."
In a speech only weeks earlier, the president had stressed that "a liberated Iraq can show the power of freedom to transform that vital region, by bringing hope and progress into the lives of millions." read more>>>
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24 November 2009 - Even before Bush's administration came to power an article written by his then national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, warned that "nothing will change" in Iraq until Saddam was gone27 November 2009 - But there was a 'sea change' in attitude after the atrocities, with former national security adviser Condoleezza Rice targeting Iraq on the very day of the outrage.
1 December 2009 - There was "a touching belief [in Washington] that we shouldn't worry so much about the aftermath because it was all going to be sweetness and light".
And more, we still have nothing on what went on behind closed doors and may or may not with the final report, if and when it's released.
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