War in Iraq

Iraq has run into problems with other countries since the 1980's. There was the

Iran-Iraq War in 1980. Later on there was a Gulf War, which involved Iraq. After the

Gulf War Iraq was sanctioned and they have not been lifted to this day. In the 1990's

they were not supposed to have nuclear weapons and they were supposed to have U.N.

inspectors come in and check. They wouldn't let our inspectors in. Still in 2002 they

will not let our inspectors in and this may cause the start of World War III.

Conflict between two branches of Islam epitomized itself in the Iran-Iraq War,

which is also known as the Crusader War. The Iran-Iraq War began on September 22,

1980, and lasted more than 8 years and cost hundreds of thousands of lives and untold

property damage. Saddam attacked Iran as soon as he came into full dictatorship.

Carlos Cardoen meets with Iraqi Leader Saddam Huss...

Iranian Martyr Cemetery in Yazd.

Iraqi 25-dinar note, as with the Battle of al-Qād...

Saddam Hussein decided to attack Iran for a number of reasons. Saddam feared the

effect fundamentalism would have on the Shi'ite majority of his country. Iraq and Iran

had had longstanding border disputes. Saddam also believed that the anarchy gripping

Iran, especially within the armed forces, made this an especially propitious moment to

attack. Iraq initiated hostilities on September 2, when it sent troops into Iran near Qasr-e-

Shirin, that it escalated the conflict on September 17 by renouncing a border treaty with

Iran. Saddam used chemical weapons against the Iranians. Arab and western nations

ended up getting involved. Iran had been supported by Syria and Libya, and received

much of its weaponry from North Korea and China, as well as from covert arms

transactions from the United States. Iraq got most of its support from Arab and Western

Nations. Iraq's largest supply of weapons was the Soviet Union. Iraq...