Women in the Iraq War

The Iraq War is also known as the Second Gulf War and is a continuation of the conflict that happened just a decade earlier. The Iraq War began in 2003 and lasted until 2011. The United States invaded the country to overthrow the government under Saddam Hussein and his connection to the 9/11 attacks against the United States. The United States government gave President Bush permission to mobilize troops against Iraqi forces and the war officially began in 2003. The United States were supported by their allies in the UK, Australia, and Poland and completed a bombing campaign. After this campaign ended, a ground invasion was launched. In 2003 Hussein was captured and in 2006 he was executed. After the death of Saddam Hussein, there was a power vacuum in Iraq, which led to further instability in the country. The United States mobilized more troops in 2007 to help stabilize the country. Just a year later in 2008 there was an order for the withdrawal of troops from the country. The last American troops left Iraq in 2011, ending the conflict.

During the Iraq War, almost 300,000 American women served in the military, including major operations such as Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Women also worked in intelligence gathering and medical roles. In Iraq, there were battalions of women Marines called "Lioness Teams" that worked to engage and include Iraqi women, though some of their roles were limited by legal restrictions.