The Bush Administration has consistently treated the Iraq War as a front in the War on Terror.
PACAF (Pacific Air Forces)
Coalition Forces preparing to assault suspected terrorist occupied building
Iraq War and War on Terror
Iraq had no connection to Al Qaeda, and did not pose a terrorist threat in 2003. However, the conflict has drawn Al Qaeda and other jihadist groups. Whether or not the invasion was justified, Iraq is now a front on the war on terror. Read more:
Terrorist Groups in Iraq
The most egregious terrorist acts in Iraq were Saddam Hussein's against his own citizens. The former dictator also provided haven to the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) and the (now defunct) Palestinian Abu Nidal organization. The secular Hussein did not support Al Qaeda.
Al Qaeda and Sunni Insurgents
A Sunni insurgency in Iraq developed within months of the American declaration of victory in 2003. The insurgency was composed of secular Iraqi nationalists who were angry over their loss of power. At the same time, foreign jihadists also began arriving. The two groups have different goals: Insurgents want Americans out of Iraq so they can govern the country.Jihadists want to establish Iraq as one part of a region-wide movement to establish Islamist governments. Read more:
President Bush and Iraq
President George W. Bush will always be remembered as the Iraq War's strongest advocate.
Troops in Iraq
The number of troops required in Iraq has been a controversial issue. In early 2007, the Democratic Congress and President Bush battled over legislation mandating the withdrawal of combat troops within the year. Read more:
Turkey, Iraq and Kurdish terrorism
The Kurds, a non-Arab ethnic minority, live around the shared borders of Iraq and Turkey. Kurdish rebels have sustained a low level guerrilla war against Turkey for many years. Turkey complains that the Kurdish Worker's Party (the PKK) uses northern Iraq as a staging ground for attacks in Turkey, and wants Iraq to shut down the PKK. Read more: