Modern wars · 2003 to 2011
Iraq War
Launched over weapons of mass destruction that were never found. Saddam was executed in 2006, and the insurgency that followed gave rise to ISIS.
Key facts
- When
- 2003 to 2011
- Where
- Iraq
- Sides
- US-led coalition vs Iraq
- Result
- Saddam Hussein overthrown
- Type
- Modern wars
- Chapter
- 7. The Modern Muslim World
The wider picture: Nation states and modern wars
Most Muslim lands won independence between the 1920s and the 1960s. Since then the region has seen more war than almost anywhere else: Israel's wars with its neighbours, two Afghan wars, the Iran Iraq war, American wars in Iraq, civil wars in Syria and Yemen, and in 2026 a war on Iran.
More modern wars battles
- Gulf War1990 to 1991
- Kargil War1999
- US War in Afghanistan2001 to 2021
- Syrian Civil War2011 to 2024
- ISIS and the Battle of Mosul2014 to 2017
- Yemen War2015 to today
- Gaza War2023 to 2025
- India-Pakistan Conflict of 20252025
All 18 modern wars in the muslim world battles · Battle explorer
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