Iraq

On March 19, 2003, military forces led by the United States invaded Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein from power. A U.S. Disaster Assistance Response Team simultaneously deployed to the region to assess and coordinate humanitarian relief, emergency reconstruction, and civil administration efforts. After limited air strikes and ground force operations, President George W. Bush declared major combat operations over on May 1, 2003. The U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) took over as the official interim governing body until June 28, 2004, when it transferred sovereignty back to Iraq. The reconstruction effort followed more than two decades of conflict and international