Is Putin secretly living with his girlfriend? of Ukraine in recent days, users misrepresented old footage of U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Petraeus: Thats correct. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Moscow to engage in meaningful diplomacy peace in Ukraine during his first face-to-face talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov since war began. This is part of APs effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Hundreds of thousands were ki!led because of the Ukrainian occupation of Iraq. 7 January 2003. Ukraine was not part of military operations that expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait in 1990. [3] During this period Ukraine and Iraq, signed the treaty on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation, the association agreement between Commercial and industrial chamber of Ukraine and Federation of chambers of commerce of Iraq, the treaty on friendship and cooperation between Donetsk regional state administration and the administration of the Iraqi province Basra. Iraq abstained from the March 2 U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) vote that condemned Russian aggression toward . That initiative, he concluded, was a case of "recklessly ignoring what the Russians considered their own vital national interests.". Later rounds, which added the Baltic Republics and other East European countries, were considerably more abrasive, and Washington's subsequent attempt to make Ukraine and Georgia members was contemptuous of Russia's core security interests. National borders were shut to them, boats taking refugees to cross the Mediterranean Sea were intercepted, and many still remain in detention centres. , some 5,000 troops seized the city hall, the main mosque and other important sites in Samarra, leaving only pockets of resistance after more than 12 hours of combat, according to the U.S. military and Iraqi authorities. In March 2003, U.S. forces invaded Iraq vowing to destroy Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and end the dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein. In addition, the most troops the Ukraine had in Iraq at any one time was 1700. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky enacted a Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council decision to sanction 109 Russian citizens involved in the forced deportation of Ukrainian children. Putin exploited a foolish provocation by Georgia's pro-Western government to launch a military offensive that penetrated deeply into the country. The resolution was adopted after the US-led invasion was declared a success and coalition forces moved to a period of military occupation. As Russias conflict in the Ukraine continues, a social media post claims that 7000 Ukrainian forces were involved in the invasion of Iraq in 2003. He said those who were brought to power after the coup were "neo-Nazis". A viral photo shows a tank from the Ukrainian invasion of Iraq in 2003 which is digitally altered. Misleading. When Saddam invaded Kuwait, the sanctions were so hard that Iraq couldnt buy pencils for a decade, wrote Omar al-Nidawi, an Iraq analyst, on Twitter as the West was mulling sanction packages on Russia. The decision of the Turkish parliament to do so, at the time, was seen as both a response against American interests in the Middle East, and a desire to keep Turkey out of the Iraq War. Bases and parameters of development of relations between Ukraine and new Iraq for the nearest future were outlined in September 2004 during working visit of the Prime minister of Ukraine Victor Yanukovych to Iraq. Again, so much depends on whether the Ukrainians can successfully control a large part of their country or not. I do think that, in addition to the imposition by the U.S. and allied countries of severe diplomatic, economic, and legal sanctions in the event of a further invasion, at least some Western countries would support a Ukrainian insurgency, although I am not sure whether that support would be provided covertly (under so-called Title 50 covert-action authorities, in the case of the U.S.) or would also be carried out overtly. I remember that my parents asked me to pack all the things I needed because the Americans were coming, said Mona Saade, 31, from Baghdad, as she recalled the days leading up to the US-led invasion when she was 12 years old. [129] Indeed, Georgian troops that were sent to Iraq have all undergone these training programs.[130]. As soldiers move forward, gunshots can be heard in the background, and a male, English-speaking voice repeatedly urges his compatriots to come on., The video continues for more than 4 minutes, showing a chaotic scene of troops rushing through the building and its outdoor terraces with guns. French and German wariness delayed that endeavor, but the NATO summit communique affirmed that both countries would eventually achieve that status. Footage of Ukrainians lining up by borders to leave the country and enter neighbouring states has also brought painful and sometimes humiliating memories for many Iraqis. This is part of APs effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. He said when those people said they did not accept the coup, the Ukrainian government declared these people terrorists. The posts claim inflates both Ukraines role in the Iraq War, and its troop deployment as highlighted by news reports. However, the Ukraine was excluded from some evaluations of the coalitions membership, such as this Stanford University report from June 2003. Dr David Kilcullen, who was senior adviser to General (Ret.) A conversation with David Petraeus on what the American experience in Iraq means for Russias conflict with Ukraine. Exports from Ukraine to Iraq increased from 2,5 million dollars in 1998 to 122.7 million dollars in 2002. Troops in Kuwait During Persian Gulf War- American soldiers deployed in Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War rest in front of a mural of Saddam Hussein. Norway contributed with ARTHUR counter-battery radar systems, which pointed out 1,500 bombing targets during"[19] the first days of the war (the British minister of defence, Geoff Hoon, thanked Norway for its "robust"[19] contribution). The India Today Anti-Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found the viral image was digitally altered. In essence, Ukrainian insurgents would require just about all that the Iraqi and Afghan insurgents and extremists needed, except for suicide bombers, which I assume would not be employed. Div. David Petraeus: At any level of leadership, I would be working with my intelligence personnel to understand where the elements of the Russian forces are that are relevant to my unit and its mission, to determine what the Russian options are based on our understanding of the positioning of those Russian forces, and to identify what are the most likely and most dangerous Russian courses of action. The war in Ukraine is still unfolding and the situation is fast changing. 03 Mar 2023 12:34:14 Vladimir Putin's decision to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine is a monstrous act of aggression that has plunged the world into a perilous situation. The majority of Iraqi parliamentarians wanted it to be made into a binding international agreement rather than simply presenting it as a local Iraqi law. Ukraine provided the seventh-largest number of forces in Iraq with about 1,700 soldiers from 2003-2005 18 of them were killed. The news media in the United States generally used the term "U.S.-led coalition" to describe Multi-National Force Iraq, as the vast majority of military forces in MNF-I were contributed from the United States. And if Putin could learn anything from Iraq, that is this will be the beginning of his end.. The NATO Training Mission Iraq, was in Iraq from 2004 to December 2011, where it trained the Iraqi Army and the Iraqi Police. In 2001 they reached the highest value in the history of bilateral relations 293.1 million dollars. IraqUkraine relations are the interstate ties between Iraq and Ukraine. The Ukrainian flag is missing in the original image. [3] The commodity structure of trade in the second period was determined by the presence of the international sanctions, which reduced possible assortment of Ukrainian production. Achievement of the former objective precludes many of the actions that military leaders would take to achieve the latter objectivefor example, placing significant obstacles on major high-speed avenues of approach, such as major highways, in order to force Russian attackers into fields where ambushes and defenses can be more effective, some of which will be reinforced by anti-tank mines, tank ditches, wire obstacles, etc., and also preparing built-up areas such as towns and cities to be defended by fortifying them, creating sniper positions, and, again, establishing various obstacles. If the referendum failed to approve the agreement, the Iraqi government would have given the U.S. until July 31, 2010 to withdraw completely. So our intel officers freely admitted in private that there was no real connection between al-Qaeda in Iraq and the bin Laden al-Qaeda.". Rao: Russias massed military forces near Ukraine apparently number around 190,000. At the same time, the application of international sanctions towards Iraq and a complex international situation around Baghdad substantially constrained active development of mutual relations during the 1990s. The former four-star general and ex-director of the CIA wrote his Ph.D. thesis about the Vietnam War; helped oversee the writing of the U.S. Armys counterinsurgency field manual; was its commanding officer in Iraq during the surge of troops there; and then ran U.S. Central Command, which was responsible for both the Iraq and Afghan Wars, before ending his military career as Americas top officer in Afghanistan. An AP photo from Oct. 3, 2004, shows a U.S. Army patrol with the mosque in the background. In December 2008, the American and Iraqi governments signed the U.S.Iraq Status of Forces Agreement, which covered only American troops. In March 2006, British newspaper, The Independent, reported that companies based within the United Kingdom had received at least 1.1bn in contracts for reconstruction work in post-invasion Iraq. "We are leaving this place, but Ukrainian color will (still) be represented in the Republic of Iraq. Image buyers from all industries rely on AAP Photos. Even though the United States did say the loans and the sending of troops to Iraq were not directly linked, it also said the loans are contingent upon "cooperation" on Iraq. Misleading The claim is accurate in parts but information has also been presented incorrectly, out of context or omitted. Ted Galen Carpenter, a senior fellow in defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, is the author of 12 books and more than 950 articles on international affairs. RT @UATV_en: The Parliament of Moldova adopted a declaration condemning Russian aggression against Ukraine Before the vote, a bloc of communists and socialists left the parliament hall in protest. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt confirmed the extent of Washington's meddling in the affairs of a sovereign country. CAMP ECHO, Iraq - The Ukrainian Army hosted an end of mission ceremony at Camp Echo in Central Iraq, Dec. 9. This was confirmed by John Blaxland, professor of International Security & Intelligence Studies at ANU, who told AAP FactCheck the 2003 invasion involved US, UK and Australian troops but not Ukrainians. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq, which does humanitarian work and has a number of guards and military observers, has also operated in Iraq since 2003. Many dismiss all arguments to the contrary as "echoing Putin's talking points," "siding with Putin," or circulating Russian propaganda and "disinformation." Should the Russian military fear this? They also moved their operations from al Kut to Diwaniya, about 180 kilometers south of Baghdad, falling under Polish command for specialized Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police training. During the pre-war period, economic cooperation between Ukraine and Iraq was developing exclusively within the framework of the United Nations "oil-for-food" program. [131] The Turkish government swiftly rejected all offers of financial aid, and on March 1, 2003, the Turkish Grand National Assembly rejected sending military forces to help participate in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. All information, text and images included on the AAP Websites is for personal use only and may not be re-written, Forces Will Leave Iraq in 2009 (Update3)", "Iraq approves draft law for troops withdrawal", "BBC News UK's Operation Telic mission in Iraq ends", "Deal would have U.S. troops out of Iraq by 2012", "Barack Obama: All US troops to leave Iraq in 2011", "US Formally Ends Iraq War With Little Fanfare", "Last Convoy of American Troops Leaves Iraq", "Iraq in political turmoil hours after last US troops depart", "El Salvador withdraws last soldiers from Iraq", "No More Estonian Troop Units In Iraq - Defense Ministry", "Estonian troops may go to Afghanistan, not Iraq", "USATODAY.com Coalition in Iraq continues to dwindle", "Romania withdrawing troops from Iraq by end of year", "Romania's last contingent in Iraq returns home People's Daily Online", "Albania sends more troops to Iraq People's Daily Online", "ARMENIAN PEACEKEEPERS TO STAY AN EXTRA YEAR IN IRAQ", "Armenian defense minister to visit Iraq as Armenia is to extend small troop presence", "Iraq: As Third-Largest Contingent, Georgia Hopes To Show Its Worth", Iraq-based Azerbaijani Peacekeeper Dies |TREND News, Entertainment and World News on Monsters and Critics, JTW News Bulgarian Unit Deployed at Camp Ashraf in Iraq, "Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK or MKO)", "Parliament approves withdrawal of most Czech troops from Iraq in 2008", "Czechs to withdraw most of its troops from Iraq", "Czech Republic Army marks end of mission", "Press Releases, Statements & Transcripts Embassy of the U.S. in Georgia", "U.S. takes Georgian troops home from Iraq", "Russia on Its Mind, Georgia Flexes Its Muscle in Iraq", "Kazakhstan withdraws soldiers from Iraq", "Ministry of National Defence Republic of Lithuania", The New York Times Breaking News, World News & Multimedia, Mongolian Contingent in Iraq Mongolian Contingent in Iraq An Afghan Education from the Ground Up, "POLAND: It's Hard Saying Even Goodbye to Iraq", "SAF C-130 Aircraft Returns from the Gulf", "SAF KC-135 Aircraft Returns from the Gulf", "Tonga troops prepare for Iraq duty The Honolulu Advertiser Hawaii's Newspaper", "Troop Pullout to Leave U.S. and Britain as Iraq Force", " " " ", Denmark hands over responsibilities to British military in Iraq International Herald Tribune, "World news and comment from the Guardian The Guardian", Denmark sends special forces to Iraq International Herald Tribune, "DefenseNews.com Denmark: We're Staying the Course in Iraq 12/05/05 13:24", Slovakia to withdraw its last two soldiers in Iraq International Herald Tribune, Slovakia leaves Iraq, sends more troops to Kosovo, Afghanistan_English_Xinhua, "Prodi condemns Iraq war as 'grave mistake', Al Jazeera English Archive Italian Leader Seeks Iraq Troop Pullout, "Allied Participation in Operation Iraqi Freedom", "Dominican Republic to Pull Iraq Troops Early", "DefenseNews.com Estonia Should Keep Troops in Iraq in 2007: Official 04/21/06 12:06", "US Pays Back Nations That Supported War UN Security Council", "U.S. quietly puts down roots in Georgia", "U.S. Army Europe to train more Georgian troops", "The War Dividend: The British companies making a fortune out of conflict-riven Iraq", UK and Denmark announce troop withdrawals from Iraq, Top UN envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello killed in terrorist blast in Baghdad, Multi-national troop deployments: Raw data, graphs and rankings, Use of white phosphorus by the United States, United States and the International Criminal Court, A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq, "The wrong war, at the wrong place, at the wrong time", AfghanIraqi Freedom Memorial (Salem, Oregon), The Iraq War: A Historiography of Wikipedia Changelogs, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Multi-National_Force__Iraq&oldid=1141981720, Military units and formations established in 2004, Military units and formations disestablished in 2009, Multinational force involved in the Iraq War, United States Marine Corps in the Iraq War, Articles with Chinese-language sources (zh), Articles with dead external links from September 2017, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles with dead external links from July 2021, Articles with dead external links from June 2016, Articles with dead external links from September 2018, Articles with Danish-language sources (da), Articles with dead external links from August 2021, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox militant organization with unknown parameters, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2009, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, A number of troops remain in Baghdad, Iraq, where they train Iraqi forces under the. At the same time the permanent exhibition of Ukrainian goods and services is organized in Baghdad. UN looks forward to Iraq's participation in 2023 Water Conference March 1, 2023 2 min. Did you see what happened after Baghdad fell? Samer al-Idreesi asked. During the 2022-23 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia occupied vast portions of the territory of Ukraine, having already occupied parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts as well as the entire Autonomous Republic of Crimea since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2014. [9] In December 2007, the Security Council unanimously approved resolution 1790, which extended the mandate until December 31, 2008.[10]. After 2006 they had only 40 troops in country in a peacekeeping role. In 2003 there were conditions for development of relations between Ukraine and Iraq on a qualitatively new, wider basis. Approximately 5000 Ukrainian soldiers, in total, served in Iraq in the wake of the 2003 invasion of Iraq and subsequent Occupation of Iraq (2003-2011). Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters, , Senior Fellow, Defense and Foreign Policy Studies, Cato Institute. Turkey was offered approximately $8.5 billion in loans in exchange for sending 10,000 peacekeeping troops in 2003. The goal of the MNF will be to help the Iraqi people to complete the political transition and will permit the United Nations and the international community to work to facilitate Iraq's reconstruction. More than 5,000 Ukrainian troops have served in Iraq during Ukraine's five years of service in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Upon its victory, Russia permanently detached two secessionist-minded Georgian regions and put them under permanent Russian control. Mr Blinken met Mr Lavrov briefly in . And the question will again be whether to provide that assistance overtly or just covertly, or at all, I suspect. [3] However, Iraq still remained one of the important directions of Ukrainian policy, particularly in economic sphere. [2] In 2006, they shifted their operational focus and down-sized to a peacekeeping force of about 40 soldiers. AAPNews delivers newswire content direct to the public. The Ukraine episode proved to be an intolerable provocation to neighboring Russia. 2023 Australian Associated Press. Those figures are supported by a US Army report on Ukraines end of mission ceremony published on December 11, 2008. Jordan assisted in training of Iraqi security forces, and the United Arab Emirates donated military equipment, though purchased from Switzerland. The Facebook user who shared the video this week claimed it showed the Russian and Ukrainian armies "fighting fresh." But a reverse-image search of stills from the video demonstrates that the footage was captured in Iraq more than a decade ago, and is unrelated to Russia's attacks on Ukraine. A total of about 5000 Ukrainian service members served in Iraq during that time, as part of the US-led coalition, he said in an email. The MNF-I's objectives, as expressed in an annex to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1546, a June 2004 letter from U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to the U.N. Security Council, were stated to be: The MNF under unified command is prepared to continue to contribute to the maintenance of security in Iraq, including by preventing and deterring terrorism and protecting the territory of Iraq. The U.S. had no advance strategy for how to deal with this new terrorist phenomenon. CLAIM: Video of soldiers rushing into a building with guns shows Russian troops in Ukraine during Russias February 2022 invasion. The photo was shared with the claim that it was from Ukraine's participation in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Petraeus: Im sure there is some modest planning going on; however, those who likely would comprise the insurgent ranks are most likely focused at present on determining how to defend their country against a possible invasion, not on how to conduct an insurgency in the event all or part of their country is occupied by Russian invaders. That includes Putin personally with the aim of imposing costs on Russia that will further isolate Russia from the international financial system and our economies, according to the latest statement issued by the White House. Russian forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine Thursday, days after Russia recognized the independence of two separatist-controlled areas in eastern Ukraine, according to The New York Times. The Ukraine was not part of the invading force in March 2003. [6] The majority of countries that deployed military forces to Iraq as part of the MNF-I generally confined them to their respective military installations,[6] due to widespread violence throughout the country. In the sense that we named it. A book by the US Army Center of Military History put the Ukraines cumulative total of ground troops at 7000 from March 2003 to December 2005. To keep up with our latest fact checks, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Karnataka BJP MLA's son caught red-handed receiving Rs 40 lakh bribe, 2 men break into Shah Rukh Khans residence Mannat, arrested, In first Karnataka poll rally, Kejriwal slams PM Modi, Centre over Sisodia's arrest, Made-in-India cough syrups linked to child deaths in Gambia: US body report, Manish Sisodia's CBI custody extended for 2 days, bail plea hearing on March 10, WPL 2023, MI vs GG Live: Womens Premier League to get underway with glitzy opening ceremony, Russian scientist who developed Covid vaccine found dead, was strangled with belt: Report. Mariam Jaber, a 34-year-old Iraqi who lived in Basra during the US-led Iraq attack in 2003 and moved to the United States shortly after, said any sight of the suffering in Ukraine was too hard to watch and it instantly brought back horrible memories. In the same month, the Ukrainian parliament approved a decision to send an 1800-strong peacekeeping force in September 2003. Photo shows a tank from the Ukrainian invasion of Iraq in 2003. In contrast, a book Allied Participation in Operation Iraqi Freedom produced by the US Army Center of Military History, lists 7000 as a cumulative total for ground troops from March 2003 to December 2005 with Ukraines peak deployment 1630 (page 116). One hundred and ninety thousand forces sounds like a lot, but counterinsurgency operations are very soldier-intensive. In Petraeuss estimation, however determined Vladimir Putin may be to invade Ukraine, he lacks the troops and the popular support needed to succeed in taking over the country for any significant period of time. As Russia's conflict in the Ukraine continues, a social media post claims that 7000 Ukrainian forces were involved in the invasion of Iraq in 2003. But Ukraine is a bigger and more populous country. With the help of reverse image search, we found the image published in an article in 2013 on a news portal. Text overlaid on the video at one point reads, Task force viper & the 36th Commando Bn Killed 4 enemy, Captured 25 enemy, and secured the Shrine intact.. Contrary to the posts claim, the Ukraine played no part in the invasion of Iraq in March 2003. By Alex J. Rouhandeh On 3/17/22 at 9:41 AM EDT. Frankly, the fight to Baghdad, while tougher than many likely assessed it to be from afar, was pretty straightforward. Only a minority of the Iraqi population comprised or supported the Sunni extremists and insurgents and Iranian-supported Shia militia. A week later, the White House listed Ukraine among 49 countries committed to the coalition. The article also noted that the Ukraine strongly opposed the US-led war on Iraq, but later agreed to send troops in an apparent effort to patch up relations with the US. "Ukraine started accomplishing its mission in Operation Iraqi Freedom through assistance to the Iraqi government to establish constitutional order and a secure environment from the very beginning in 2003," said Col. Henadii Lachkov, senior commander for the Ukrainian forces in Diwaniya. . Equal parts engaging and grinding, Porter navigates the path to war in London during 2002 and early 2003 with the rigor of a forensic coroner reconstructing a murder. Yet Washington still refused to back off. Responses to the same question about Iraq were strikingly similar. Get the news feed your organisation needs, with AAP offering extensive coverage of news, courts, politics, sports, finance and the arts. Ukraine is not part of NATO. (Iran did not participate in IDEX.) On December 18, 2008 the Iraqi government published a law that covered the status of non-U.S. foreign forces in the country from the end of the U.N.'s mandate on December 31, 2008 through to their withdrawal on July 31, 2009. Allies Shrinks Steadily in Iraq", "BBC NEWS Middle East Iraqi MPs back foreign troop deal", "Canada offered to aid Iraq invasion: WikiLeaks", "Canadians punch above their weight in international military command", "Canadian General Takes Senior Command Role in Iraq", "PM says 'it's possible' Canadian soldiers in Iraq", "Iraq approves return of small British force", "Reports: UK to begin withdrawing Iraq troops", "Britain to cut troops in Iraq to 2,500 in 2008", "Plans to cut UK troops in Iraq put on hold", "UK to start Iraq troop withdrawal by May 31 latest", "Brown Says U.K. Dr Kilcullen said the Ukrainians were the third largest contingent in Iraq from 2003-2008, by the time they withdrew. An AP photo from Oct. 3, 2004. a U.S. Army patrol with the mosque in the background. ", Critics of the war have argued that, in addition to direct incentives, the involvement of other members of the coalition was in response for indirect benefits, such as support for North Atlantic Treaty Organization membership or other military and financial aid. Few Americans know more about occupying a country and then facing a determined armed resistance than David Petraeus. David Petraeus in Iraq in 2007, confirmed to AAP FactCheck that the most troops the Ukrainians had in Iraq at any one time was 1700. Russian helicopter Mil Mi-8 AMTSh (Mi-171Sh) in Minsk, 23 February 2022. Having lived through Iraqs invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and the United States response attack of Iraq in 2003, al-Idreesi told Al Jazeera he believed all warmongers should be punished. Among other matters the resolution included calls to provide humanitarian aid and begin steps to enable the Iraqi people to determine their own political future. "Ukraine started accomplishing its mission in Operation Iraqi Freedom through assistance to the Iraqi government to establish constitutional order and a secure environment from the very beginning. The move was requested by the Iraqi government, which said the troops were needed for another year while it built up its own security forces. The members of Parliament reminded us that, in addition to the several dozen combat brigades, there are also special-forces units and several dozen partisan brigades (made up of civilians, with modest training on weekends) in Ukraine. Moscow's cruel overreaction deserves emphatic condemnation. A precious 18 Ukrainian Soldiers have died here," said Ferriter. Then American President George W Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, alleging then leader Saddam Hussein was building weapons of mass destruction while harbouring operatives from al-Qaeda, the armed group held responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. Ukraine, initially against the US-led invasion of Iraq, did not commit combat troops to the coalition forces that invaded in March 2003 while the 7000 figure refers to the cumulative deployment of troops over five years. Choose from a number of subscription models to not only gain access to high-quality fact-based news on your desktop or mobile device, but also to show your support for Australia's only not-for-profit newswire. Approximately 5000 Ukrainian soldiers, in total, served in Iraq in the wake of the 2003 invasion of Iraq and subsequent Occupation of Iraq (20032011). Rally goers who went to the capitol to support solider in Ukraine's war speak out after it marks one year since Russia invaded the country. Baghdad, Iraq The air assaults and gunfire on Ukrainian soil following the Russian invasion are stirring up memories barely sealed in Iraq nearly 19 years after the US-led invasion. In Iraq, the Ukraine war is highlighting divisions in an already fractured landscape during stalled efforts to form a new government, five months after parliament elections were held. The. The Obama administration had not anticipated fighting a war with ISIS in Syria and Iraq, although the Special Operations community, including the Delta Force commander at the time, Colonel Chris Donahue, recognized a potential threat.
