A long-awaited inquiry into the British role in the Iraq War was published Wednesday, with a scathing assessment of the role former British Prime Minister Tony Blair played in ushering his country to war in lockstep with its American ally. In response to the report, which revealed Blair had told then-U.S. President George W. Bush “I will be with you, whatever,” the former British leader said he took full responsibility for all the decisions he made in connection with joining the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
The 6,000-page, 2.6 million-word report looks back with 13 years of hindsight on the conflict President Barack Obama pledged to end, declaring in 2011 American troops would return home by the end of that year.
But while the U.S. has drawn down operations in Iraq, the continuing threat of the Islamic State group in both Iraq and Syria and destabilization throughout the Middle East have meant some American troops remain on the ground. Here’s a look at where things stood in Iraq at the beginning of the war in 2003, and where they stand now:
The Players
Then:
U.S. President: George W. Bush
U.S. Secretary of Defense: Donald Rumsfeld
U.S. Central Command: General Tommy Franks
British Prime Minister: Tony Blair
Iraqi Prime Minister: Saddam Hussein
Iraqi President: Saddam Hussein
Now:
U.S. President: Barack Obama
U.S. Secretary of Defense: Ashton Carter
U.S. Central Command: General Joseph Votel
British Prime Minister: David Cameron
Iraqi Prime Minister: Haider al-Abadi
Iraqi President: Fuad Masum
The Numbers
Then:
U.S. troops in Iraq: Around 130,000
U.S. casualties in Iraq between March 19 and May 1, 2003 (when Bush declared the war “mission accomplished”): 172
Iraqi casualties in March and April, 2003: An estimated 7,415, but the actual number is expected to be much higher
Now:
U.S. troops in Iraq: Around 5,000, although the military does not give exact figures
Total U.S. casualties in Iraq to date: 4,411
Iraqi casualties to date: Conservative estimate is 156,531, but the actual number is expected to be much higher