Iraq War: Moments that mattered

On the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War, we look back at the images and dates that marked the mission to find WMDs.

(AAP)

March 19, 2003: President George W. Bush announces the start of the Iraq War, dubbed “Operation Iraqi Freedom.”

"On my orders, coalition forces have begun striking selected targets of military importance to undermine Saddam Hussein's ability to wage war."

March 2003 An estimated 500, 000 Sydneysiders took to the streets in another protest against the American led war on Iraq.

April 9, 2003: Baghdad falls and comes under American control. It emerges later that this moment was staged by American "psy ops" specialists, rather that it being a upswell led by Iraqi citizens.

May 1, 2003: Bush declares “Mission Accomplished” from aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln.

Dec. 13, 2003: Saddam Hussein found crouching in an 8-foot hole at a farm near Tikrit.

April 30, 2004: Photos of smiling US soldiers abusing Iraqi detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison emerge.

August 2006 – President Bush admits that Iraq had no WMDs but has the "capabillity" to aquire them.

Dec. 30, 2006: Saddam Hussein is executed after a trial lasting a year.

Aug. 31, 2010: President Barack Obama declares an end to the combat operations in Iraq.