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The War in Iraq: 10 Years Later - On March 19, 2003, President George W. Bush launched the military invasion of Iraq, an Middle Eastern nation located between Iran and Kuwait. Known as Operation Iraqi Freedom, the mission would claim the lives of 439 African-American military personnel and thousands of others and mark the beginning of America's proclaimed war on terrorism. A decade later, BET.com takes a look back at the true costs of the war in Iraq. — Britt Middleton (Photo: Scott Nelson/Getty Images)

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Sept. 11 - The origins of the war in Iraq have been linked back to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that killed 3,000 Americans in 2001. The Islamic militant group Al-Qaeda took credit for the attacks under its proclaimed holy war against the United States. The group is believed to have affiliates throughout the Middle East and Africa. Osama bin Laden was Al-Qaeda's top commander. The Sept. 11 attacks intensified U.S. surveillance of Al-Qaeda. (Photo: Robert Giroux/Getty Images)

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U.N. Support - In November 2002, the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 1441, offering Iraq "a final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations" and to set up “an enhanced inspection regime.” A U.N.-led investigation of the country's weapons arsenal followed, but the lead investigator indicated that no evidence of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) existed. (Photo: REUTERS/Jim Young)

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Concerns Over Authorization - The U.S. maintained that Iraq was not fully cooperating with U.N. inspectors and called for military intervention. The invasion of Iraq was largely unpopular with U.N. leaders, as the language of Resolution 1441 did not authorize the use of military force. Only four countries —  the U.S., Britain, Spain, and Bulgaria — supported invasion, five voters fewer than the nine needed. (Photo: Ian Waldie/Getty Images)

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The War on Terror - In March 2003, U.S. and British forces began occupation of Iraq, spurring criticism from world leaders and protests around the world. The objectives were to dismantle the Ba'athist government under dictator Saddam Hussein, who was accused of harboring members of Al-Qaeda, and to locate WMDs, including chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, believed to be in the country's possession.  (Photo: REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko/files)

Photo By Photo: REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko/files

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Fallout - Days before the invasion, President Bush gave Hussein a 48-hour deadline to abdicate from power or face military action. The operation was carried out beginning March 18, 2003. In 2004, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan criticized the invasion as “not in conformity with the UN charter…from the charter point of view, it was illegal.” At a U.S. Senate meeting that same year, David Kay, a former top U.S. weapons inspector, told Congress that U.S. intelligence about WMDs in Iraq was wrong. (Photo: Dennis Brack-Pool/Getty Images)

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The Mission at Hand - Following the removal of the Ba'athist government was the installation of interim administration that would help transition the country into democratic rule. The first democratic elections were held in January 2005. The second phase of the invasion took aim at terrorist insurgent groups installed throughout the region. On May 1, 2003, President Bush announced the end of major combat missions in Iraq. (Photo: Reynaldo Ramon/US Air Force via Getty Images)

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Hussein Captured and Killed - On Dec. 14, 2003, U.S. troops uncovered Hussein hiding in a hole near the city of Tikrit. The dictator was accused of using military force to carry out countless murders, torture and forced deportation of his believed enemies during his reign. Upon capture, he was tried for his crimes against humanity. Hussein was publicly hanged on Dec. 30, 2006. (Photo: Pool/Getty Images)

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Fallujah - In some of the bloodiest fighting of the war, Al-Qaeda attacked several Shiite holy sites in Baghdad and Karbala in March 2004. In the city of Fallujah, four U.S. military contractors were killed, their bodies burned and hung from a bridge. The murders, which were relayed around the world, led to a U.S. and Iraqi-led mission against insurgents in the city. Among the dead were 38 U.S. troops, 1,200 insurgents and 800 Iraqi civilians.  (Photo: REUTERS/Ako Rasheed)

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Abu Ghraib - In April 2004, images surfaced of American soldiers humiliating and abusing prisoners at the Abu Ghraib facility, and the scandal further stirred anti-American sentiment within Arab communities. Nine American soldiers were prosecuted and found guilty in the subsequent abuse trial, and several other military and congressional investigations were launched. (Photo: REUTERS /Landov)

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Beginning of the End - As part of his 2008 presidential campaign, Obama promised to end military operations in Iraq and bring troops home and made his first visit as commander-in-chief in April 2009. In August 2010, Obama announced the end of combat there and said 100,000 troops had been removed from the country and that hundreds of military bases had either been closed or transferred to the Iraqi military.  (Photo: Davis Turner/Getty Images)

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Closing of Guantanamo Bay - As a presidential candidate, Obama also promised to close Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, which held detainees believed to be connected to terrorist groups. The facility would be the subject of scrutiny as many prisoners alleged they were subjected to waterboarding and other means of torture, which would be in direct violation of humanitarian protections for prisoners of war. As president, Obama signed an executive order to close the camp in 2009, but it remains open and operates in a limited capacity. (Photo: John Moore/Getty Images)

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The Death of Bin Laden - After years of tracking the reclusive Al-Qaeda leader, U.S. authorities traced Osama bin Laden to his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. On May 1, 2011, a team of U.S. Navy SEALS raided the compound, killing bin Laden and four other adults. "Justice has been done," said President Obama in a nationally televised address. (Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

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The Final Push - A transitional force of U.S. troops remained in Iraq under Operation New Dawn, which ended on December 15, 2011. On Dec. 21, 2011, President Obama announced the exit of the last American troops from Iraq. Today, several thousand U.S. civilian personnel and a limited number of U.S. military personnel remain in Iraq to fulfill peacekeeping missions with the Iraqi government. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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The Cost of War - A 2011 report from the Congressional Research Service estimated the Iraq War cost $806 billion, making up nearly 25 percent of the increase of in the U.S. national debt since 2001. (Photo: Getty Images/STOCK)

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Debt Crisis - “While the wars did not cause the financial crisis, they were certainly a significant factor in creating the conditions that led up to it," wrote Harvard economist Linda Bilmes in 2011. "First, the Iraq war and the resulting instability in the Gulf put upward pressure on oil prices, which rose from $25/barrel in 2003 to $140/barrel four years later. Second, these higher oil prices depressed US economic activity, prompting the Federal Reserve to loosen monetary policy. Finally, this additional liquidity contributed to the housing bubble and the financial collapse that followed.” (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

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African-American Casualties in Iraq - Of the 4,409 U.S. military killed in the Iraq conflict, about 12 percent were Black, according to the Defense Manpower Data Center. The Congressional Research Service reports that a total of 31,921 U.S. service members were wounded in action.(Photo: Commercial Appeal /Landov)

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Al-Qaeda Attacks - Al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for a number of mosque bombings and other violence acts, causing the deaths of thousands of Iraqi civilians, largely followers of the Shiite sect of Islam. Civil war between the two groups continues in the country; the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq estimates that 418 civilians have been killed and 704 injured in ongoing armed violence in Iraq during February 2013 alone. (Photo: Wathiq Khuzaie/Getty Images)

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PTSD - According to data from the Congressional Research Service, 27,574 previously deployed military members are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder each year. That number spikes to 103,792 for deployed soldiers. (Photo: Chris Hondros/Getty Images)