The AC-130 gunship is an aircraft used by the United States Air Force to provide 'low and slow' close-air support in low-intensity conflicts and has been employed historically in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan to support tasks such as convoy protection and urban operations.
October 18, 2025
high
operational
Description of AC-130 operational role and historical employment.
Jared Golden is a U.S. Marine veteran who served combat tours in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018.
January 01, 2018
high
biographical
Biographical and electoral background for a U.S. Representative.
Saddam Hussein was executed by hanging on December 30, 2006.
December 30, 2006
high
temporal
Date of Saddam Hussein's execution following conviction by an Iraqi tribunal.
An Iraqi tribunal found Saddam Hussein guilty of willful killing, illegal imprisonment, deportation and torture after the 2003 overthrow of his government.
January 01, 2006
high
temporal
Legal outcomes following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's government.
Estimates place Iraqi deaths from the Iraq War in the hundreds of thousands, and U.S. military deaths associated with the Iraq conflict at nearly 5,000 following the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.
March 20, 2003
high
temporal
Casualty estimates commonly cited in retrospective assessments of the Iraq War that began with the 2003 invasion.
The 2003 U.S.-led overthrow of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, pursued in part to promote democracy, resulted in a prolonged and widespread insurgency.
March 20, 2003
high
causal
Historical consequence of the 2003 Iraq intervention.
Saddam Hussein served as President of Iraq from 1979 until his government was overthrown in the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.
March 20, 2003
high
temporal
Overview of Saddam Hussein's period in power and its end.
Dick Cheney was a leading advocate for the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq and asserted links between the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and prewar Iraq as part of the rationale for that policy.
March 20, 2003
high
policy
Cheney promoted intervention in Iraq and publicly argued that connections existed between Iraq and the 9/11 attacks, which informed his support for military action in 2003.
The 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force against Iraq authorized the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.
October 16, 2002
high
temporal
U.S. congressional authorization granting legal authority for military action against Iraq.
Dick Cheney served as Vice President of the United States under President George W. Bush during the September 11, 2001 attacks and the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
September 11, 2001
high
temporal
Biographical and historical context linking Cheney's vice presidency to major national security events beginning in 2001.
Dick Cheney was a pivotal figure in the U.S. government's response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and in the subsequent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
September 11, 2001
high
historical
Describes Cheney's influence on national security and military policy following 9/11.
The 'clear, hold, build' counterinsurgency model, used by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, involves clearing insurgents and weapons from an area, holding the area with security forces, and building governance and infrastructure so local authorities and civilians can resume normal life.
high
procedural
Describes a widely used counterinsurgency approach applied in Iraq and Afghanistan to secure and stabilize neighborhoods sequentially.
Ahmad al-Sharaa, who has used the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, had ties to al-Qaida, fought against U.S. forces in Iraq, was imprisoned by U.S. troops in Iraq for several years, and at one time had a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head.
high
biographical
Background on a Syrian opposition figure with a history of militant activity and confrontation with U.S. forces.
Hezbollah has used supply routes through Syria and Iraq to sustain or rebuild its weapons supply chain.
medium
descriptive
Describes reported logistical routes for weapons procurement and resupply.
The Islamic State (ISIS) at its territorial peak in the mid-2010s controlled large swaths of land spanning the Syria–Iraq border.
high
temporal
ISIS established and governed contiguous territory across parts of Syria and Iraq before losing most of that territory later in the 2010s.