mixture of evidence was personally provided to the un security council by us secretary of state colin awell, and showed a test tube with white matter the active phase of the operation lasted 26 days, on april 14, 2003 . tikrit's hometown of adam hussein fell , but the president himself was found only 8 months later, not far from the city, the court sentenced him to death. saddam was hanged 3 years later in december 2006 on may 1, 2003 by president george push. announced the end of hostilities otherwise military occupation. new it did not end the country was swept by a wave between the religious population. the last column of us troops left iraq only 8 years later in december 2011, the coalition forces lost. in iraq nearly 5,000 predominantly americans, iraqi casualties vary us media reports 300,000 military and civilians the lancet magazine calls the figure 460,000 raks weapons of mass destruction no one found the regime of saddam husseinal the united states received a new ally in the middle east but lost a counterweight to shiite iran iraq where more than half of the shiite population gain