The 2003 Iraq War Begins and Early Coverage

The allied attack on Iraq commenced on March 20, 2003. The Guardian's March 21 edition reported a "Land, sea and air assault," featuring reports from Julian Borger in Washington and Rory McCarthy in Qatar. Their report described British and American marines initiating a ground war by assaulting beaches on the Gulf coast near Basra, concurrently with cruise missile bombardments in Baghdad.

Soon after, the first British fatalities occurred when a U.S. helicopter crashed in Kuwait. Suzanne Goldenberg reported from Baghdad that Saddam Hussein appeared on television only two hours after an initial "decapitation effort." A Guardian editorial commented that this first "surgical strike" had missed its intended target.

The editorial also raised concerns about the precedent of state-ordered assassination and highlighted the perceived "shaky" legal and moral justifications for the war.

The "shock and awe" assault, targeting the regime's infrastructure around the capital, took place the same night. The March 22 edition's headline announced a "Full-blooded onslaught is launched on Baghdad." Julian Borger, Richard Norton-Taylor, and Rory McCarthy contributed to a report detailing successive aerial attacks on centers and symbols of Saddam Hussein’s power, aiming to disrupt the regime. The presidential complex on the west bank of the Tigris River was destroyed within approximately 10 minutes.

Journalists' Experiences During the Conflict

Suzanne Goldenberg and photographer Sean Smith were present in Iraq for weeks before the war escalated. Smith's photographs documented pre-war daily life, including scenes from the Baghdad racetrack, a football match, and a wedding party. Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow recognized Smith for capturing the "indignity and smoky pointlessness" of the Iraq conflict. Goldenberg noted Smith's reliability and calm demeanor in war zones.

Smith, despite facing challenges with the Guardian's London picture desk, arrived in Iraq with a satellite phone and traditional photographic equipment. He did not equip himself with the recommended helmet, flak jacket, or chemical warfare protection suit, a choice attributed to his fatalistic view of war's unpredictable nature.

Smith and Goldenberg observed the "shock and awe" attack from the Palestine Hotel. Goldenberg described the Baghdad blitz as resembling "a gigantic video game," with "jets of fire." She noted the evident shock among Iraqis, who had become observers of their regime's dismantling.

Embedded vs. Unilateral Reporting

James Meek reported from Safwan as a "unilateral" journalist, distinct from those embedded with military units. This afforded him greater access to Iraqi citizens. Meek's dispatches conveyed the mixed sentiments of the population, characterized by messages such as "Thank you. We love you. Please don’t kill us." As the war progressed, Meek acknowledged a growing reliance on military units for assistance.

Jamie Wilson was an embedded journalist with the Royal Navy on HMS Marlborough, reporting on its operations up the Khor Abdullah waterway. His communications were monitored, and his mobile devices were confiscated.

Audrey Gillan was embedded with the Household Cavalry's D Squadron. While embedded journalists were sometimes criticized for identifying too closely with their host units, Gillan's reports rarely used the pronoun "we" in that context, except to convey relief during periods of respite from combat. Gillan described the intensity of her experience with the squadron, including being treated as "one of the boys" and witnessing fierce battles, casualties, and the emotional toll on soldiers.

Civilian Casualties and Cultural Loss

Less than a week into the war, a bomb struck a market in Baghdad, resulting in 14 civilian deaths. Goldenberg's report, titled "Wayward bombs bring marketplace carnage," was accompanied by a photograph from Goran Tomašević, which generated both praise and criticism for its publication.

Concerns regarding the threat to Iraqi antiquities were raised by Fiachra Gibbons in an article for G2. Luke Harding subsequently reported the looting of the Mosul museum, noting that promised military protection was absent. Jonathan Steele further reported similar incidents at the Iraq Museum in Baghdad.

On April 9, 2003, Goldenberg's dispatch focused on human casualties in Baghdad during the final hours of resistance to U.S. forces. Her report, published on the front page, included a powerful quotation:

"A picture of killing inflicted on a sprawling city – and it grew more unbearable by the minute."

A photograph by Jerome Delay showed bodies at al-Kindi hospital morgue. Goldenberg visited Kindi hospital, detailing scenes such as a 12-year-old girl and her younger brother, along with their mother, among the casualties, prompting tears from hospital staff.

Fall of the Regime and Shifting Perspectives

The toppling of Saddam Hussein's statue in Firdos Square on April 9, 2003, symbolized the regime's collapse. The following day, Goldenberg's account, "The toppling of Saddam – an end to 30 years of brutal rule," reported on the event and the subsequent looting and lawlessness in Saddam City, an overcrowded residential district. Harding reported celebratory scenes in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdish northern Iraq, following news of the regime's fall. U.S. marines subsequently took control of Tikrit, Saddam's hometown, which the Americans declared as the end of "major combat operations."

Public opinion polls in Britain showed increased support for the war, rising to 54%. However, a Guardian editorial cautioned against premature declarations of victory, noting that Saddam and weapons of mass destruction remained elusive.

The editorial questioned the war's justification, stating that a truly free Iraq had not yet been achieved.

Charlie English, deputy features editor, produced a G2 edition dedicated to memorializing those who died in the war, including American, British, and Iraqi lives. This initiative, aiming for an impartial accounting of casualties, received mixed reactions from readers.

Iraqi Voices: Salam Pax and Ghaith Abdul-Ahad

The Guardian published accounts from two Iraqi friends, Salam Pax and Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, who offered perspectives from within Baghdad. Salam Pax, known as the "Baghdad Blogger," gained international recognition for his web diary, which provided a personal and often irreverent view of life under the Ba'athist regime and during the war. His blog was noted for its accessible English and relatable cultural references. Despite some skepticism regarding his authenticity, Salam expressed in February 2004 that foreign intervention was necessary to remove Saddam, though he wished for better planning.

Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, initially an architect, began his journalism career after meeting James Meek during the fall of Baghdad. He initially supported the intervention, viewing it as an opportunity for Iraqis to achieve freedom and a better future than under Saddam. However, his perspective evolved following incidents such as an American helicopter attack on civilians in September 2004, which resulted in at least 13 deaths.

Abdul-Ahad described becoming desensitized to violence and concluded that "you can’t bring change and democracy through war." A decade later, he expressed a preference for returning to military dictatorship over the intervention, believing an Iraqi collapse would have been a more "genuine" outcome. Abdul-Ahad continued to report from various conflict zones globally, enduring injuries, hostage situations, and imprisonment, while consistently providing commentary on the complexities of the conflict in Iraq.