After Eight years and 270 days, the American War in Iraq is now officially over. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta presided over a ceremony in Baghdad on December 15, 2011. In reality, this war truly began when the U.S. intervened in what is now known as the First Iraq War (1990-1991), and then continued with the ongoing No-Fly Zone War (1991-2003) against Saddam’s Iraq.
See also: http://www.historyguy.com/GulfWar2.html
http://www.historyguy.com/no-fly_zone_war.html
http://www.historyguy.com/GulfWar.html