On this day in 2001, less than a month after al-Qaeda terrorists flew commercial jets into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, President George W. Bush announces that American troops are on the offensive in Afghanistan. George W. Bush Sends Troops to Iraq. On March 19, 2003, President George W. Bush informs the nation that he has ordered U.S. troops into Iraq, promising a "broad and concerted campaign" against Saddam Hussein's regime.