[1] With a Shi'ite population relatively unsupportive of the Hussein regime, Basra was one of the first targets in the 2003 invasion of Iraq beginning in November.
Most of the invading American troops moved northwards, leaving Basra under a multi-week siege led by the British.
[12] After the government employees vacated the building and the library furnishings were looted, Baker convinced Anis Muhammad, the owner of the restaurant Hamdan, to help.
[13] Baker enlisted the help of locals to smuggle the remaining books over the library's seven foot wall and into the dining room of the restaurant next door.
[1][14] Baker and her husband rented a truck and distributed the books among library employees, friends, and their own home after things settled down in Basra.