months, several radical terrorist groups had been toppled. Myers also supported the involvement of NATO and allied coalition forces during the War on Terror. As a result of Operation Enduring Freedom, the political regime in Afghanistan was toppled and a new constitution was ratified in January 2004, which provided for direct presidential elections on October 9, 2004. Operation Iraqi Freedom During his tenure as chairman, Myers also oversaw the early stage of the invasion of Iraq. Together with CENTCOM commander General Tommy Franks, Myers coordinated the plan for the Iraqi invasion and the reconstruction of the country, and also established a combined joint task force in order to focus on post-conflict issues in Iraq. Operation Iraqi Freedom was initiated on 20 March 2003, which was preceded by an airstrike on Saddam Hussein's Palace and followed by the Fall of Baghdad in April 2003. Operation Iraqi Freedom eventually led to the downfall of Saddam Hussein's 24-year regime and the captured of Hussein on December 13, 2003. Following Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Coalition Provisional Authority was established in Iraq and was succeeded by the Iraqi Interim Government, which presided over parliamentary elections in 2005. In order to gain support on both the War on Terror and the invasion of Iraq, Myers often travelled abroad in order to strengthen military relations with other allied nations, such as Mongolia. He was the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to visit Mongolia. Myers met with Mongolian President Natsagiin Bagabandi at Ulaanbaatar on January 15, 2004. As a result, the United States gained the support of the Mongolian government and Mongolia also deployed troops in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Military transformation In February 2004 Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was overthrown in a coup d'état, leading to conflict within the country. The United States deployed Marines to Haiti as part of the multinational Operation Secure Tomorrow from February to July 2004. On March 13, Myers visited the United States troops deployed to Haiti. Together with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Myers conducted weekly press briefings at The Pentagon on the War on Terror.One of Myers' achievements as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was his pursuit of the transformation of the United States military. Myers orchestrated substantive changes to the nation's Unified Combatant Command's plan following the September 11 attacks, leading to the establishment of United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) as the new