Post-invasion Iraq, 2003?2005

The post-invasion period in Iraq followed the 2003 invasion of Iraq by a multinational coalition led by the United States, which overthrew the Ba'ath Party government of Saddam Hussein. This article covers the period starting 1 May 2003.

Armed opposition

Despite the defeat of the old Iraqi army, guerilla attacks against the Coalition and the Iraqi transitional government continued. In the early months following the "end of major combat operations", insurgents conducted sniper attacks, suicide bombings at road checkpoints, and ambushes, resulting in about 30 American and British deaths per month.

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Sometimes the attackers would say that they were motivated by revenge (e.g., an anti-coalition group claimed the four Iraqis that were allegedly shot at by British soldiers during a demonstration were unarmed and acting peacefully; six British soldiers were later killed by Iraqis). Dozens of unarmed Iraqis were shot in anti-Alliance demonstrations, mostly in the nation's Sunni Muslim areas. While Shi'a Muslim areas were mostly peaceful, Ayatollah Sayed Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, who returned to Iraq after decades in exile shortly after the occupation began, said: "We are not afraid of the British or American troops. This country wants to keep its sovereignty and the forces of the coalition must leave it."

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American forces denied the accusations of targeting unarmed civilians. They said they were fired upon and were returning fire.

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Guerrilla war

In late June of 2003 there was some public debate in the U.S. as to whether the insurgency could be characterized as a guerrilla war. On 17 June, Army Gen. John P. Abizaid said that forces in Iraq were "conducting what I would describe as a classical guerrilla-type campaign against us. It's low-intensity conflict in our doctrinal terms, but it's war however you describe it." In a statement to Congress on 18 June, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said "There's a guerrilla war there but we can win it." However, U.S. defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, on 31 June, spoke of it differently, describing the insurgency as consisting of five groups:

Related Topics:
Guerrilla war - 17 June - Gen. John P. Abizaid - 18 June - Paul Wolfowitz - Donald Rumsfeld - 31 June

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• Foreign terrorists
• Criminals
• Looters
• Iranian-backed Shi'a radicals.
• Supporters of the former Saddam Hussein regime

"That doesn't make it anything like a guerrilla war or an organized resistance," Rumsfeld said. "It makes it like five different things going on are functioning more like terrorists." http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/2003/tr20030630-secdef0321.html

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Sabotage

Sabotage of oil pipelines and refineries have been a key tactic of the Iraqi insurgency. The United States had intended to quickly rebuild Iraqi infrastructure for production back to pre-war levels, but widespread sabotage slowed down the pace of reconstruction. By March of 2004, oil production had risen back to pre-war levels of around 2.5 million barrels per day. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/03/01/1078117363358.html?from=storyrhs

Related Topics:
Oil - Pipelines - Iraqi insurgency

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Fallujah

The Fallujah counter-offensive Operation Vigilant Resolve was launched on 5 April in response to the 31 March murder and mutilation of four of Blackwater's employees. Roads leading into and out of the city were closed. When the U.S. marines tried to enter, fierce fighting erupted. Members of the Iraqi insurgency opened fire with heavy machine guns, rockets, and rocket-propelled grenades. The marines answered by bringing in tanks and helicopters.

Related Topics:
Operation Vigilant Resolve - 5 April - 31 March

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The ensuing firefight resulted in a large number of casualties. Dozens of marines were killed and injured. Two hundred and seventy-one members of the non-coalition forces were killed and 793 injured, according to official counts for the period of 5 April through 22 April. Conflicting reports leave it unclear how many of the dead and injured were rebel fighters or women and children. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1113526/posts http://smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/12/1081621869099.htmlhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3619661.stm.

Related Topics:
5 April - 22 April

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There were also reports of ambulances and aid convoys being used by the insurgents to smuggle weapons and fighters into the city. http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2004/04/12/rebels_smuggle_supplies_into_iraqi_city/ Coalition officials said that the insurgents used mosques and schools as command posts and weapon-storage facilities. A suicide-bomb-vest factory was discovered by marines. http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/04/08/iraq.fallujah.ap/

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After several failed attempts at ceasefires, the U.S. backed out of the city. A marine commander stated "We don't want to turn Fallouja into Dresden". The U.S. handed authority of the city over to a former Iraqi general who had served under Saddam Hussein, and whose fighters the U.S. acknowledges may include former members of insurgency.

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Afterwards, the city was referred to as "free rebel town"; banners in the city streets proclaimed victory over the United States, and some of its mosques praised the Iraqi insurgency. The general, Muhammed Latif, told Reuters, ""I want the American soldier to return to his camp. What I want more is that he returns to the United States." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6897-2004May6.html

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U.S. marines encircled Fallujah with an earth wall, trying to control access to the city, allowing only women and children to leave the city. On June 19, 2004, 22 Iraqis, among them women and children, were killed in a U.S. air strike on a residential neighborhood. http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/06/19/iraq_fallujah040619 Allawi condemned the rebellion and called upon the city to surrender Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of the Tawhid-e-Jihad group who is alleged to be hiding in Fallujah, or face aerial bombing by the United States.

Related Topics:
June 19 - 2004 - Iraqis - U.S. - Abu Musab al-Zarqawi - Tawhid-e-Jihad

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Muqtada al-Sadr

On April 4th, 2004, coalition forces closed Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's newspaper al-Hawza, claiming that it contained incitements to violence. One example provided was that on 26 February, an article claimed that a suicide bombing in Iskandariya that killed 53 people was a rocket fired by the Americans, and not a car bomb. In response, al-Sadr launched a day of protests. During these protests, members of the Iraqi insurgency (who may or may not have been tied to al-Sadr) ambushed a Coalition patrol guarding a trash collecting unit in Sadr-City resulting in the deaths of 8 soldiers. Several dozen of al-Sadr's followers were killed during these protests.

Related Topics:
April 4th - Shiite - Muqtada al-Sadr - Al-Hawza - 26 February - Iskandariya - Sadr-City

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The coalition responded by arresting one of al-Sadr's closest aides, leading to al-Sadr calling on his followers to rise up. The next days fighting erupted in many cities in southern Iraq, including Karbala, Kut, Nassiriya and Basra. The CPA announced the existence of a three-month-old arrest warrant, issued by an Iraqi judge, on al-Sadr, claiming that he was responsible for the killing of Coalition-aligned cleric al-Khoei. The warrant itself inspired further opposition, as Khoei's own followers blamed Baathists for the murder, the Coalition-appointed Iraqi Minister of Justice stated that he had no knowledge of the warrant, and the Iraqi Jurists Association declared the warrant "illegal". Al-Sadr, who had previously created his own parallel government and a militia called the al-Mahdi Army, instructed his followers to no longer follow along with the occupation, and suggested that they attack Coalition soldiers, and his followers took control of several southern cities, often with the support of local authorities and police.

Related Topics:
Karbala - Kut - Nassiriya - Basra

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During the first few days of the uprising al-Sadr stayed in Kufa, where he traditionally had a large following. On 7 April he moved to Najaf, into a building close to the shrine of the Imam Ali, the holiest shrine in the Shia faith. After fierce fighting during the first days of the uprising, his followers took control over many cities in southern Iraq. In Kut the Ukrainian occupational contingent was forced out of the city. The Italians were contained inside their base in Nassiriya, and in Basra the governor's palace was occupied. In Karbala, Polish and Bulgarian forces were able to hold their own after a battle lasting the whole night. The Alliance reacted by dispensing a reactionary force on 8 April to Kut, forcing al-Sadr followers to melt away into the city's population. The same happened in most of the other cities and control was nominally ceded. Only Najaf and Kufa, which the Americans did not enter, remained effectively under the control of al-Sadr followers. The Coalition sent 2,500 marines to Najaf to try to 'arrest or kill' al-Sadr.

Related Topics:
Kufa - 7 April - Imam Ali - Karbala - 8 April

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Initially hopeful that al-Sistani would force al-Sadr to capitulate, the coalition was disappointed when, while he called for all sides to show restraint, he focused instead on condemning coalition activities in Fallujah. In mid-May of 2004, Coalition forces began pushing into Najaf. In the process, they invaded several mosques to seize weaponry, and there were reports of damage to some of Shia Islam's holiest shrines. The Coalition reported a steady stream of al-Mahdi army casualties; al-Sadr and hospital officials disputed the numbers, and both claimed that many of them were civilians. The al-Mahdi army claimed few American casualties, but on May 17, it was reported that the army drove Italian troops from their base in Nasiriyah http://www.sunherald.com/mld/thesunherald/news/world/8684094.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp. Ten Italians were wounded, along with 20 al-Mahdi army fighters wounded and two killed, in the assault. The base was peacefully retaken the next day in a negotiated settlement with local clan leaders.

Related Topics:
May 17 - Nasiriyah

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While the Alliance continually insisted that he had little support, and there were limited clashes with the smaller SCIRI, he was seldom condemned by his more senior clerics. Islamic courts expanded their influence in areas he controlled. The Imam Ali mosque ended its call for prayers with a request for divine protection for him, and his followers were clearly large in number. http://www.boston.com/dailynews/137/world/Once_considered_fringe_al_SadrP.shtml Many believed that al-Sistani did not speak out against al-Sadr for fear of turning Shiite against Shiite. A poll found that, in mid-May of 2004, 32% of Iraqis strongly supported al-Sadr, and another 36% somewhat supported him. http://www.vnis.com/story.cfm?textnewsid=999

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By August of 2005, al-Sadr had adopted a more conciliatory tone, along with a much lower profile, saying "I call upon all the believers to save the blood of the Muslims and to return to their homes" after an outbreak of violence between some of his followers and those of Abdul Aziz al-Hakim.

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Hostages

In response to the occupation, militants have taken foreign and Iraqi hostages, including citizens of both countries that supported and opposed the invasion. This includes citizens of Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Nepal, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

Related Topics:
Australia - Bulgaria - Canada - China - Czech Republic - France - India - Israel - Italy - Japan - Jordan - Nepal - Pakistan - Poland - Romania - Russia - South Korea - Thailand - Turkey - Ukraine - United Kingdom - United States of America

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The hostage-taking appears to be uncoordinated, with different groups making various demands. Some hostages are released whilst others are killed, often by beheading. Several kidnappings have been claimed by the Tawhid and Jihad (The Unity of God and Holy War) Islamist group, which changed its name to "Al-Qaeda in Iraq" in October 2004. The group is run by the Jordanian-born Palestinian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The hostages who have been beheaded by Zarqawi's group, and possibly by Zarqawi himself, include Americans Nick Berg, Eugene Armstrong and Jack Hensley, South Korean Kim Sun-il, Shosei Koda from Japan, and Kenneth Bigley from the UK. Italian Fabrizio Quattrocchi was shot in the head, possibly by another group, as was British aid worker Margaret Hassan. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 25 journalists have been kidnapped by armed groups in Iraq since April 2004, when insurgents began targeting foreigners for abduction.

Related Topics:
Tawhid and Jihad - Abu Musab al-Zarqawi - Nick Berg - Eugene Armstrong - Jack Hensley - Kim Sun-il - Shosei Koda - Kenneth Bigley - Fabrizio Quattrocchi - Margaret Hassan - Committee to Protect Journalists - Journalists

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On the evening of 4 March 2005, around 20:55, the car leading Giuliana Sgrena, freshly liberated, along with two agents of the Sismi, the Italian Military Intelligence service, was fired upon by U.S. troops. Nicola Calipari, who had negotiated the liberation of the other eight Italian hostages, was killed, while Sgrena and the other agent were wounded. The Italian government firmly requested U.S. counterpart to accurately investigate the incident.

Related Topics:
4 March - 2005 - Giuliana Sgrena - Sismi - Nicola Calipari

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Fall-out

As a result of the uprisings U.S. General John Abizaid in April 2004 requested an additional 10,000 troops be sent to Iraq after admitting that a number of Iraqi security personnel had abandoned their posts or joined the Iraqi insurgency. http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040412-053906-3504r.htm On April 16, 2004, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld announced that he had approved General Abizaid's request and had extended the tour of roughly 20,000 soldiers, who were scheduled to be rotated out of Iraq, by three months. A fresh mass grave was found near Ramadi, containing the bodies of over 350 Iraqis http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/8378962.htm. It is unclear whether this mass grave contained dead civilians and/or militants.

Related Topics:
John Abizaid - April 16 - Donald Rumsfeld

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