Second Battle of Fallujah

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Operation Phantom Fury
Part of the Iraq War
US Marines fight in the city of Fallujah during Operation Phantom Fury/Operation Al Fajr (New Dawn)
Date November 7, 2004 – December 23, 2004 Location Fallujah, Iraq Result Coalition Victory
Belligerents
United States Iraqi Security Forces United Kingdom	Mujahideen Shura Al-Qaeda in Iraq
Commanders
Richard F. Natonski	Abdullah al-Janabi Omar Hussein Hadid
Strength
15,000 (including 10,000 non-combat troops)[1]	4,000 - 5,000 (combatants)
Casualties and losses
U.S.: 95 killed, 560 wounded[2][3] Iraqi: 11 killed, 43 wounded	1,350+ killed (U.S. est.) 1,500 captured[4][5][6]

The Second Battle of Fallujah (code-named Operation Al-Fajr - "The Dawn" in Arabic, and Operation Phantom Fury) was a joint U.S.-Iraqi offensive in 2004, led by the U.S. Marine Corps against the Iraqi insurgency stronghold in the city of Fallujah, authorized by the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Interim Government. The U.S. military called it "some of the heaviest urban combat U.S. Marines have been involved in since the Battle of Huế City in Vietnam in 1968."^[7]

This operation was the second major operation in Fallujah. Earlier, in April 2004, Coalition Forces fought the First Battle of Fallujah in order to capture or kill insurgent elements considered responsible for the deaths of a Blackwater Security team. When Coalition Forces (a majority being U.S. Marines) fought into the center of the city, the Iraqi government requested that control of the city be turned over to an Iraqi-run local security force, which then began stockpiling weapons and building complex defenses across the city in mid-2004.

[edit] Background

In the months after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, Fallujah was one of the most peaceful areas of the country. There was very little looting, and the new mayor of the city, Taha Bidaywi Hamed, selected by local tribal leaders, was staunchly pro-American. Events were soon to heat up to the boiling point however,Pre-operation timeline leading is as follows:

On April 28, 2003, a crowd of 200 people defied a local curfew and gathered outside a local school to protest the presence of foreign forces in the city. The protest escalated as gunmen reportedly fired upon U.S. troops from the protesting crowd and U.S. Army soldiers, from the 3rd Battalion of the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division returned fire killing 17 people and wounding more than 70 of the protesters. There were no Army or Coalition casualties in the incident. U.S. forces said that the shooting took place over 30–60 seconds, while Human Rights Watch concludes that it is more likely to have lasted approximately ten minutes.^{[citation needed]}

In February, 2004, Control of Fallujah, and the surrounding area in the Al-Anbar province, was turned over to the 1st Marine Division; the Army's 82nd Airborne Division was relieved of their command.

On March 31, 2004, Four American private military contractors were ambushed and killed in the city. Images of their mutilated bodies were broadcast around the World.

Within days, (April 4, 2004), U.S. Marine Corps forces launched Operation Vigilant Resolve to take back control of the city from insurgent forces. On April 28, 2004, Operation Vigilant Resolve ended with an agreement that the local population would keep the insurgents out of the city. The Fallujah Brigade under the command of Muhammed Latif, a former Baathist general, and composed of local Iraqis was allowed to pass through coalition lines and take over the city.

Insurgent strength and control began to grow to such an extent that by September 24, 2004, a senior U.S. official told ABC News that catching Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi who was said to be in "Fallujah, a town about 40 miles west of Baghdad," was now "the highest priority," and estimated his troops at 5,000 men, mostly non-Iraqis.^[8]

[edit] Timeline

• November 7, 2004: U.S. Marines stage just north of Fallujah. In the city, now under complete insurgent control with no American presence since April, there are a large numbers of booby traps and IEDs constructed and set in place. Additionally, elevated sniper positions have been created along with heavily fortified defensive positions throughout the city, in preparation for a major offensive. American UAVs observed insurgents conducting live-fire exercises in the city in preparation for the coming attack.

• November 8, 2004: Operation Phantom Fury begins.

• November 16, 2004: American spokesmen describe fighting in the city as mopping up isolated pockets of resistance.

• December 23, 2004: Last pockets of resistance are neutralized, three Marines are killed in the last skirmish, along with 24 insurgents. Operation Phantom Fury ends having been the bloodiest battle in the Iraq War to date.

• January, 2005: U.S. Marines begin leaving the city.

[edit] Preparations

[edit] U.S. forces

Marines from Mike Battery, 4th Battalion, 14th Marines an activated reserve artillery unit, operate the 155 mm M198 howitzer in November 2004. The battery was based at Camp Fallujah, Iraq and was supporting Operation Phantom Fury.

Before beginning their attack, U.S. and Iraqi forces had established checkpoints around the city to prevent anyone from entering the city and intercept insurgents attempting to flee.

In addition, overhead imagery was used to prepare maps of the city for use by the attackers. American units were augmented with Iraqi translators to assist them in the planned fight. After weeks of withstanding air strikes and artillery bombardment, the militants holed up in the city appeared somewhat vulnerable to a direct attack, and the U.S. Military was ready to finish the job they had been forced to abort the prior spring.

[edit] Insurgent forces

In April Fallujah was defended by about 500 "hardcore" and 2,000+ "part time" insurgents. By November it was estimated that the numbers had doubled. Another estimate put the number of insurgents at 3,000 however a number of insurgent leaders escaped before the attack^[9]. There were significant numbers of "part time" insurgents out of that 3,000 that stayed behind to fight the Army and Marine Forces. U.S. military officials estimated that 70-90% of the 300,000 civilians in the city had fled before the attack.^[9]

[edit] The Battle

[edit] Diversion

Ground operations began on the night of November 7, 2004. Attacking from the west and south, The Iraqi 36th Commando Battalion with their U.S. Army Special Forces advisers and the 3rd U.S. Marine Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, reinforced by Bravo Company from the Marine Corp Reserve's 1st Battalion, 23rd Regiment, and supported by Combat Service Support Company 113, from Combat Service Support Battalion 1, captured Fallujah General Hospital and villages opposite the Euphrates River along Fallujah's western edge^[10]. The capture and closure of the hospital caused much controversy, concerning whether or not it was a contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

The same unit, operating under the command of the U.S. Army III Corps, then moved on the western approaches to the city securing the Jurf Kas Sukr Bridge^[10]. These initial attacks, however, were little more than a diversion, intended to distract and confuse the rebels defending the city.

[edit] Attack

U.S. soldiers from TF 2-7 CAV, prepare to enter a building during fighting in Fallujah.

Subsequent to Navy Seabees from NMCB-23 shutting off electrical power at the substation located just northeast of the city, two Marine Regimental Combat Teams, Regimental Combat Team 1 (RCT-1) and Regimental Combat Team 7 (RCT-7) launched their attack along the northern edge of the city. There were also two U.S. Army heavy battalion-sized units, the 2nd Squadron, 7 Cavalry Regiment, and 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment(Mechanized). These two battalions were to be followed by four infantry battalions that would clear the buildings. The Army's mechanized Second Brigade, First Cavalry Division, augmented by the Marine's Second Reconaissance Battalion and, for a few days, the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment [Stryker], was tasked to surround the city^[11]. The British Black Watch Battalion patrolled the main highways to the east.

The six battalions of Army-Marine-Iraqi forces, moving under the cover of darkness, began the assault in the early hours of November 8, 2004 with an intense bombing followed by an attack on the main train station that was used as a staging point for follow-on forces. By that afternoon, under the protection of intense air cover, Marines had entered the Hay Naib al-Dubat and al-Naziza districts.The Marines were followed in by the Navy Seabees of NMCB-4 who bulldozed the streets clear of debris from the bombardment that morning. Shortly after nightfall on November 9, 2004, Marines were reportedly along Highway 10 in the center of the city. While most of the fighting subsided by November 13, 2004, Marines continued to face determined resistance from the enemy in and around the city.

By November 16, 2004, after nine days of fighting, the Marine command described the action as mopping up pockets of resistance. Sporadic fighting continued until December 23, 2004.

Despite its success, the battle was not without controversy. On November 16, 2004, NBC News aired footage that showed a U.S. Marine, with 3rd Battalion 1st Marines, shooting dead a wounded Iraqi fighter. In this video, the Marine was heard claiming that the Iraqi was "playing possum". U.S. Navy investigators NCIS later determined that the Marine was acting in self-defense.^[12] The AP reported that military-age males attempting to flee the city were turned back by the U.S. military.^[13]

By late January 2005, news reports indicated U.S. combat units were leaving the area, and were assisting the local population in returning to the now heavily-damaged city.

The 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for actions during the battle^[14] Additionally, Operation Phantom Fury yielded a nominee for the Medal of Honor, Sergeant Rafael Peralta who was a Marine with 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines. Sgt. Peralta was later awarded the Navy Cross, the second highest award a Marine can receive.^[15]

[edit] Aftermath

A building in Fallujah destroyed by air strike during the battle.

Fallujah suffered extensive damage to residences, mosques, city services, and businesses. The city, once referred to as the "City of Mosques", had over 200 pre-battle mosques of which 60 or so were destroyed in the fighting. Perhaps half the homes suffered at least some damage. Of the roughly 50,000 buildings in Fallujah, between 7,000 and 10,000 were estimated to have been destroyed in the offensive and from half to two-thirds of the remaining buildings had notable damage.^[16][17]

While pre-offensive inhabitant figures are unreliable, the nominal population was assumed to have been 200,000–350,000. One report claims that both offensives, Operation Vigilant Resolve and Operation Phantom Fury, created 200,000 internally displaced persons who are still living elsewhere in Iraq.^[18] Reports claim that up to 6000 civilians died throughout the operation.^[19] While damage to mosques was heavy, Coalition forces reported that 66 out of the city's 133 mosques had been found to be holding significant amounts of insurgent weapons^[20].

In mid-December, residents were allowed to return after undergoing biometric identification, provided they wear their ID cards all the time. Reconstruction progressed slowly and mainly consisted of clearing rubble from heavily-damaged areas and reestablishing basic utilities. Only 10% of the pre-offensive inhabitants had returned as of mid-January, and only 30% as of the end of March 2005.^[21]

The recapture of the city itself proved to be largely a success for U.S. forces, with a large number of local insurgent fighters being killed, and the momentum the Sunni rebellion had gained from controlling the city being dashed in the face of overwhelming U.S. firepower. Furthermore, al-Qaeda's foothold in Iraq had been seriously degraded, even though its leader Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi managed to escape. Insurgent elements almost immediately began to attempt to re-group their power base in the city, with limited results.

Nevertheless the battle proved to be less than the decisive engagement that the U.S. military had hoped for, some of the nonlocal insurgents were believed to have fled before the military assault along with Zarqawi, leaving mostly local militants behind. Subsequent U.S. military operations against insurgent positions were ineffective at drawing out insurgents into another open battle, and by September 2006 the situation had deteriorated to the point that the Al-Anbar province that contained Fallujah was reported to be in total insurgent control by the U.S. Marine Corps, with the exception of only pacified Fallujah, but now with an insurgent-plagued Ramadi^[22][23]

After the U.S. military operation of November 2004, the number of insurgent attacks gradually increased in and around the city, and although news reports were often few and far between, several reports of IED attacks on Iraqi troops were reported in the press. Most notable of these attacks was a suicide car bomb attack on June 23, 2005 on a convoy that killed 6 Marines. Thirteen other Marines were injured in the attack. However, fourteen months later insurgents were again able to operate in large numbers. A third and ultimately successful push was mounted from September 2006 and lasting until mid-January 2007. Tactics developed in what has been called the "Third Battle of Fallujah," when applied on a larger scale in Ramadi and the surrounding area lead to what can be called "the Great Sunni Awakening." After four years of bitter fighting, Fallujah was turned over to the Iraqi Forces and Iraqi Provincial Authority during the Fall of 2007.

[edit] Criticism

[edit] White phosphorus usage

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Wikinews has related news: Chemical weapons used in Iraq by US military, says Italian documentary

A US M-109A6 self-propelled howitzer fires at insurgent positions in Fallujah

On November 26, 2004, independent journalist Dahr Jamail was perhaps the first to report on the use of "unusual weapons" used in the November 2004 Battle of Fallujah.[1] U.S. media watchdog group Project Censored awarded Jamail's story as contributing to the #2 under-reported story of the year, "Media Coverage Fails on Iraq".[2] On November 9, 2005 the Italian state-run broadcaster RAI ran a documentary titled "Fallujah, The Hidden Massacre" depicting what it alleges was the United States' use of white phosphorus (WP) in the attack causing insurgents and civilians to be killed or injured by chemical burns. The effects of WP were claimed to be very characteristic. Bodies were shown which were partially turned into what appears to be ash, but sometimes the hands of the bodies had skin or skin layers peeled off and hanging like gloves instead. The documentary further claims that the United States used incendiary MK-77 bombs (similar to napalm). While the use of incendiary weapons against civilians is illegal by Protocol III of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (1980), this is not binding on the United States because it is not a signatory. The documentary stated:

"WP proved to be an effective and versatile munition. We used it for screening missions at two breeches and, later in the fight, as a potent psychological weapon against the insurgents in trench lines and spider holes when we could not get effects on them with HE. We fired 'shake and bake' missions at the insurgents, using WP to flush them out and HE to take them out. .. We used improved WP for screening missions when HC smoke would have been more effective and saved our WP for lethal missions."[3]

The US State Department initially denied using white phosphorus as a munition, a claim later contradicted by the Department of Defense when bloggers discovered a US Army magazine had run a story detailing its use in Fallujah. According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), quoted by the RAI documentary, WP is allowed as an illumination device, not as an offensive weapon if its chemical properties are put to use. The OPCW has also stated that it is the toxic properties of white phosphorus that are prohibited and the use of its heat may not be prohibited.^[24][25] The US government maintains its denial of WP use against civilians, but has admitted its use as an offensive weapon against enemy combatants.^[26] An article in Washington Post exactly a year before also pointed out the use of White Phosphorus in the battle, but attracted little attention.

White phosphorus, when used for screening or as a marker, or used as an incendiary against combatant forces, is not banned by Protocol III of the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. But if used as a weapon in a civilian area, it would be prohibited. The protocol specifically excludes weapons whose incendiary effect is secondary, such as smoke grenades. This has been often read as excluding white phosphorus munitions from this protocol, as well. The United States is among the nations that are parties to the convention but have not signed Protocol III.^{[citation needed]}

Graphic visual footage of the weapons allegedly being fired from helicopters into urban areas is displayed, as well as detailed footage of the remains of those apparently killed by these weapons, including children and women. Questions have been raised concerning this footage since white phosphorus can not be delivered by helicopters in the manner shown in the film. The helicopters in the film are more likely dispensing illumination flares or counter measures to divert heat seeking surface to air missiles. The filmmakers interview ex US military soldier Jeff Englehart of Colorado who discusses the American use of white phosphorus, nicknamed "Willie Pete" (codification of "WP" - White Phosphorus) by U.S. servicemembers, in built-up areas, and describes the Fallujah offensive as "just a massive killing of Arabs." However, it was subsequently revealed that Englehart was nowhere near Fallujah at the time. And that Englehart had not identified bodies via DNA or other means to determine ethnic origin of any casualties.

[edit] Participating units

[edit] U.S. forces

Regimental Combat Team 1 (RCT-1) built around the 1st Marine Regiment:

• 3rd Battalion 1st Marines (Infantry)
• 3rd Battalion 5th Marines (Infantry)
• 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry (US Army)

• Company D, 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion (Armored)
• 3rd Platoon, Company E, 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion Armored
• 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion (Mechanized)(Armored)
• Combat Service Support Company 113, Combat Service Support Battalion 1
• Combat Service Support Company 122, Heavy Equipment Platoon, 1st Maintenance Battalion

4th Battalion 14th Marines— Battery "M" (Artillery)

• Company C, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, (Armored)
• 2nd Platoon, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry (Light)
• 2nd Tank Battalion — Co C
• TOW Platoon (-), 23rd Marines
• Scout Platoon, Headquarters & Service Company, 4th Tank Battalion
• Company A, MP Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, 2nd Marine Division
• Company B, (reinforced), 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division
• Detachment 4, 4th Civil Affairs Group
• Combat Logistics Company 115, Combat Logistics Battalion 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group
• Shock Trauma Platoon, 1st Marine Logistics Group
• Company B, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines
• Company B, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines
• Evac Platoon, Company C, 181 SPT Battalion, 81 HBCT
• 2nd Battalion 11th Marines, Kilo, Golf, HQ Btry (Artillery- Serving as Provisionary Rifle Companies)
• Motor Transport Platoon, 2nd Battalion 10th Marines, HQ Btry
• Task Force ECHO (NMCB (Naval Mobile Construction Battalion) FOUR, NMCB-TWO THREE, and Company C, 120th Engineer Battalion)

Regimental Combat Team 7 (RCT-7) built around the 7th Marine Regiment:

• 1st Battalion 3rd Marines (Infantry)
• 1st Battalion 8th Marines (Infantry)
• Task Force 2-2^[14]
  • 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment (US Army) (Mechanized)
  • F Troop, 4th Cavalry (Brigade Reconnaissance Troop)
  • 2nd Battalion, 63rd Armored Regiment
• 1st Battalion 12th Marines — Battery "C" (Artillery)
• F Troop 4th Cavalry 3rd Brigade Reconnaissance Troop 1st Infantry Division (US Army)
• 2nd Tank Battalion — Co A (Armored)
• Company C, 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion
• 44th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division
• Company C, 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion (Armored)
• Company B, MP Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group
• 3rd Platoon, Combat Engineer Company, Combat Assault Battalion, 3rd Marine Division
• 2nd Force Recon Company
• 2nd Platoon, Company C, 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion
• 1st Platoon, Engineer Company C, 6th Engineer Support Battalion
• Company C, 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
• Company A, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
• MEU Service Support Group 31, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit
• Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit THREE

2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division

• 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry (US Army)
• A Troop 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry (US Army)
• 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment
• 759th Composite MP Battalion
• 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion
• 15th Forward Support Battalion

1st Squadron, 124th Cavalry, 36th Infantry Division (Texas Army National Guard)

• CROWS Team One

US Army Special Operations Command (embedded)

[edit] Iraqi forces

• 1st Specialized Special Forces Battalion (Iraqi National Guard), Companies D and B^[27]
• Iraqi 36th Commando Battalion^[28]
• Iraqi Counterterrorism Force
• Emergency Response Unit (Iraqi-Ministry of Interior) – Attached to RCT-7^[29]
• 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, Iraqi Intervention Force (ICDC) – Operated independently of Coalition forces^[29]
• 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, Iraqi Intervention Force (IIF) – Attached to RCT-7^[29]
• 4th Battalion, 1st Brigade, Iraqi Intervention Force (IIF) – Attached to RCT-1^[29]
• 5th Battalion, 3rd Brigade, Iraqi Intervention Force (IIF) – Attached to RCT-7^[29]
• 6th Battalion, 3rd Brigade, Iraqi Intervention Force (IIF) – Attached to 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division ^[29]

[edit] British forces

• 1st Battalion The Black Watch, (Royal Regiment of Scotland)^[30]
• Royal Marines special boat squadron
• Various Royal Air Force Tornado squadrons

[edit] Films

• Fallujah, The Hidden Massacre, a controversial documentary alleging the use of white phosphorus and Mk-77 by the U.S. Army against civilians in the city. (Google Video)
• Occupation: Dreamland; Documentary film (2005) [4]

[edit] Games

• Six Days in Fallujah : follows a squad of Marines from 3rd Battalion 1st Marines over the span of the six bloodiest days in the Battle for Fallujah. It was designed with input from active-duty and retired marines from 3rd Battalion 1st Marines, as well as interviews from the U.S. Marines, Iraqi insurgents, and Iraqi civilians involved in the battle. The game currently has no publisher, for the publisher was under fire from the controversy of the game.( | Game Possibly cancelled )
• Close Combat: First to Fight : was also designed with input from active-duty and retired Marines from 3rd Battalion 1st Marines, who recently participated in combat around Fallujah, Iraq during Operation Phantom Fury that became known as the Second Battle of Fallujah .

[edit] Books

• No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah, by Bing West (2005) (ISBN 9780553804027)
• We Were One: Shoulder to Shoulder with the Marines Who Took Fallujah, by Patrick O'Donnell (2006) (ISBN 9780306814693)
• Fighting For Fallujah: A New Dawn for Iraq, by John R. Ballard (2006) (ISBN 9780275990558)
• Fallujah With Honor: First Battalion, Eighth Marine's Role in Operation Phantom Fury, by Gary Livingston (2006) (ISBN 192872406X)
• Battle of Fallujah: Occupation, Resistance And Stalemate in the War in Iraq, by Vincent L. Foulk (2006) (ISBN 0786426772)
• My Men Are My Heroes: The Brad Kasal Story, by Brad Kasal as told to Nathaniel R. Helms (2007) (ISBN 0696232367)
• On Call In Hell: A Doctor's Iraq War Story, by Cdr. Richard Jadick (2007) (ISBN 0451220536)
• House to House: An Epic Memoir of War, by SSG David Bellavia (2007) (ISBN 9781416574712)
• The Navy Cross: Extraordinary Heroism in Iraq, Afghanistan and Other Conflicts, by James E. Wise, Scott Baron (2007) (ISBN 1591149452)

[edit] See also

United States Marine Corps portal

• Iraqi Insurgency
• History of Iraqi insurgency
• Fallujah during the Iraq War
• 2004 in Iraq
• 2003 Invasion of Iraq
• Battle of Mosul (2004)
• Jose Luis Nazario, Jr.
• Ryan Weemer

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The real fury of Fallujah
• US forces 'used chemical weapons' during assault on city of Fallujah
• U.S. Broadcast Exclusive - "Fallujah: The Hidden Massacre" on the U.S. Use of Napalm-Like White Phosphorus Bombs
• Shootout: Fallujah - History Channel documentary about the Battle of Fallujah
• Eyewitness Fallujah : A British TV Cameraman's account of Operation Phantom Fury
• Unusual Weapons used in Fallujah
• The Legality of the Use of White Phosphorus by the United States Military during the 2004 Fallujah Assaults" (January 24, 2007). Berkeley Electronic Press Preprint Series. Working Paper 1959.