Iraqi Security Force Operations in Sadr City

In conjunction with Operation Charge of Knights, carried out in late March 2008 against Shiite militias in Basra, coalition forces increased their presence in Sadr City.  On March 26, Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and elements from the U.S. 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, and 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division began clearing the Baghdad district despite heavy enemy resistance.<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[i]<!--[endif]-->  From rooftop positions, Shiite militias used sniper fire, improvised explosive devices, and rocket-propelled grenades to attack the 42nd brigade, 11th Iraqi Army Division and its U.S. counterparts.<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[ii]<!--[endif]-->  In response to these barrages, Iraqi and American soldiers counterattacked with small arms fire and missiles deployed from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[iii]<!--[endif]-->  After pushing into Sadr City via the district’s main thoroughfare, U.S. and Iraqi forces “split the area into at least two sections,” installed concrete barriers, and set up fighting positions.<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[iv]<!--[endif]-->  Iraqi and U.S. units also deployed their own snipers to patrol the rooftops overlooking their sectors.<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[v]<!--[endif]-->     

In effort to place Iraqi forces in the lead and increase ISF credibility in the eyes of Iraqi citizens, U.S. soldiers placed Iraqi formations “hundreds of yards ahead of the farthest American position and in the thick of the fight.”<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[vi]<!--[endif]-->  Although U.S. forces hoped this approach would build the Iraqi military’s fighting capacity, some ISF have been hesitant to engage the Shiite militias that attack from alley strongholds.<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[vii]<!--[endif]-->  This leaves the enemy free to target Iraqi positions with mortars, RPGs, and small arms fire.<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[viii]<!--[endif]-->  Although many Iraqi units have defended their sectors “through several long firefights,” others succumbed to militia intimidation and attacks by deserting their posts.<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[ix]<!--[endif]-->  Iraqi fires discipline has also been a problem.  The Iraqi soldiers that have remained in place continue to endanger themselves and American forces by firing wildly in response to militia gunfire.<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[x]<!--[endif]-->