Battle of Najaf (2007)

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Battle of Najaf (2007) Part of the Iraq War, Iraqi insurgency Date January 28 - 29, 2007 Location Zarqa, Najaf Governorate, Iraq Result Joint Iraqi, US, and UK Victory Combatants Iraq United States United Kingdom Soldiers of Heaven Commanders Othman al-Ghanemi Ahmed Ismail Katte† Dia Abdul-Zahra†[1] Strength unknown 800 Casualties 11-25 killed (Iraqi forces) 2 killed (US) 1 AH-64 shot down Iraqi estimates of about 263 killed, 502 captured (disputed; see below)

Iraq War Invasion – Post-invasion (Insurgency – Civil War) Battles & operations – Bombings and terrorist attacks

The Battle of Najaf took place on 28 January 2007 at Zarqa (alt. Zarga) near Najaf, Iraq, between Iraqi forces (later assisted by U.S. and UK forces) and either, depending on the account, fighters, initially thought to be insurgents but later reported to be members of a Shi'ite cult Soldiers of Heaven, who had joined a gathering of worshippers - or, by other accounts, a conflict, originally between an Iraqi government forces checkpoint and 200 armed pilgrims, which then expanded to include local residents, the Soldiers of Heaven group, and UK and US forces.

It occurred in the lead-up to the Day of Ashura which involves large numbers of pilgrims travelling, some to Najaf, some 1.5 million to the city of Karbala, 70 km north of Najaf, for Shiite festivals. Violent attacks have occurred in Najaf during previous Ashura festivals. Part of the plot was said to be an assassination of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani^{[citation needed]}.

Contents 1 Iraqi security force account 1.1 Battle 2 The Independent account 2.1 Beginning 2.2 Battle 2.3 Local politics 3 Aftermath 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Iraqi security force account

[edit] Battle

The raid turned into heavy fighting, with the Iraqi Army almost being overwhelmed. The government forces began to retreat but were soon surrounded and pinned down. During the hours-long battle, rebel fighters captured one wounded Iraqi soldier; they treated him at the compound and sent him back to his comrades with a message saying "the imam is coming back."^[2] At one point the Iraqi forces called on the radio to say that they were running low on ammunition.^{[citation needed]}

The fighting became so intense that support from US and British attack helicopters and F-16 fighter jets^[3] was called in. The airstrikes helped break the stalemate, but not before one American attack helicopter was shot down, killing two American soldiers. However, the Iraqi Army was still unable to advance, and they called in support from both an elite Iraqi unit known as the Scorpion Brigade, which is based to the north in Hilla, and American ground troops. Around noon, elements of the American 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, were dispatched from near Baghdad.

US and Iraqi troops killed 263 and captured 502 rebels in the fierce fighting around the city.^[4] The majority of the fighters were Iraqi, but Brigadier General Fadhil Barwari stated that the group included 30 Afghans and Saudis and one Sudanese fighter. Shi'ite political sources said the gunmen appeared to be both Sunnis and Shi'ites loyal to a heretical cleric called Ahmed Ismail Katte,^[5] and linked to the militant group Ansar al-Sunna.^[6]

[edit] The Independent account

This account is based on articles by; Patrick Cockburn^[7] and, working together, Dahr Jamail and Ali al-Fadhily.^[8]

[edit] Beginning

At around 6 a.m. Hajj Sa'ad Sa'ad Nayif al-Hatemi, chief of the Hawatim Shia tribe, led a group of armed pilgrims from that tribe to a security checkpoint. Security forces killed al-Hatemi, his wife, and his driver. The pilgrims, who had walked alongside the car to the checkpoint, then attacked the security forces in retaliation.

[edit] Battle

A local tribe, the Khaza'il, tried to stop the fighting but were shot at in the crossfire. Forces at the checkpoint reported Al-Qaeda forces were attacking and more security forces arrived in response, surrounding the Hawatim. The Hawatim tried unsuccessfully to stop the fighting at this stage. Firing continued and a U.S. helicopter was shot down. U.S. aircraft bombarded the area until early the next morning. 120 Hawatim and local residents were killed.

[edit] Local politics

The group lead by Ahmad al-Hassani is based in the local area of the fighting and was drawn into it. They, the Hawatim and the Khaza'il, all are opposed to groups that make "the core of the Baghdad government". The presence of Ahmad al-Hassani's group provided justification for a massacre of opponents to important groups in the Iraqi government.

[edit] Aftermath

At least six Iraqi policemen and five Iraqi soldiers had died in the fighting along with the two American soldiers. Another 15 policemen and 15 soldiers were wounded; among them was the Najaf's police chief. Another Iraqi military official put the death toll for Iraqi security forces to at least 25.^[9] The Iraqi army said it captured some 500 automatic rifles in addition to mortars, at least 40 machine guns, Russian-made Katyusha rockets and even some anti-aircraft missiles.

Information recovered from dead and captured fighters indicate they belonged to a renegade Shi'ite group which called themselves the Soldiers of Heaven (Jund al-Samaa) and have been described as an apocalyptic religious cult.^[3][2] The cult leader, Ahmed Ismail Katte, who claimed to be the Mahdi, a messiah-like prophet in Shia Islam, was also reported to be killed.^[10] Iraqi officials said that the leader, Ahmed Ismail Katte, was a Sunni from a Sunni stronghold of Zubayr near Basra in the south. He represented himself as Ahmad bin al-Hassan al-Basri (a Shia name) to win over support for his cause. His deputy was identified as Dia Abdul Zahra Kadim, also known as Ahmed Hassan al-Yamani, who was believed to be a former security officer from the old regime. Dia claimed that he was the messenger for the Mahdi.^[11] The U.S. military has referred to them only as gunmen, not insurgents or terrorists.

The Iraqi authorities may also have exaggerated their own military success. The signs are that they underestimated the strength of the Soldiers of Heaven and had to call for urgent American air support.^[12]

One U.S. adviser to Iraqi security forces cautioned against exaggerated casualty reports from the Iraqi government, saying, "There are rumors everywhere", "The whole situation is so bizarre."^[2] The adviser also questioned how the Soldiers of Heaven force had grown and remained undetected until this conflict. Iraqi officials say the group's stronghold included tunnels, trenches and blockades. The same location is also reported to include a swimming pool, air conditioned beauty salon, car-bomb making workshop and a car dismantling workshop and is described as a "compound".^[13] A neighbor said the residents had a history of "criminal activity, including car theft."

Government soldiers swept the area during the whole night of 28 January-29 January 2007, but some of the gunmen managed to break out toward Karbala. On February 1, the city of Najaf was cordoned off, and subsequently Iraqi Government and U.S. forces appear to be involved in heavy fighting, including helicopter gunship support. The opposing forces seem to be Jund al-Samaa fighters inside the city limits^{[citation needed]}. This contradicts initial assessment that the group was effectively destroyed after the battle of January 28, but independently verified information is not available as of February 2.

A senior Shiite cleric, Aytollah al-hasani al-Sarkhi, was reported on the 6 February 2007, to be calling for an independent inquiry into what "many in Iraq now regard as a ‘massacre’ in which scores of women and children were killed.". The Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, accused the government of concealing the truth about the event.^[14]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Wikimapia: Satellite image of Najaf and Zarga
• Healing Iraq blog: Map of Najaf and Zarga