Triangle of Death (Iraq)

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For other uses, see Triangle of Death and Triangle of Death (Algeria).

During the 2003-present occupation of Iraq, the name Triangle of Death was given by U.S. and allied forces to a region south of Baghdad which saw major combat activity during the last months of 2004.

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[edit] Description of the Area

The "Triangle of Death" (not to be confused with the much larger Sunni Triangle further north) lies between Baghdad and Al Hillah, is inhabited by Sunni majority, and contains several large towns in the Babil Governorate including Yusufiyah, Mahmoudiyah, Iskandariyah and Latifiyah. The major terrain feature of the Triangle of Death is the Euphrates River, which borders the Triangle to the southwest. The terrain is mostly farm land, but is sliced by many irrigation ditches. These farms are usually small, being maintained by the families that own the land. The weather is generally consistent with the rest of Iraq, with the exception of increased humidity due to the area's proximity to the Euphrates River and irrigation canals used for farming.

Musayyib is home to the Musayyib Power Plant, a frequent target of insurgent attacks due to its infrastructure importance. The power plant is capable of supplying one-fourth to one-third of Iraq's electricity demands if it were fully operational. As of October 2006, it is at roughly 33% of its maximum output. Because of the indirect fire attacks on the facility, US forces currently man a Forward Operating Base (known as FOB Dragon) on the grounds of the power plant.

[edit] Sociological Causes of Violence in the Area

Analysts generally attribute this area's high level of violence to the tension from the Sunni majority population, the Saddam Hussein era military industrial complex in the area (such as the al-Quds General Company for Mechanical Industries, the al-Musayyib Ammunition Depot, and the Al Qa'qaa Munitions Facility), the current lack of economic alternatives to joining the insurgency, and the near endless supply of munitions stored throughout the area (in part due to the looting of the munitions facilities after the fall of the Hussein Regime).

[edit] Recent Violence

After the fall of the Hussein Regime, the area's population suffered from unemployment. One city in the Northern Babil Governorate, al Hillah, has been a frequent target of insurgent attacks. As of JAN 2006, al Hillah has seen the single most deadly suicide bombing in the Iraqi War when on 28 FEB 2005 125 Iraqis were killed. Other suicide attacks on 30 MAY 2005 (20 killed), 30 MAY 2006 (12 killed), and 30 AUG 2006 (12 killed) have occurred in al Hillah. On 16 JUL 2005, Musayyib saw one of the most savage attacks of the war, when a suicide bomber driving a fuel truck detonated himself and the fuel truck killing at least 98 Iraqis. The Triangle of Death often sees catastrophic attacks like these due to the proximity to both Baghdad and Fallujah-Ramadi area, where suicide bombers usually meet before heading to their intended targets. The Triangle of Death has also reportedly used as the staging area for attacks in Baghdad, specifically the 24 October 2005 attack on the Palestine Hotel. The Triangle of Death saw several deadly secular attacks during the 2007 Ashura celebrations.

Even though most insurgent attacks in the Triangle of Death are against Iraqi civilian and Iraqi government forces, U.S. forces have also been the target of a variety of attacks.

On June 16, 2006, one American Soldier (Specialist David J. Babineau) was killed and two other Soldiers (PFC Thomas L. Tucker and PV2 Kristian Menchaca) were kidnapped near the Jifr Sukr Bridge (located on the Euphrates River in southwestern Yusufiyah) after their HMMWV was attacked. Their remains were found four days later, on the side of a canal road near Patrol Base Swamp in Shakaria (approximately 10 kilometers northeast from where they were ambushed). The bodies were discovered by 3rd Platoon, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment (101st Airborne Division), led by SFC Jason Beaton. The report from the US Army Graves Registration team indicated that the bodies had been dismembered, mutilated, burned and beheaded, as well as rigged with an IED between one of the victim's legs. The Mujahadeen Shura Council (a prominent insurgent group operating in the Yusifiyah enclave) later released a video showing the mutilatated bodies of the missing Soldiers.

On May 12, 2007, a members of Delta Company, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment (of the US Army's 10th Mountain Division) were attacked with IED, rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire while operating in the vicinity of the Qarghouli tribe region of Yusufiyah. The ambush left five Soldiers dead and three missing. The body of one these missing Soldiers was found in the Euphrates River in Musayyib. The other two missing soldiers have not been found, but on 4 June 2007 the Mujahadeen Shura Council released a video showing the Soldiers' military identification cards and said the soldiers were dead.

[edit] Military in the area

Numerous units have been stationed in the Triangle since 2003. Initial deployments began with very rudimentary and temporary quartering, but later expanded to extensive troop commitments and culminated in 2007 with multiple brigades incurring 15-month deployments under the command of Multi-National Division-Central headed by 3rd Infantry Division Headquarters. Attacks dropped dramatically from the spring through fall of 2007 following the activation of Multi-National Division-Central and an increase in operational tempo following the kidnapping of soldiers from 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry near Yusifiyah in May 2007. Most areas are now under effective control of local authorities with local inhabitants declining to participate in insurgencies led by Al Qaeda in Iraq and Jaysh al Mahdi. Units stationed in the area since 2003 have included the following:

  • 1st Battalion 2nd Marines (24th Marine Expeditionary Unit) (2004 - 2005)
  • 155th Brigade Combat Team (Mississippi National Guard) (2005)
  • 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment attached to the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment (2005)
  • 1-108 Armor Battalion, 48th Brigade Combat Team (Georgia National Guard) (2005)
  • 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team 101st Airborne Division (September 2005- October 2006)
  • Military Transition Team 842 (2005-Present)
  • 2nd Brigade 4th Infantry Division (2006)
  • 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment (Rakkasan), 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (October 2007-2008)

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