The Occupation of Fallujah

During The Iraq War

By Gordon Thiessen

Where is Fallujah?

• Fallujah is a city located in Iraq about 50 km from Baghdad. The United States tried to Occupy Fallujah during the Iraq War.

Fallujah before the War

• Before the Iraq War, Fallujah was a part of the Gulf War in 1991. Around 200 civilians died by four bombs dropped by a British jet.• Before the occupation, Fallujah was one of the most peaceful areas of the country since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Reason for the occupation of Fallujah

The main reasons for the war in Iraq are quite uncertain, ranging from the “Weapons of Mass Destruction” (WMD) to Oil.

• Two of the suspected reasons for the occupation of Fallujah is for the search of the WMDs, or to find terrorists.

When did the occupation start?

• The United States entered Fallujah early in the war. The occupation started on April 23, 2003.

How was the occupation received by the Iraqi citizens?• The arrival of the United States soldiers

was originally received by the Iraqi people peacefully.

• However, both sides contributed to a battle, starting with the killing of 17 Iraqi civilians by the US forces.

Iraqi response to the deaths of 17 citizens.

• In response to the killing of 17 Iraqi citizens, Iraqi insurgents ambushed a convoy that had four American military contractors inside. The four contractors, were beaten to death.

The Siege of Fallujah In response to the

killing of the four contractors, the US Marines surrounded the city to attempt to capture the individuals responsible.

• The Marines suffered 40 deaths in the siege, while the Iraqi civilian and soldier deaths ranged from 271-731.

The Siege of Fallujah (cont.)

• There were many reports of US snipers firing upon and killing unarmed citizens, including children, and also firing upon marked ambulances.

The Siege of Fallujah (cont.)

• Although there were reports of cluster bombs being dropped by the US forces, the US state department declared that statement “totally false.”

The use of white phosphorus The use of white

phosphorus by US forces is controversial and has reportedly resulted in an increase in birth deformities in the city.

“Ceasefire”• The ceasefire followed a

wave of insurgency activity across southern Iraq, which also included the capture of two US soldiers, seven employees of the US military, and more than 50 workers in Iraq

• The US forces wanted to negotiate a settlement but promised to restart its offensive to conquer the city if one was not reached.

“Ceasefire” (cont.)

Although the Iraqi people did not take it seriously, they did hit-and-run attacks on US Marine positions

By that point, Marines had announced a unilateral ceasefire.

Peace At Last

• At the beginning of May 2004, the US Marine Corps announced a ceasefire due to the intense political pressure.

• Most of the fighting was reduced to the southern industrial district, which has the lowest population in the city.

• As negotiations and situations were settled and agreed upon, the US forces and the Iraqi people got what they wanted

Peace At Last (cont.) After the negotiations

were made and both sides were satisfied, inside the city, mosques proclaimed the victory of the insurgents over the United States.

Celebratory banners appeared around the city, and the fighters paraded through the town on trucks.

Aftermath of the Occupation of Fallujah

Up to 6000 Iraqi civilians were killed throughout the operation.

More than half of Fallujah’s 39,000 homes were damaged. With around 10,000 of those destroyed.

Around 60 schools and 65 mosques were destroyed.

Reconstruction after the occupation was slow and was mainly clearing rubble.

The Iraq War (current) The War in Iraq is

continuing to this day with numerous deaths from both sides.

The documented Iraqi civilian death toll is between 91,924-100,348.

The American Military Casualties in Iraq is around 4,294, with only 3,442 in combat.