First Battle of Fallujah

For other uses, see Battle of Fallujah (disambiguation).

First Battle of Fallujah
Part of the Iraq War and the war on terror

A U.S. Marine from the 1st Marine Division mans an M240G machine gun outside the Fallujah city limits in April 2004.
Date4 April – 1 May 2004
(3 weeks and 6 days)
Location
Fallujah, Iraq
Result

Insurgent victory

Sunni rebels gain control over the city
Belligerents
 United States Al-Qaeda in Iraq
Islamic Army in Iraq
Ba'ath Party loyalists
Other Sunni insurgents
Commanders and leaders
United States James T. Conway
United States James Mattis
United States John A. Toolan		 Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Units involved
I Marine Expeditionary Force
82nd Airborne Division
101st Airborne Division
3rd Cavalry Regiment
10th Mountain Division
1st Infantry Division
5th Special Forces Group
Delta Force
Blackwater USA		 Islamic Army in Iraq
Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad
Strength
10,000+[1] 3,600[1]
Casualties and losses
27 killed[2][3] 184–228 killed (Iraq Body Count)[4][5][2]
572–616 civilians killed (Iraq Body Count)[4][5]

The First Battle of Fallujah, code-named Operation Vigilant Resolve, was an operation against militants in Fallujah as well as an attempt to apprehend or kill the perpetrators of the killing of four U.S. contractors in March 2004.

The chief catalyst for the operation was the highly publicized killing and mutilation of four Blackwater USA private military contractors,[6] and the killings of five American soldiers in Habbaniyah a few days earlier.[7]

The battle, and especially the images of Iraqi civilians killed or injured in the fighting, caused many Iraqis to become resentful of the US presence. Western journalists found that even some Iraqis who previously supported the US invasion, and welcomed American state-building efforts, became increasingly alienated and skeptical of such promises.[8]

  1. ^ a b "Marines, Iraqis join forces to shut down Fallujah". CNN. 6 April 2004. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
  2. ^ a b "First Battle of Fallujah | Iraq War | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference icasualties was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b "IBC Fallujah April 2004 News Digest". Iraq Body Count. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
  5. ^ a b "No Longer Unknowable: Falluja's April Civilian Toll is 600". Iraq Body Count. 26 October 2004. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
  6. ^ Operation Vigilant Resolve, GlobalSecurity.org.
  7. ^ "Official Website for Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton – The Scout Newspaper". Cpp.usmc.mil. Archived from the original on 20 January 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
  8. ^ Christian Science Monitor, Siege of Fallujah polarizing Iraqis, 15 April 2004