The Battle Of Fallujah : A Sunni Dominate City Of Al Anbar

One of the most famous religious splits in human history is the well known Sunni-Shia split. The Sunni-Shia split is highly divisive throughout the world, and predominantly in the Middle East. These sects share similarities, such as they all believe that Allah is the one true god, and Muhammad is his messenger. They also believe in the same five religious pillars that Muslims follow. Although these sects are very similar, there is one big schismatic difference that separates the two. This difference lies with the question of: “Who is the rightful successor of the Prophet Muhammad?” Through this 1,400 year conflict Most sunnis believe that Abu Bakr the Prophet 's closest companion is the true successor. In contrast most Shias believe that Ali, who was the prophet 's cousin and son in law is the true successor. Abu bakr was the rightful heir to lead Muslims after the Prophet’s death. Abu Bakr was arguably his closest confidant throughout their lives, and Abu Bakr understood the Messenger teachings the best. It can also be argued that that Ali would be the fourth caliph instead of the first because choosing a successor to the Prophet based on bloodline could be seen as committing idolatry according to Islamic teaching.

When the United States seized control over Iraq, many Iraqi citizens were left without a job. As a result of this widespread unemployment, recruitment for Muslim extremist groups thrived. Lt. General Michael Flynn, a key figure of the War, has admitted “As brutal as Saddam Hussein was, it was a mistake to just eliminate him.” Flynn went on to say. “The same is true for Moammar Gadhafi and for Libya, which is now a failed state. The historic lesson is that it was a strategic failure to go into Iraq. History will not be and should not be kind with that

The main goal of the war in the beginning was to kill Osama bin Laden, the leader of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda that was supposedly responsible for the September 11 attacks. When this task was finally accomplished, members of al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and other organizations became angry and vengeful and started to resent the United States even more; new terrorist groups emerged, such as ISIS or ISIL. The “War on Terror” has therefore become an “Encouragement of Terror.” In addition, the war has exacerbated the reputation of the United States among American and Middle Eastern citizens. When the war first started, the media used propaganda techniques to influence people to support the troops and the president in the war effort. Because the war has raged on for 13 years and has caused thousands of deaths, the people of America have started to lose hope in their government, and the amount of war protests have dramatically increased since 2001. People originally supported the United States in their intention of setting up a democratic government in Afghanistan in an effort to help the people living there. This claim ended up being a propaganda technique in order to raise support for the war; even though the United States has helped improve some conditions and the lives of civilians, their original goals have not been met. This method proved

The disbanding of the Iraqi army and “debathification” or dismantling of the government in place only served to increase the casualties of American troops and Iraqi civilians as the radical Sunni insurgency expanded. This point of cause and effect, clash of two distinct political and cultural worlds, defined this war for the generation serving, at home and the future generations. The threat of increasing terrorism after the attack of September 11, 2001 was one of the driving force of invasion of Iraq. However, in one analysis the increase of global terrorism today is told to be well contributed by the conflicts that were fueled by the western presence in Iraq and the surrounding

suffered the same issues during the 2003 Iraq War and made the same mistakes the British made in the American Revolutionary war. The U.S. failed to allocate the proper number of troop strength. The lack of control of the civilian population and the mistakes the U.S. made in Abu Ghraib became the rally cry for the insurgents. (Montanus, 2005) The United States initially losing the hearts and minds of the populous and as a result there were more Iraqis supporting the efforts against the United States. The difference between the U.S. now and the British 200 years ago, the U.S. adapted and formed a strategy to help the local populace. The U.S. opened dialogues with the Tribes to resolve conflicts and issues in order to win their support for the war. The U.S. assisted the Iraqi’s create a democratic government, provided logistic support and training of the country’s security forces, and resulted in stabilizing the country. (Montanus, 2005) The U.S. established a Counter-Insurgency

The Second Battle of Fallujah was fought during OIF 2 (Operation Iraqi Freedom). Operation Iraqi Freedom 2 began at about March-April 2004 and lasted until February-March 2005. The Second Battle of Fallujah began 7 November 2004 and ended 23 December 2004. The objective of the operation was to capture or kill those responsible for murders and, corrupt activities, and end the rise of the insurgency in the city. The intent of the operation was to restore control of

The U.S. military made the same mistakes initially in the 2003 Iraq War. The U.S. failed to allocate the proper number of troop strength, failed to adapt to the terrain, and failed to foresee the used of improvised explosive device (IED). The U.S. also lacked control of the civilian population, and the mistakes in Abu Ghraib became the rally cry for the insurgents, which the Iraqis rose to support the insurgency. (Montanus, 2005) However, the lessons learned from the British 200 years ago, the U.S. adapted and formed a concept to win the hearts of mine of the people into their counterinsurgency operation. The U.S. allocated more troops, adapted to the terrain, and employed new method to defeat IEDs. Furthermore, they opened dialogues with the Tribes, resolved conflicts, and addressed issues in order to win their support for the war. The U.S. assisted the Iraqi’s create a democratic government, provided logistic support, training

With numerous opinions regarding whether the United States should continue airstrikes, re-send troops, or go another route, it is difficult to resolve the situation. Former Michigan representative Kerry Bentivolio’s thoughts that the removal of the United States’ troops from Iraq allowed the militant group easier access to overthrow the government is shared by many conservatives. Bentivolio (2009, para. 10) said in his address to congress

5 Operation Desert storm was a war between the U.S and Iraq. To those of us who are too young to remember this conflict is one that my grandfather tells me constantly that the price of freedom is never free. Armed forces of the united states and 100 other countries joined in a massive coalition of power to defeat a country called iraq led by a tyrant and dictator Saddam hussein into invading and occupying Kuwait. Naval and air forces and army and marine ground forces of America joined with countries such as Saudi Arabia , france ,Germany ,England ,Italy and other Arab countries joined into one effort to invade Kuwait and liberate that country from tyrannical rule. Where is and always will be the last option because of the deaths of thousands of people both friendly and enemy of soldier and civilian. By this conflict that started in January 1991 and is famously called the hundred hour

While almost the entire Iraq war was mired in controversy, no one moment was more inundated with it than the Second Battle of Fallujah, a two month knock down drag out fight between coalition forces and radical Jihadists, it was the war’s magnum opus with urban combat rivaling what Marines faced in 1968 on the streets of Hue city Vietnam during the Tet offensive (Head, 105). While many debate the war overall the focus of this essay is on the battle itself and how the US government created the circumstances in which the insurgency in Fallujah could flourish as well as the ideology and motives of the Jihadi fighters and US forces and why the battle was necessary for US forces to wage so they could begin the process of bringing western

The plan to send more than 100,00 troops home by September 2003 was now absolutely out of the question. As the war continued, thousands of Iraqis were swept up in raids. The reality became that you’d go into a village and just arrest everybody. Things were beginning to get out of hand, the Defense Department decided it wanted Iraq to be given back to the Iraqis as soon as possible. Soon after the discussion, the US Army captured Saddam Hussein and he shared that he was willing to negotiate. Many believed that this would lower the tension in Iraq, but they were absolutely wrong. Four American contractors were murdered and two of the bodies were hung from a bridge. This upset George Bush very much and he demanded that the Marines retaliate. The Marines took the order and moved into the city, killing people. Once the Marines were ordered to stop fighting, they were now ordered to simply surround Fallujah and contain the insurgents. Soon after this, Bremer formed a new government, and handed Iraq back to the Iraqis.

Syria is currently all over the news regarding what many have to come to see as a civil war. A term like civil war needs to identify the players and the reasons for the war. In this case the players are being identified as pro government or antigovernment with a Sunni or Shia overtone. Sunni and Shia are the two major sects of Islam and both have a historical based conflict going back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad and how Muslims should be governed. This conflict has caused tensions and violence to flare up throughout Islamic history. This conflict has carried into modern times and has becoming a rallying point for Muslim people calling for change with their government and across the Middle Eastern region. The

The Persian King, King Shapur renamed the city Piruz-Shapur (“Victorious Shapur”)4. For six centuries the city was prized during Persian and Roman wars. The Persians never lost control and turned the city into a lavish place to live. In 1920, Fallujah would again be a site for another battle after the assignation of a British Officer and explorer, Lt. Col. Gerald Leachman. The British would wage a massive air attack and dropped bombs indiscriminately killing anyone within reach. In the end, over 1000 British soldiers and 10,000 Iraqis were killed. With a long history of war and radical religious attitude, Fallujah turned into a capital of insurgency in Iraq. For more the 200 years or 10 generations, Fallujah was influenced by Wahabbi or Salafi ideas. These ideas came out of the eastern part of Saudi Arabia in the late 18th century. Meaning people of the city are linked together through tribes, marriage, and family to Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq, and Jordan due to the city being a seaport5. With a long history of war and radical religious attitude, Fallujah turned into a capital of insurgency in Iraq.

We are surrounded by many religions and their way of thinking and teaching that contributes to bring peace to the world. Even though, meaning of Islam is total submission to G-d and to follow his will, Islam is divided into two groups, Shia, Sunni and their view of the religion Islam. The blood shadings between Shia and Sunni in the history of Islamic interfaith differences have affected future generations, since the death of Prophet Muhammad in A.D. 632, which have affected educational and social opportunity for future generations. So, dose believing in will of G-d bring peace or death, hate or hormone? What is the mission of Islamic groups who call themselves Sunnis and Shias, to bring peace to the world or work against the universal believes that everyone is created equal and must be treated like a human being.

The 2nd Battle of Fallujah was fought during OIF 2 (Operation Iraqi Freedom). Operation Iraqi Freedom 2 began at about March-April 2004 and lasted until February-March 2005. The 2nd Battle of Fallujah began 7 November 2004 and ended 23 December 2004. The objective of the operation was to capture or kill those responsible for murders and, corrupt activities, and end the rise of the insurgency in the city. The intent of the operation was to restore control of the city to the Coalition and the Iraqi Governing Council. Some of the events that led to the 2nd Battle of Fallujah were the U.S. forces being unsuccessful during Operation Vigilant Resolve (the 1st Battle of Fallujah) to capture the city and the Fallujah Brigade failing to maintain control of the city.