Abu Hishma ( ar, أبو هشمة) is a small
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
i town, with a population of approximately 7,000.
[Filkins, Dexter. '']The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
''.
Tough New Tactics by U.S. Tighten Grip on Iraq Towns
December 7, 2003.
Iraq War
During the
Invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...
, the orchards outside the village were the site of a number of mortar launches, and on November 17, 2003 Staff Sgt. Dale Panchot was killed when his
Bradley vehicle was hit by an
RPG.
Immediately following the attack, the
4th Infantry Division encased the entire village in
Concertina wire
Concertina wire or Dannert wire is a type of barbed wire or razor wire that is formed in large coils which can be expanded like a concertina. In conjunction with plain barbed wire (and/or razor wire/tape) and steel pickets, it is most ofte ...
, and began hunting for those responsible. The following day, a 500 lb bomb was dropped on the house that had sheltered the attackers, and eight
sheikhs, the police chief, city council and police chief were all arrested by American forces.
The US Forces, led by Lt. Col. Nathan Sassaman of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, issued villagers English-language ID cards that identified them by number, their age and what type of vehicle they drove.
This led critics to decry the
collective punishment
Collective punishment is a punishment or sanction imposed on a group for acts allegedly perpetrated by a member of that group, which could be an ethnic or political group, or just the family, friends and neighbors of the perpetrator. Because ind ...
, a tactic forbidden
by the 33rd Article of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
On July 2, 2006, insurgent mortars landed in the yard of an Abu Hishma home, near 4th Infantry Division troops, killing a local girl picking tomatoes. The event made military headlines, as Staff Sgt. Donald White vowed to find those responsible.
[Soldier makes vow to Iraqi family]
Army reports contradicted whether the mortars had been launched from the girl's yard and misfired or had landed in her yard when distant insurgents had been targeting the nearby ''
LSA Anaconda''.
On December 3, 2006 - Spc. Kenneth W. Haines was killed when an
IED exploded, damaging his vehicle, in the village.
DefenseLink News Release: DoD Identifies Army Casualty
/ref>
In 2010 2-11 Field Artillery assumed command of the region. Mortars were constantly being launched toward JBB. Bravo Battery was responding to a QRF mission when the platoon came under contact. 2nd Platoon with the help of the Iraqi Army captured the three individuals who were responsible for a larger terror organization. 2nd Platoon came into contact from enemy fire several times during their deployment from the small town. A gunner is said to had taken sniper fire into his gunners hatch.
References
{{coord missing, Iraq
Populated places in Iraq