The Battle of Ramadi was fought during the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror , image ...

from March 2006 to November 2006, for control of the capital of the Al Anbar Governorate in western Iraq. A joint US military force under the command 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division and

Iraqi Security Forces The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) is a term used by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to describe law enforcement and military forces of the federal government of the Republic of Iraq. During the Iraq War, these entities received trainin ...

fought insurgents for control of key locations in Ramadil. Coalition strategy relied on establishing a number of patrol bases called Combat Operation Posts throughout the city. U.S. military officers believe that insurgent actions during the battle led to the formation of the

Anbar Awakening The Sons of Iraq ( ar, أبناء العراق ''Abnāʼ al-ʻIrāq'') were coalitions between tribal sheikhs in the Al Anbar province in Iraq as well as former Saddam Hussein's Iraqi military officers that united in 2005 to maintain stability i ...

. In August, insurgents executed a tribal sheik who was encouraging his kinsmen to join the Iraqi police and prevented his body from being buried in accordance with Islamic laws. In response,

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

sheiks banded together to drive insurgents from Ramadi. In September 2006, Sheik

Abdul Sattar Abu Risha Abdul Sattar Abu Risha ( ar, عبد الستار أبو ريشة) – Sheikh Abdul Sattar Eftikhan al-Rishawi الشيخ عبد الستار افتيخان الريشاوي – (born 1972 – 13 September 2007) was a high-profile Iraqi tribal she ...

formed the Anbar Salvation Council, an alliance of approximately 40 Sunni tribes. U.S. Navy SEAL Michael A. Monsoor was posthumously awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

for actions during the battle. On September 29, 2006, he threw himself upon a grenade which threatened the lives of the other members of his team. Monsoor had previously been awarded the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

in May for rescuing an injured comrade in the city. The battle also marked the first use of chlorine bombs by insurgents during the war. On October 21, 2006, insurgents detonated a car-bomb with two 100-pound chlorine tanks, injuring three Iraqi policemen and a civilian in Ramadi.

Background

Since the

fall of Fallujah The Fall of Fallujah was a battle in the city of Fallujah in western Iraq that took place from late 2013 to early 2014, in which ISIL and other Sunni insurgents captured the city of Fallujah. It was one of the first Iraqi cities to fall out of t ...

in 2004, Ramadi had been the center of the insurgency in Iraq. The Islamic State of Iraq, a front group for

al-Qaeda in Iraq Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI; ar, القاعدة في العراق, al-Qā'idah fī al-ʿIrāq) or Al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia ( ar, القاعدة في بلاد الرافدين, al-Qā'idah fī Bilād ar-Rāfidayn), officially known as ''Tanzim Qaidat a ...

, had declared the city to be its capital. The city of 500,000, located 110 kilometres (68 mi) west of Baghdad, was a contested territory between US forces and insurgents. Law and order had broken down, and street battles were common.

Prelude

Since 2005, 2nd Brigade, 28th Infantry Division had responsibility for the area of Ramadi. The

Pennsylvania Army National Guard The Pennsylvania Army National Guard, abbreviated PAARNG, is part of the United States Army National Guard and is based in the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Together with the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, it is directed by the Pennsylva ...

brigade had two attached infantry battalions; 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, and the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. Following a very promising Iraqi local election with over 80 percent voter turnout and 2-28 ID's success in recruiting 671 Iraqi police recruits, al-Qaeda in Iraq targeted the city for attacks. On January 5, 2006, AQI conducted a suicide bombing that killed 56 Iraqi police recruits and 2-28 ID's tribal and police engagement officer. A few days later, AQI assassinated half of the tribal leaders of Anbar's People's Committee. AQI and allied fighters took over large sections of Ramadi following complex attacks on the city center. 2-28 ID conducted battalion-sized sweeps of neighborhoods, killing hundreds of enemy fighters, but the areas would be quickly reoccupied by AQI after the 2-28ID returned to its forward operating bases. The 2-28 ID had taken heavy casualties, losing 82 soldiers' lives and had an additional 611 soldiers wounded. The brigade had limited intelligence on the enemy and was under resourced for the task at hand. Large areas of the city had no US presence. Soldiers of brigade were attacked an average of 20 times a day. Aware of a deteriorating security situation,

Multi-National Force – Iraq The Multi-National Force – Iraq (MNF–I), often referred to as the Coalition forces, was a military command during the 2003 invasion of Iraq and much of the ensuing Iraq War, led by the United States of America ( Operation Iraqi Freedom), Unit ...

commander General

George W. Casey Jr. George William Casey Jr. (born July 22, 1948) is a retired four-star general who served as the 36th Chief of Staff of the United States Army from April 10, 2007, to April 10, 2011. He served as Commanding General, Multi-National Force – Iraq fr ...

cancelled a transition of responsibility to Iraqi forces and determined that 2nd Brigade, 28th Infantry Division would be replaced by a much larger US force at the end of their tour in June 2006. General Casey selected Colonel

Sean MacFarland Lieutenant General Sean Barry MacFarland (born February 12, 1959) is a retired three-star general who served in the United States Army. In 2015 MacFarland, then commanding III Corps, was selected as commander of the coalition against ISIS in Sy ...

's 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division to relieve the 2-28 ID. The BCT would augmented by numerous forces including two battalion from 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division and various special operations forces, predominately

U.S. Navy SEALs The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sma ...

. 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment and 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment would complete their tour under Colonel MacFarland's command. Defense

Arrival of the 1st Armored Division and Conduct of Battle

In early June 2006, the 1st

Brigade Combat Team The brigade combat team (BCT) is the basic deployable unit of maneuver in the U.S. Army. A brigade combat team consists of one combat arms branch maneuver brigade, and its assigned support and fire units. A brigade is normally commanded by a ...

of the 1st Armored Division and various attachments were deployed to the Ramadi area from

Tal Afar Tal Afar ( ar, تَلْعَفَر, Talʿafar, ) is a city in the Nineveh Governorate of northwestern Iraq, located 63 km (39 mi) west of Mosul, 52 km (32 mi) east of Sinjar28th Infantry Division. Rumors of an offensive already gotten to the 400,000 citizens of the city who feared another Fallujah style attack. But the U.S. commander of 1st BCT, 1st Armored Division, Colonel

decided to take it slowly and softly, without using heavy

close air support In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and moveme ...

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

or tank fire. Tanks were used to safeguard soldiers against IEDs and were key in targeting bunkered insurgents and snipers. By June 10, U.S. soldiers had "cordoned off" the city. U.S. airstrikes on residential areas were escalating, and US soldiers took to the streets with loudspeakers to warn civilians of a fierce impending attack. The concept, described by Major Matthew Van Wagenen of 1st Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment, was to "leave the city intact". The objective of the operation was to cut off resupply and reinforcements to the insurgents in Ramadi by gaining control of the key entry points into the city. 1st BCT, 1st Armored Division also planned to establish new combat outposts (COPs) and patrol bases throughout the city, moving off their

forward operating base A forward operating base (FOB) is any secured forward Operational level of war, operational level military position, commonly a military base, that is used to support strategic goals and tactical objectives. A FOB may or may not contain an airfi ...

s in order to engage the population and establish relationships with local leaders. On June 7, through intelligence tracking, Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi was located and killed by US Forces in a precision-guided bomb strike outside of Baghdad along with five other insurgents. By June 17, there were several skirmishes with the insurgents which killed two American soldiers.

Ramadi General Hospital Captured

At the beginning of July, a units under the command of 1st BCT, 1st Armored Division and Iraqi Forces, managed to push deep enough into the city to capture the Ramadi General Hospital. The Marines reported through verified evidence that members of

had been using the seven-story building, which was equipped with some 250 beds, to treat their wounded and fire on U.S. troops in the area. At the conclusion of the operation, American Forces took heavy sniper fire from insurgents that slipped away.

Formation of the Anbar Awakening Council

On August 21, insurgents killed Abu Ali Jassim, a Sunni sheikh who had encouraged many of his tribesmen to join the

Iraqi Police The Iraqi Police (IP) is the uniformed police force responsible for the enforcement of civil law in Iraq. Its organisation, structure and recruitment were guided by the Coalition Provisional Authority after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and it is ...

. The insurgents hid the body in a field rather than returning it for a proper burial, violating Islamic law and angering Jassim's tribesmen. Following this, 40 sheikhs from 20 tribes from across Al Anbar organised a movement called the ''Sahwa Al Anbar'' (

). On September 9, Sheikh Sittar organised a tribal council attended by over fifty sheikhs and Col.

. During this council, Sittar officially declared the Anbar Awakening underway. Shortly after the council, the tribes began attacking al-Qaeda in Iraq insurgents in the suburbs of Ramadi. By October, nearly every tribe in northern and western Ramadi had joined the awakening. By December, attacks had dropped 50% according to the U.S. military.

September–October

In mid-September 2006, the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines ("1/6") relieved the

3rd Battalion, 8th Marines 3rd Battalion 8th Marines (3/8) was an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, consisting of approximately 1,100 Marines and Sailors. The battalion fell under the command ...

in western Ramadi. The battalion commander, Lt. Col. Jurney, deployed his companies throughout the city. Alpha Company was deployed to OP VA, a combat outpost close to a large seven-story building. Bravo Company took up position in the Ramadi Government Center and Charlie Company was deployed to OP Hawk, the main combat outpost around Ramadi General Hospital.

Delta Force The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta (1st SFOD-D), referred to variously as Delta Force, Combat Applications Group (CAG), Army Compartmented Elements (ACE), "The Unit", or within Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), Task Fo ...

operators from Task Force Green and

DEVGRU The Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG), abbreviated as DEVGRU ("Development Group") and commonly known as SEAL Team Six, is the United States Navy component of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). The unit is often referre ...

operators from Task Force Blue mounted takedown operations against al-Qaeda targets based on high-level intelligence. In late September, Pentagon officials announced that the troops of the 1st brigade, 1st Armored Division would have their tour extended by 46 days. This extension was ordered to give the relieving brigade, the 1st brigade, 3rd Infantry Division time to prepare for their deployment at the start of 2007. In mid-October, 1/6 conducted its first major offensive, taking the large building on 17th Street in the Jumaiyah neighborhood where they established the 17th Street Security Station. This was the first joint Marine-Iraqi outpost in the city. In mid-October, al-Qaeda announced the creation of

Islamic State of Iraq The Islamic State of Iraq (ISI; ar, دولة العراق الإسلامية '), commonly referred to as al-Qaeda in Iraq ( ar, القاعدة في العراق '), is a militant Salafist jihadist group that aimed to establish an Islamic sta ...

(ISI), with Ramadi as its capital replacing the Mujahideen Shura Council (MSC) and its

(AQI).

November incident

During heavy fighting between November 13 and November 15, U.S. forces were alleged to have killed at least 30 people, including women and children, in an airstrike in central Ramadi. Interviews by an unnamed ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' correspondent in Ramadi supported eyewitness statements that there were civilian deaths during the fighting. Residents said the houses in an old Iraqi army officers quarters had been destroyed, including one being used as an Internet cafe. News photos showed bodies of civilians allegedly killed by coalition forces. A Marine spokesman disputed the account, saying that an airstrike on November 14 targeted a bridge east of Ramadi and there were many insurgent casualties in the attack. He said that on the 13th and 14th, Coalition forces killed 16 suspected insurgents, who had been placing IEDs and firing mortars and RPGs, in fighting in three separate incidents in Ramadi. At least one U.S. soldier was also killed in the fighting. The spokesman did not respond to inquiries about the number of civilian deaths, but he admitted that it was often difficult for coalition forces to distinguish between insurgents and civilians and did not confirm or deny that some collateral damage may have occurred. He neither responded to inquiries made by ''The Times'' regarding the number of homes destroyed or tank rounds fired in the fighting.

Aftermath

By mid-November at least 75 American soldiers and Marines were killed along with an unknown number of Iraqi soldiers and police. The U.S. commander, Col. MacFarland said 750 insurgents had been killed in fighting in Ramadi and that his forces had secured 70% of the city. The intense battles of October and November 2006 largely eliminated al-Qaeda from the city, the surviving militants fled, with teams of them turning up in Baghdad and elsewhere, whilst others melted into the population.

The Devlin report

Two years before the battle, in 2004, then commander of the Marine garrison, MajGen

James Mattis James Norman Mattis (born September 8, 1950) is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as the 26th US secretary of defense from 2017 to 2019. During his 44 years in the Marine Corps, he commanded forces in the Persian ...

, stated that, "if Ramadi fell the whole province (Al Anbar) goes to hell". Two years later, a classified report written by

Marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

Col. Pete Devlin in August 2006 and leaked to the Washington Post in mid-September 2006, said Al Anbar had been lost and there was almost nothing that could be done. Devlin was the chief Intelligence Officer for the Marine units operating in the province. The report said that not only were military operations facing a stalemate, unable to extend and sustain security beyond the perimeters of their bases, but also local governments in the province had collapsed and the weak central government had almost no presence. On November 28, 2006 another part of the classified Marine Corps intelligence report was published by ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' which said US forces could neither crush the insurgency in western Iraq nor counter the rising popularity of the al-Qaeda terrorist network in the area. According to the report, "the social and political situation has deteriorated to a point that US and Iraqi troops are no longer capable of militarily defeating the insurgency in al-Anbar." The report describes al-Qaeda in Iraq as the "dominant organization of influence" in the province, more important than local authorities, the Iraqi government and US troops "in its ability to control the day-to-day life of the average Sunni."

Operation Squeeze Play

Insurgents still remained well entrenched in the city with coalition forces continuing combat operations throughout November and December. On November 28, 2006 six civilians, including five Iraqi girls, were killed when a U.S. tank fired into a building from which two insurgents were firing upon U.S. soldiers. On December 1, 2006, a 900-strong task force centered around the 1st Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment (1-37) launched a month-long operation known as Operation Squeeze Play targeting the "Second Officers District" in central Ramadi. On December 6, six American soldiers were killed in heavy street fighting. Three of these, two soldiers and a Marine, were killed in an area of western Ramadi controlled by the Abu Alwan tribe, which was aligned with the Awakening movement. According to Col. MacFarland, the tribe saw the killings as a personal attack by the insurgents against their tribe and killed or captured all of the insurgents involved in the attack within ten days. By the end of the operation on January 14, 2007, US forces had killed 44 insurgents and captured a further 172. Four additional Iraqi police stations were established during the operation, which brought the total to 14.

Marine reserve force committed

In mid-November 2006, 2,200 Marines from the

15th Marine Expeditionary Unit The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (15th MEU) is one of seven such units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) is a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) with a strength of about 2,200 per ...

(15th MEU), a reserve force on ships in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

, deployed to Al Anbar as reinforcements. This force included members of Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment who were sent by

General Abizaid John Philip Abizaid (born April 1, 1951) is a retired United States Army general and former United States Central Command (CENTCOM) commander who served as the United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 2019 to 2021. Abizaid retired after 34 ...

to help in the fighting in Ramadi. In January 2007, as part of the U.S. troop surge in Iraq, 4,000 Marines in Al Anbar had their tour extended by 45 days. The order included the 15th MEU and 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment fighting in Ramadi, as well as the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment fighting elsewhere in Al Anbar.

1-9 Infantry Regiment (Manchu): Operation Murfreesboro and East Ramadi

This operation was one of the closing engagements of the Battle of Ramadi in 2006. In the beginning months of 2007, Task Force 1-9, comprising 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment (1-9 IN, part of 2ID), with support from Abrams main battle tanks of the 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment (3-69 AR),

Navy SEALS The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the United States Navy, U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command, Naval Special Wa ...

, Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV) and dismounted infantry from 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment (1-26 IN), Charlie Company of the 321st Engineer Battalion, Lima Company of 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment (3/6 Marines), and infantrymen from the veteran

Iraqi Army The Iraqi Ground Forces (Arabic: القوات البرية العراقية), or the Iraqi Army (Arabic: الجيش العراقي), is the ground force component of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It was known as the Royal Iraqi Army up until the coup ...

1st Brigade, launched an offensive in East Ramadi named Operation Murfreesboro. The operation was intended to cut off Mal'ab District from the rest of Ramadi in order to drive out the al-Qaedah forces operating with near impunity there. The operation began February 20, 2007, when tanks and IFVs from 3-69th Armor and 1-26th Infantry set up a full cordon around Mal'ab District, preventing any movement in or out of the neighborhood. Once this was in place, the soldiers of the 9th Infantry Regiment began conducting clearing operations and targeted raids searching for weapons, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), enemy fighters, and high-level al-Qaedah leadership within Mal'ab District and the neighboring Iskaan district, supported by the aforementioned armored vehicles, Apache helicopters, and long range rockets (

GMLRS The M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (M270 MLRS) is an American-developed armored, self-propelled, multiple rocket launcher. The U.S. Army variant of the MLRS vehicle is based on the chassis of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. The first M270s wer ...

). Throughout February 2007, there were more than 40 separate engagements with al-Qaeda forces, 8 large weapons caches found, more than 20 IEDs used against US and Iraqi Army forces, more than 50 IEDs located and safely disposed of, 69 enemy fighters killed in action, 9 known enemy wounded, and 32 enemy fighters captured. Together with the Iraqi Army, the local police force began to conduct patrols with gradually lessened support from coalition forces. Operation Murfreesboro is widely credited with breaking the back of the insurgency in Anbar Province, as it fed the fire of the

, which saw almost the entirety of Anbar province turn on the insurgency, in favor of the new Iraqi government in Baghdad. Coupled with further gains in recruiting the local leaders and militias in the surrounding areas, Anbar Province required very little assistance during the famous "surge" that took place later in 2007. The improvement was so great that it enabled Task Force 1-9 (now operating without the armored and mechanized support it had enjoyed in the early part of 2007) to send nearly 70% of its strength to assist other units in clearing the city of Taji, just north of Baghdad, in October 2007. The 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment received the Navy Unit Commendation for this battle, and was recommended for a Valorous Unit Award.

"Raider" Brigade takes over Ramadi

In January 2007, the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, on its third tour to Iraq, arrived in Ramadi and assumed responsibility from MacFarland's brigade on February 18 at a transfer ceremony at Camp Ramadi. During the ceremony, which was attended by Sheikh Sattar, MacFarland said that his brigade had lost 86 soldiers, sailors and Marines during the 8-month campaign (though the Brigade had spent a total of nearly 17 months in Iraq). In January 2007, Ramadi averaged approximately 35 enemy attacks on US forces per day. Following heavy fighting over an 8-week campaign, which was led by a Task Force commanded by 1st Brigade, 3rd ID, also known as Task Force Raider, attacks in the brigade's area of operations dropped to one or two per day within the city of Ramadi. In the early months of 2007, 3-69 Armor Battalion, in conjunction with two Marine Battalions, along with TF PathFinder was largely responsible for securing Southern and Central Ramadi. By August 2007, Ramadi had gone 80 consecutive days without a single attack on US forces and the 1st BDE, 3rd ID commander, Colonel John Charlton, stated, "...al-Qaeda is defeated in Al Anbar". However, despite 1-3 ID's effectiveness, insurgents continued to launch attacks on Ramadi and the surrounding areas in the weeks and months to follow. On June 30, 2007, a group of between 50 and 60 insurgents attempting to infiltrate Ramadi were intercepted and destroyed, following a tip from Iraqi Police officers. The insurgents were intercepted by elements of the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor on 30 June 2007 and on 1 July 2007 they were destroyed by elements of Bravo company, 2nd Squad, 1st platoon, 1-18 Infantry Regiment. 1-18 operated out of the Ta'Meem district of Ramadi's western sector. North of Ramadi, elements of 3-69 Armor, whose headquarters had been moved north of Ramadi, engaged elements of

who had taken refuge in rural areas north of the city. After several counter-insurgency operations, 3-69 AR Battalion and 1st Battalion 8th Marines effectively removed

Al Qaeda in Iraq Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI; ar, القاعدة في العراق, al-Qā'idah fī al-ʿIrāq) or Al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia ( ar, القاعدة في بلاد الرافدين, al-Qā'idah fī Bilād ar-Rāfidayn), officially known as ''Tanzim Qaidat a ...

from the greater Anbar province. By March 2008, Ramadi, Iraq had become a vastly safer city than it had been only a year before and the number of enemy attacks in the city had fallen drastically. Years later, by mid-2012, Ramadi remained far safer than it had been since 2003.

Iraqi police development

One major shortcoming in the efforts to wrest control of Ramadi from the insurgency was the failure of the Iraqi Police to effectively combat the insurgency. As part of the Tribal Engagement Strategy, Ready First developed and implemented a plan to quickly recruit, train, and employ Iraqi policemen on the streets of Ramadi. COL MacFarland, and LTC James Lechner, Deputy Brigade Commander, successfully developed an Iraqi Police recruiting, training, and employment plan that was implemented by HHC, 2-152 Infantry (Mech), an Army National Guard unit that lived in Iraqi police stations and Combat Outposts conducting daily patrols and clearing operations with their counterparts. HHC, 2-152 Infantry, also known in Ramadi as "the 152nd", or the Police Transition Team (PTT) Company would provide the Iraqi Police in Ramadi with the leadership and oversight that proved crucial in re-establishing a police presence in Ramadi to ensure insurgent forces did not return to neighborhoods that had been secured. Consequently, the success of the Iraqi Police program in Ramadi convinced the Ramadi populace that their government could effectively provide for their security needs, a critical element of defeating the insurgency. The 152nd PTT Company's Iraqi Police efforts began in October 2006 and would continue through the departure of Ready First and into the tenure of 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division until the 152nd departed in October 2007. The 152nd was responsible for recruiting, training, and conducting patrols with hundreds of Iraqi Police, and opened several new Iraqi police stations in the city of Ramadi.

Order of battle

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United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

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Joint Special Operations Command The Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) is a joint component command of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and is charged with studying special operations requirements and techniques to ensure interoperability and equip ...

1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta (1st SFOD-D), referred to variously as Delta Force, Combat Applications Group (CAG), Army Compartmented Elements (ACE), "The Unit", or within Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), Task Fo ...

Naval Special Warfare Development Group The Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG), abbreviated as DEVGRU ("Development Group") and commonly known as SEAL Team Six, is the United States Navy component of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). The unit is often referre ...

: 2nd Battalion, 75th Rangers (Echo Platoon) : 2nd Battalion, 75th Rangers (Delta Platoon) ;

Naval Special Warfare Command The United States Naval Special Warfare Command (USNSWC), also known as (NAVSPECWARCOM and WARCOM), is the naval component of United States Special Operations Command, the unified command responsible for overseeing and conducting the nation's ...

SEAL Team 3 The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sm ...

SEAL Team 5 The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sm ...

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101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...

: 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment 54th Engineer Battalion(Task Force Dagger) Alpha, Bravo and Charlie Company (route clearance and reconnaissance) ; 1st Armored Division : 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry : 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry : 1st Battalion, 35th Armor : 1st Battalion 36th Infantry : 1st Battalion 37th Armor : 2nd Battalion, 37th Armor : 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery : 16th Engineer Battalion :Alpha Company, 40th Engineer Battalion :Charlie Company, 40th Engineer Battalion : 46th Engineer Battalion :321st Engineer Battalion (Task Force Pathfinder), route clearance and horizontal construction :501st Forward Support Battalion :47th Forward Support Battalion :

Asymmetric Warfare Group The Asymmetric Warfare Group was a United States Army unit created during the War on Terrorism to mitigate various threats with regard to asymmetric warfare. The unit was headquartered at Fort Meade, Maryland and had a training facility at Fort ...

: HHC, 2nd Battalion, 152nd Infantry Regiment (Police Transition Team Company) :B Co, 486th Civil Affairs Battalion :415th Military Intelligence Battalion ; 1st Infantry Division : 1st Battalion, 77th Armor : 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment : 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment Task Force 1-9 ; 2nd Infantry Division : 1st Battalion 9th Infantry Regiment Task Force 1-9; : 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division : 3rd Infantry Division : 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment Task Force 1-9 ;

I Marine Expeditionary Force The I Marine Expeditionary Force ("I" pronounced "One") is a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) of the United States Marine Corps primarily composed of the 1st Marine Division, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and 1st Marine Logistics Group. It is ...

: Regimental Combat Team 5 :: 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 15th MEU :: 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines :: 1st Battalion, 6th Marines :: 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines ::

1st Battalion, 8th Marines 1st Battalion, 8th Marines (1/8) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The battalion consists of approximately 1000 Marines and sailors and is nicknamed "The Beiru ...

:: 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines :: 3rd Battalion, 11th Marines *Headquarters 10th Marines Counter Battery Radar/ Target Acquisition Platoon :: Marine Light Attack Squadron 269 :: 2nd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company :: 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company :: 1st Radio Battalion ;

504th Military Intelligence Brigade The 504th Military Intelligence Brigade (504th MIB) is located at Fort Hood, Texas. The brigade is tasked to improve the situational awareness for commanders at division level or higher, so they can adapt their units combat power for the current o ...

:163rd Military Intelligence Battalion (Tactical Exploitation) :

Combat Logistics Regiment 15 Combat Logistics Regiment 15 (CLR-15) was a logistics regiment of the United States Marine Corps. When active, it fall under the command of the 1st Marine Logistics Group and I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF). The unit was based out of Marine ...

Department Of Defense Security Forces, Tactical Response Team Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

:Civil Affairs & Psychological Operations Command. : :

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Seabees United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees, form the U.S. Naval Construction Force (NCF). The Seabee nickname is a heterograph of the initial letters "CB" from the words "Construction Battalion". Depending upon ...

: 9th Naval Construction Regiment :

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 40 Naval Mobile Construction Battalion FORTY (NMCB 40), nicknamed Fighting FORTY, was a US Navy Seabee Battalion based out of Port Hueneme, California. Its primary mission was wartime contingency construction as well as peacetime construction and ...

: Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74 : Company B(-) 4th AABN USMC : :

391st Fighter Squadron The 391st Fighter Squadron is part of the 366th Fighter Wing at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. The squadron participated in combat missions in World War II and the Vietnam War, provided air defense in Korea and Japan from 1968 to 1971, an ...

;

* 1st Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division * 1st Brigade, 7th Iraqi Army Division

Notes

References

External links

Cordon and Search Operations in Ramadi
- Defense Visual Information Distribution Service Oct 25 2006
Ramadi: ‘Heart of an Insurgent Hotbed’
- Veterans of Foreign Wars
Young GIs get first taste of war in Ramadi
- Stars and Stripes February 2007
Anbar, the Washington Post and the Devlin Report
- Discussion of the Devlin Report on The Long War Journal

- Michael Totten

- New York Times * ttps://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/29/world/middleeast/29ramadi.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&hp Uneasy Alliance Is Taming One Insurgent Bastion- New York Times
Ramadi is now a two-faced city
- Stars and Stripes Mar. 2, 2007

- FOXNews
Providing Security Force Assistance in an Economy of Force Battle, January-February 2010 MILITARY REVIEW
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramadi (2006) Battles of the Iraq War in 2006 Battles of the Iraq War involving the United States Battles of the Iraq War involving Iraq United States Marine Corps in the Iraq War History of Ramadi