Operation Lion's Leap was a joint US-Iraqi operation against the Mahdi Army in
Diwaniyah
Al Diwaniyah ( ''ad-Dīwānīyah''), also spelt Diwaniya, is the capital city of Iraq's Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate. In 2014 the population was estimated at 700,000.
Overview
The area around Al Diwaniyah, which is well irrigated from the nearby Eu ...
, 180 kilometers south of Baghdad. The division-level operation was launched on 17 November 2007 by Iraqi Army and police forces, with a US brigade in support. At least 74 Mahdi Army militiamen were captured and at least two major weapons caches were discovered.
Background
Diwaniyah had been a hub of Mahdi Army activity for most of 2007. U.S. and Iraqi security forces had conducted numerous raids and operations against elements of the Mahdi Army and the Special Groups in the southern city. In April, U.S. and Iraqi forces launched Operation Black Eagle in the city. Dozens of Mahdi fighters were killed or captured in the operation.
On 31 October, ten Sadrists were captured just south of Diwaniyah. On 11 November, a key Sadrist leader was captured inside the city. The weekend before the operation, an Iraqi court sentenced 17 Sadrists to death for attacks on Iraqi security forces.
The operation
12 suspects were arrested by Iraqi national police forces and the al-Baqer emergency brigade during the first hours of the operation.
On 19 November, a senior general with the
8th Division (Iraq) of the
Iraqi Army
The Iraqi Ground Forces (Arabic: القوات البرية العراقية), also referred to as the Iraqi Army (Arabic: الجيش العراقي), is the ground force component of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It was formerly known as the Royal Iraq ...
reported Iranian-made weapons were among a large cache of arms and ammunition found during the operation. "There are seven Iranian-made roadside bombs and nine anti-tank mines," said Major General Jamil Kamel al Shimari, a senior officer in the 8th Iraqi Army Division. "These are a big danger threatening our forces."
Iraq army squeezes militants in Shi'ite south push – Reuters
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Sadr's office in the town of Nafar, south of Diwaniyah, was raided as part of the crackdown, Hussain al-Buderi, a member of the Qadisiyah provincial council Mr Buderi said. 49 militants were arrested, including 4 leaders.
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Diwaniyah's police chief, Major General Ali Akmoosh, said the assault also led to the dismissal of 70 policemen, including some officers, for supporting "armed gangs".
See also
* Battle of Diwaniya
*Operation Black Eagle
Operation Black Eagle is an operation that took place during Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2003 to 2010. It was the 381st listed operation during the Iraq war in 2003 Black Eagle was an operation in which U.S., Polish, and Iraqi troops battled ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lion's Leap
Military operations of the Iraq War involving the United States
Military operations of the Iraq War involving Iraq
Military operations of the Iraq War in 2007
Battles and conflicts without fatalities
Military operations of the Iraq War involving Poland
Military operations of the Iraq War involving the United Kingdom
Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate in the Iraq War
Mahdi Army