Key Facts
- American killed
- 1,335
- Iraqi killed
- ~9,000
- Peak fighting period
- April 2004 – September 2007
- U.S. forces departed
- 7 December 2011
- Political control transferred to Iraq
- September 2008
Strategic Narrative Overview
Full-scale revolt erupted in April 2004, with intense urban warfare in Fallujah and Ramadi culminating in the Second Battle of Fallujah in late 2004. Al Qaeda in Iraq rose to dominate the insurgency, turning Ramadi into a stronghold. A Marine Corps intelligence report in late 2006 warned the province could be lost. The tide shifted when the Anbar Awakening—Sunni tribes led by Sheikh Abdul Sattar Abu Risha—turned against AQI from August 2006, enabling U.S. and Iraqi forces to reclaim major cities by mid-2007.
01 / The Origins
Al Anbar, Iraq's only Sunni-dominated province, saw minimal fighting during the 2003 invasion but quickly became a flashpoint after the fall of Baghdad. Initial U.S. Army occupation gave way to Marine command in early 2004. Resentment of the occupation, combined with a power vacuum and sectarian tensions following Saddam Hussein's removal, fueled a Sunni insurgency that turned the governorate into the most contested region of the Iraq War.
03 / The Outcome
Major combat ended by September 2007, when President Bush visited Anbar to mark the victory; AQI assassinated Sheikh Sattar shortly after. Political control transferred to Iraq in September 2008, military control in June 2009. U.S. Army units replaced Marines in January 2010 and withdrew combat forces by August 2010. The last American forces departed the governorate on 7 December 2011, ending eight years of U.S. military presence.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
3 belligerents
Sheikh Abdul Sattar Abu Risha.
Side B
2 belligerents
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.