Triangle of Death (Iraq)
The Triangle of Death is a name given to a region south of
Description
The "Triangle of Death" (not to be confused with the much larger
Sociological causes of violence
Analysts generally attributed this area's high level of violence to the tension between the majority Sunni population, the Saddam Hussein-era military industrial complex in the area (such as the al-Quds General Company for Mechanical Industries, the al-Musayyib Ammunition Depot, and the Al Qa'qaa Munitions Facility), the lack of economic alternatives to joining the insurgency, and the near-endless supply of munitions that were stored throughout the area (in part due to the looting of the munitions facilities after the fall of Hussein's government).
Post-invasion violence
After the fall of the
The Triangle of Death often saw catastrophic attacks like these due to the proximity to both Baghdad and Fallujah-Ramadi area, where suicide bombers usually met before heading to their intended targets. The Triangle of Death also was used as the staging area for attacks in Baghdad, specifically the 24 October 2005 attack on the
Even though most insurgent attacks in the Triangle of Death were against Iraqi civilians and Iraqi government forces, U.S. forces were also the target of many attacks.
On June 16, 2006, one American soldier (SPC David J. Babineau) was killed and two other soldiers (PFC Thomas L. Tucker and PV2 Kristian Menchaca) were kidnapped near the
On April 8, 2007, members of Bayonet Company, 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment were on static overwatch at a battle position composed of two Bradley Fighting Vehicles southwest of Yusufiah when insurgents detonated an improvised explosive device attached to one of the vehicles. The explosion destroyed one Bradley and killed PFC David Simmons and SSG Harrison Brown.[3]
On May 12, 2007, members of Delta Company, 4th Battalion,
Military in the area
Numerous units were stationed in the Triangle of Death from 2003. Initial deployments began with occupation of small towns and roads, sometimes in individual houses and temporarily abandoned schools, but later expanded to extensive troop commitments and culminated in 2007 with multiple brigades incurring 15-month deployments commanded by Multi-National Division-Central headed by 3rd Infantry Division Headquarters. Attacks dropped dramatically from the spring through fall of 2007 following the activation of Multi-National Division-Central and an increase in operational tempo following the kidnapping of soldiers from 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, near Yusifiyah in May 2007. Another contributing factor to the decline in violence was the implementation of "concerned citizen" groups in the region, conducting their own patrols of several tribal areas.
Situation in late 2014 to 2015
The towns and villages of the Triangle of Death are under the control of the Iraqi Government following many battles to regain control over the area, of which
See also
- The Triangle of Death (documentary), 2009 film
References
- ISBN 978-1-4116-9518-4.
- ^ "Suicide Bomber Kills Over 120 Security Officers and Recruits in Hillah, Iraq | PBS NewsHour". PBS. 28 February 2005.
- ^ "Warriors Gave Their All |Coastal Courier". 18 May 2007.
Further reading
- "Iraq's Forbidding 'Triangle of Death'" (Washington Post article, with map)
- "Teams search 'Triangle of Death' for missing soldiers" (CNN, June 17, 2006)
- "Luck runs out in 'Triangle of Death'" (CNN, November 1, 2005)
- "'Triangle of death' south of Baghdad: Bounties offered for killings of Shiites, Westerners" (MSNBC November 19, 2004)
- "To Stop An Arc of Violence" (Washington Post article, September 29, 2005)
- "Iraqi combat capability on the upswing" (World Defense Review, 29 March 5)
- "Iskandariyah" (GlobalSecurity.org on Iskandariyah)
- "Tons of Iraq explosives missing" (CNN.com, October 25, 2004)
- "Al Qa Qaa - Iraq Special Weapons Facilities" (GlobalSecurity.org on Al Qa Qaa)
- "PBS Frontline: The Insurgency" (Streaming video of program available in Windows Media and RealPlayer formats, FEB 2006)
- "Death toll in Musayyib, Iraq fuel tanker blast rises to 98" (Reuters, 17 JULY 2005)
- “Suicide Bombings In Al-Hillah Kill At Least 20” (Radio Free Europe, 30 May 2005)
- “Iraq Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 110”[permanent dead link] (AP, 28 February 2005)
- “Insurgents Kill At Least 46 in Iraq” (Voice of America, 30 May 2006)
- “Group purporting to be al-Qaida in Iraq claims responsibility for Hillah attack”[permanent dead link] (AP, 1 March 2005)
- “Bombings Across Iraq Kill at Least 39” (ABC, 30 August 2006)
- “Iraqi SWAT Team Ready to Hunt Terrorists” (Department of Defense Press Release, 1 February 2006)
- “33 Terrorists Killed In Daylong Battle With ISF, MND-B Soldiers” (CENTCOM News Release, 28 July 2006)
- "Faltering power plant brings Iraq’s electrical woes to light" Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine (Stars and Stripes, 29 September 2006).