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2004 Iraq Spring Fighting
The 2004 Iraq spring fighting was a series of operational offensives and various major engagements during the Iraq War. It was a turning point in the war; the spring fighting marked the entrance into the conflict of militias and religiously based (Shi'a and Sunni) militant Iraqi groups, such as the Shi'a Mahdi Army. Prelude The first months of 2004 was marked by a relative lull in violence. Guerrilla attacks lessened in intensity while insurgent forces reorganized, studying the multinational forces' tactics and planning a renewed offensive. Causes The first cause of the Spring Fighting was the rise of a conservative Shi'a cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his militia, the Mahdi Army, in the south of the country. Muqtada al-Sadr also has great influence in the Sadr City section of Baghdad (Sadr City, which was Saddam City, was renamed after the invasion, in honor of Sadr's father, Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr). With the fall of Saddam Hussein, Muqtada al-Sadr emerged as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iraq War
The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which resulted in the overthrow of the Ba'athist Iraq, Ba'athist government of Saddam Hussein. The conflict persisted Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011), as an insurgency arose against coalition forces and the newly established Iraqi government. US forces Withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq (2007–2011), were officially withdrawn in 2011. In 2014, the US became re-engaged in Iraq, leading a new coalition under Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, as the conflict evolved into the ongoing Islamic State insurgency in Iraq (2017–present), Islamic State insurgency. The Iraq invasion was part of the Presidency of George W. Bush, Bush administration's broader war on terror, launched in response to the September 11 attacks. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iraqi Insurgency (Iraq War)
Iraqi insurgency may refer to: * Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011), part of the Iraq War ** Iraqi insurgency (2003–2006), 2003–2006 phase of the Iraqi insurgency ** Iraqi civil war (2006–2008) The Iraqi civil war was an civil war, armed conflict from 2006 to 2008 between various sectarian Shia Islam, Shia and Sunni Islam, Sunni armed groups, such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Mahdi Army, in addition to the Federal government of ..., multi-sided civil war in Iraq * Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013), following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq * War in Iraq (2013–2017), armed conflict between IS and Iraq * Islamic State insurgency in Iraq (2017–present), continued IS insurgency following territorial defeat {{disambiguation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2004 Fallujah Ambush
The 2004 Fallujah ambush occurred on March 31, 2004, when Iraqi insurgents attacked a convoy containing four American contractors from the private military company Blackwater USA who were conducting a delivery for food caterers ESS. The ambush The four armed contractors— Scott Helvenston, Jerry Zovko, Wesley Batalona and Mike Teague—were killed and dragged from their vehicles. Their bodies were beaten, burned, dragged through the city streets, and hung from a Euphrates River bridge. Response Photos of the event, showing jubilant Iraqis posing with the charred corpses, were released to news agencies worldwide, which caused a great deal of indignation in the United States. The ambush led to the First Battle of Fallujah, a U.S.-led operation to retake control of the city. The battle was halted mid-way for political reasons, an outcome that commentators have described as insurgent victory. Seven months later, in November 2004, a second attempt to capture the city, the Sec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mohammad Sadeq Al-Sadr
Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Mohammed al-Sadr (; born 23 March 1943 – 19 February 1999) was a prominent Iraqi Twelver Shiite cleric and marja'. He called for government reform and the release of detained Shia leaders during the rule of Saddam Hussein. The growth of his popularity, often referred to as the followers of the local Hawza, also put him in competition with other Shi'a leaders, including Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim who was exiled in Iran. Biography al-Sadr was born to Mohammed al-Sadr (1906–1986), the grandson of Ismail al-Sadr, the patriarch of the Lebanese–Iraqi al-Sadr family and a first cousin of Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr and Amina al-Sadr. Following the Gulf War, Shi'ites in Southern Iraq went into open rebellion. A number of provinces overthrew the Baathist entities and rebelled against Saddam Hussein and the Baath Party. The leadership of the Shi'ite rebellion as well as the Shi'ite doctrine in Iraq was split between Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani and Ayatollah Mohamm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grand Ayatollah
Marja (; plural ''marājiʿ''; ) is a title given to the highest level of Twelver Shia religious cleric, with the authority given by a hawzah (a seminary where Shi'a Muslim scholars are educated) to make legal decisions within the confines of Sharia, Islamic law for followers and clerics below him in rank. The highest ranking ''marjiʿ'' is known as the ''marja al-mutlaq'' or ''marja al-taqlid al-mutlaq''. A marji' is usually also a grand ayatollah. Sources differ as to when the institution of the marja˓ emerged, with Murtadha al-Ansari (died 1864) and Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni (died 940 or 941) both being called the first marja'. As of 2023, there are approximately List of current maraji, over 50 living maraji, almost all residing in Iran or Iraq. Title Currently, maraji' are accorded the title ''grand ayatollah'' ( ''ʾĀyatullāh al-ʿUẓmā''). Previously, the titles of Allamah (such as Allameh Tabatabaei, Allameh Majlesi, Allameh Hilli) and Imam (such as Imam Khomei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sunni
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Muslim community, being appointed at the meeting of Saqifa. This contrasts with the Shia view, which holds that Muhammad appointed Ali ibn Abi Talib () as his successor. Nevertheless, Sunnis revere Ali, along with Abu Bakr, Umar () and Uthman () as ' rightly-guided caliphs'. The term means those who observe the , the practices of Muhammad. The Quran, together with hadith (especially the Six Books) and (scholarly consensus), form the basis of all traditional jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. Sharia legal rulings are derived from these basic sources, in conjunction with consideration of public welfare and juristic discretion, using the principles of jurisprudence developed by the four legal schools: Hanafi, Hanbali, Maliki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shi'a
Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor ( caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community ( imam). However, his right is understood to have been usurped by a number of Muhammad's companions at the meeting of Saqifa where they appointed Abu Bakr () as caliph instead. As such, Sunni Muslims believe Abu Bakr, Umar (), Uthman () and Ali to be ' rightly-guided caliphs' whereas Shia Muslims only regard Ali as the legitimate successor. Shia Muslims assert imamate continued through Ali's sons Hasan and Husayn, after whom different Shia branches have their own imams. They revere the , the family of Muhammad, maintaining that they possess divine knowledge. Shia holy sites include the shrine of Ali in Najaf, the shrine of Husayn in Karbala and other mausoleums of the . Later events such as Husayn's martyrdom in the Battle of Karbala (680 CE) further influence ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Militia
A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or serve as a pool of available manpower for regular forces to draw from. When acting independently, militias are generally unable to hold ground against regular forces. Militias commonly support regular troops by skirmishing, holding fortifications, or conducting irregular warfare, instead of undertaking offensive campaigns by themselves. However, militias may also engage in defense activities to protect a community, its territory, property, and laws. For example, naval militias may comprise fishermen and other civilians which are organized and sanctioned by a state to enforce its maritime boundaries. Beginning in the late 20th century, some militias (in particular officially recognized and sanctioned militias of a government) act as profe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Operational Warfare
In the field of military theory, the operational level of war (also called operational art, as derived from , or operational warfare) represents the level of command that connects the details of tactics with the goals of strategy. In U.S. Joint military doctrine, operational art is "the cognitive approach by commanders and staffs—supported by their skill, knowledge, experience, creativity, and judgment—to develop strategies, campaigns, and operations to organize and employ military forces by integrating ends, ways, and means". It correlates political requirements with military power. Operational art is defined by its military-political scope, not by force size, scale of operations or degree of effort. Likewise, operational art provides theory and skills, and the operational level permits doctrinal structure and process. The operational level of war is concerned with four essential elements: time, space, means, and purpose. Through means such as directing troops and al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Muqtada Al-Sadr
Muqtada al-Sadr (; born 4 August 1974) is an Iraqi Shia Muslim cleric, politician and militia leader. He inherited the leadership of the Sadrist Movement from his father, and founded the now dissolved Mahdi Army militia in 2003 that resisted the American occupation of Iraq. He also founded the Promised Day Brigade insurgent group after the dissolution of the Mahdi Army; both were backed by Iran. In 2014, he founded the Peace Companies militia and serves as its current head. In 2018, he joined his Sadrist political party to the Saairun alliance, which won the highest number of seats in the 2018 and 2021 Iraqi parliamentary elections. Titles He belongs to the prominent al-Sadr family that hails from Jabal Amel in Lebanon, before later settling in Najaf. Sadr is the son of Muhammad al-Sadr, an Iraqi religious figure and politician who stood against Saddam Hussein, and the nephew of Mohammad Baqir al-Sadr. He is often styled with the honorific title ''Sayyid''. His fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abdullah Al-Janabi
Abdullah al-Janabi (; born ) is the former Sunni chief of the Mujahideen Shura Council in Fallujah, Iraq. He gained power following his involvement in the insurgency at the First Battle of Fallujah in which the insurgents captured Fallujah. He was present at the eventual loss of the city at the Second Battle of Fallujah, but he managed to evade capture by American forces and fled the city. Al-Janabi later gave an interview with the Al Jazeera television network. On 9 January 2005, the Central Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him. After the Fall of Fallujah to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and other anti-government Sunni forces in January 2014, Janabi returned to Fallujah, and began making weekly sermons at the Saad bin Abi Waqas mosque in northern Fallujah. At the mosque Janabi told worshippers that "Blood is on the hands of all policemen. Police buildings were used to torture and to extract confessions ... and must be cleansed." Referring to the Iraq ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahdi Al-Sumaidaie
Mahdi ibn Ahmad al-Sumayda'i (; born 1 July 1955) is an Iraqi Islamic scholar and politician who is currently serving as the grand mufti of Sunnis in Iraq since 2014. Al-Sumayda'i runs the Sunni Fatwa Council in Baghdad, at the Umm-al-Tubul mosque. Since 2014 he has been recognized by the government of Nuri al-Maliki as Grand Mufti of the Sunnis of Iraq, the highest Iraqi Sunni religious authority. He played an important political role in the events of Iraq, in an attempt to involve part of Salafi Islam in the fight against the Islamic State, alongside the Shia forces. Despite this, he has close ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Career Religious activities During the American occupation of Iraq, Sumayda'i led an armed group, supporting the jihad against the occupation forces. In January 2004, he was arrested by American troops as he exited the mosque in Baghdad after a prayer. Later released, he played a mediating role between the government and Salafist resista ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
