The 2008 Battle of Sadr City: Reimagining Urban Combat
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This electronic representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for non-commercial use only. Unauthorized posting of RAND electronic documents to a non-RAND website is prohibited. RAND electronic documents are protected under copyright law. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of our research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please see RAND Permissions. This report is part of the RAND Corporation research report series. RAND reports present research findings and objective analysis that ad- dress the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for re- search quality and objectivity. C O R P O R A T I O N The 2008 Battle of Sadr City Reimagining Urban Combat David E. Johnson, M. Wade Markel, Brian Shannon ARROYO CENTER The 2008 Battle of Sadr City Reimagining Urban Combat David E. Johnson, M. Wade Markel, Brian Shannon Prepared for the United States Army Approved for public release; distribution unlimited The research described in this report was sponsored by the United States Army under Contract No. W74V8H-06-C-0001. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Johnson, David E. (David Eugene), 1950- The 2008 battle of Sadr City : reimagining urban combat / David E. Johnson, M. Wade Markel, Brian Shannon. pages cm Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-0-8330-8028-8 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Sadr City, Battle of, Baghdad, Iraq, 2008. 2. Iraq War, 2003-2011—Campaigns— Iraq—Baghdad. 3. Iraq War, 2003-2011—Urban warfare. 4. Counterinsurgency— Iraq—Baghdad. I. Markel, M. Wade. II. Shannon, Brian. III. Title. DS79.764.B35J643 2013 956.7044'34—dc23 2013048090 The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. Support RAND—make a tax-deductible charitable contribution at www.rand.org/giving/contribute.html R® is a registered trademark. © Copyright 2013 RAND Corporation This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of RAND documents to a non-RAND website is prohibited. RAND documents are protected under copyright law. Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of our research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please see the RAND permissions page (www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.html). RAND OFFICES SANTA MONICA, CA • WASHINGTON, DC PITTSBURGH, PA • NEW ORLEANS, LA • JACKSON, MS • BOSTON, MA DOHA, QA • CAMBRIDGE, UK • BRUSSELS, BE www.rand.org Preface This monograph was written as part of a project that assessed U.S. military operations in Sadr City, principally in spring and early summer 2008, to stop Shiite extrem- ists from firing short-range rockets and mortars into the International Zone. These operations also set the conditions to allow stability and Iraqi government control to be extended to the whole of Baghdad. This study of the Battle of Sadr City offers insights and lessons learned that can inform a broader understanding of urban operations— particularly those conducted as part of irregular warfare—and thereby help the Army understand what capabilities it will need in the future. This research was sponsored by the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-8, Headquarters, Department of the Army, and is being conducted in RAND Arroyo Center’s Strategy, Doctrine, and Resources Program. RAND Arroyo Center, part of the RAND Corporation, is a federally funded research and development center spon- sored by the United States Army. The Project Unique Identification Code (PUIC) for the project that produced this document is ASPMO09462. Questions and comments regarding this research are welcome and should be directed to the leader of the research team, David E. Johnson, at [email protected]. iii iv The 2008 Battle of Sadr City: Reimagining Urban Combat For more information on RAND Arroyo Center, contact the Director of Opera- tions (telephone 310-393-0411, extension 6419; FAX 310-451-6952; email Marcy_ [email protected]), or visit Arroyo’s website at http://www.rand.org/ard.html. Contents Preface .................................................................................................iii Figures .................................................................................................ix Summary ..............................................................................................xi Acknowledgments ................................................................................xxiii Abbreviations .......................................................................................xxv Key Individuals ................................................................................... xxix CHapTER ONE Introduction .......................................................................................... 1 Background to the Study ............................................................................. 1 Methodology .......................................................................................... 4 Monograph Organization ............................................................................ 5 CHapTER TWO Setting Conditions for the 2008 Battle .......................................................... 7 The Surge and the Baghdad Security Plan ......................................................... 7 Regaining Control of Baghdad and Isolating Sadr City ......................................... 8 Summary and Conclusion .......................................................................... 15 CHapTER THREE Conditions on the Eve of the Battle of Sadr City ............................................. 17 Political and Strategic Context ..................................................................... 17 Physical and Human Terrain ....................................................................... 19 The Combatants ...................................................................................... 23 Jaish al-Mahdi ...................................................................................... 23 Iraqi Security Forces ............................................................................... 27 U.S. Forces .......................................................................................... 29 Pre-Deployment Training: Getting Ready for a Fight ........................................ 30 The COIN Academy: Emphasizing Restraint ................................................. 35 A Change in Context ................................................................................ 37 Summary and Conclusions ......................................................................... 38 v vi The 2008 Battle of Sadr City: Reimagining Urban Combat CHapTER FOUR The Battle Begins ................................................................................... 39 JAM’s Initial Onslaught ............................................................................. 39 Stopping JAM ........................................................................................ 41 Seizing the Initiative: Operation Striker Denial .................................................. 47 Neutralizing Enemy Rocket Attacks with Aerial ISR and Strike Assets .................... 48 The First Attempt to Control Launch Sites Through Active Patrolling ..................... 58 Augmented U.S. Forces Seize Launch Sites South of Route Gold ........................... 61 The Iraqi Army Attacks to Secure Route Gold ................................................. 64 Summary and Conclusions ......................................................................... 68 CHapTER fiVE Defeating JAM: Operation Gold Wall .......................................................... 71 The Decision to Build a Wall ....................................................................... 71 Going After JAM Leaders: The MND-B “Deep Fight” ......................................... 78 Summary and Conclusions ......................................................................... 82 CHapTER siX Exploiting the Success of Battle .................................................................. 83 The Two Components of Exploitation ............................................................