Fallujah Awakens. Bill Ardolino
FALLUJAH AWAKENS
MARINES, SHEIKHS, AND THE BATTLE AGAINST AL QAEDA
BILL ARDOLINO
Naval Institute Press
Annapolis, Maryland
Naval Institute Press
291 Wood Road
Annapolis, MD 21402
© 2013 by Bill Ardolino
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ardolino, Bill.
Fallujah awakens: Marines, sheikhs, and the battle against al Qaeda / Bill Ardolino. — 1
pages cm
Summary: “Attacks in the Fallujah peaked in 2006 when American and Iraqi government forces struggled with a reinvigorated insurgency and the prospect of premature withdrawal by U.S. forces. Fallujah Awakens tells the story of the remarkable turnaround that followed. Journalist Bill Ardolino explains how local tribal leaders and U.S. Marines forged a surprising alliance that helped secure the famous battleground. It is one of the few books to recount events from both American and Iraqi perspectives. Based on more than 120 interviews with Iraqis and U.S. Marines, Ardolino describes how a company of reservists, led by a medical equipment sales manager from Michigan, succeeded where previous efforts had stalled. Circumstance combined with smart, charismatic leadership enabled Americans to build relationships with members of a Sunni tribe who pushed al Qaeda and other insurgents from their notoriously rebellious area”— Provided by publisher.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-61251-129-0 (e-book) 1. Iraq War, 2003–2011—Campaigns—Iraq—Fallujah. 2. CounterInsurgency—Iraq—Fallujah. 3. Civil-military relations—Iraq—Fallujah. 4. Iraq War, 2003–2011—Civilian relief. 5. United States. Marine Corps—Civic action. 6. Tribes—Iraq—Fallujah. 7. Qaida (Organization) I. Title.
DS79.764.F35A74 2013
956.7044’345—dc23
2012047848
To the Iraqis and Americans who risked everything to defend others
To Ensign William H. Martin (RIP), Captain Daniel Eggers (KIA), Major Michael Mundell (KIA), Corporal Joshua Hoffman (WIA), First Lieutenant Travis Manion (KIA), and Sergeant William Cahir (KIA), for their examples of honor and sacrifice
List of Maps
Introduction
1 Dark
2 Chasing Shadows
3 COIN
4 Alliance
5 The Diya
6 Pulling Threads
7 Adilah
8 Civil Affairs
9 Wasta
10 A Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
11 Down by the River
12 Hawa
13 Score
14 “Because the Language They Use Is Killing”: Al Qaeda and the Sunni Insurgency
15 Gas
16 MassCas
17 Endgame
Afterword: A Note on COIN
A Note on Research Methodology
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
About the Author
Map 2. Morning Ambush, Albu Aifan, November 4, 2006
Map 3. Afternoon Ambush, Albu Aifan, November 4, 2006
Map 4. Marine Ambush along Route Boston, March 11, 2007
Fallujah is iconic in the history of the Iraq War. For most westerners, the “City of Mosques” conjures images of brutal house-to-house fighting, the killing and mutilation of American contractors, and the birth of an insurgency that prefaced years of chaos. Several authors have documented the two hard-fought U.S.-led offensives in the city in 2004, colloquially known as the First and Second Battles of Fallujah. Insurgent attacks in the area peaked more than two years later, however, severely testing U.S. and Iraqi security forces before a remarkable turnaround. I decided to write a book about this “Third Battle of Fallujah” after witnessing the dramatic transformation during two visits there as a reporter in 2007.
In January 2007, eastern Anbar province was still gripped by violence. Despite the killing and capture of thousands of militants by coalition forces during the famous battles of 2004, and the subsequent cordoning of the city with entry control points, the insurgents still managed to infiltrate and stage daily attacks. Within days of my first visit, two Iraqi policemen were grievously wounded by gunshots, a U.S. Marine was shot by a sniper and paralyzed from the neck down, and insurgents destroyed a multimillion-dollar M1 Abrams with a firebomb. A U.S. soldier was killed while accompanying Iraqi soldiers attempting to evacuate civilians from the area around the burning tank. Roadside bombs were detonated against American and Iraqi patrols several times a day, and insurgent mortar teams and snipers prowled the area. The situation was arguably even more “kinetic” outside the