Editing First Battle of Fallujah (section)

==Background==
{{Main|Fallujah killings of April 2003}}
Fallujah had generally benefited economically under [[Saddam Hussein]], and many residents were employed as military and intelligence officers by his administration. However, there was little sympathy for him following the collapse of his government, which many residents considered oppressive.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/2003/iraqfalluja/Iraqfalluja-02.htm#P105_11568 |title=Violent Response |publisher=Human Rights Watch |access-date=19 May 2011}}</ref> The city was one of the most religious and culturally traditional areas in Iraq.<ref>{{cite web |author=The Nation / By Christian Parenti |url=http://www.alternet.org/story/17986/?page=2 |title=Scenes From a Nasty, Brutish, Long War |publisher=AlterNet |access-date=19 May 2011 |archive-date=14 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214094408/http://www.alternet.org/story/17986/?page=2 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Following the collapse of the [[Ba'ath]] infrastructure in early 2003, local residents had elected a town council led by [[Taha Bidaywi Hamed]], who kept the city from falling into the control of [[looting|looters]] and common criminals. The town council and Hamed were both considered to be nominally pro-American, and their election originally meant that the United States had decided that the city was unlikely to become a hotbed of activity, and didn't require any immediate troop presence. This led to the United States committing few troops to Fallujah from the start.<ref name=autogenerated7>{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/04/29/sprj.irq.falluja/index.html |publisher=CNN | title=Iraqis in deadly clash with U.S. troops | date=29 April 2003 | access-date=2 May 2010}}</ref>

Although Fallujah had seen sporadic [[air support|air strikes]] by American forces, public opposition was not galvanized until 700 members of the [[82nd Airborne Division (United States)|82nd Airborne Division]] first entered the city on 23 April 2003, and approximately 150 members of Charlie Company occupied ''al-Qa'id'' primary. On 28 April, a crowd of approximately 200 people gathered outside the school past [[curfew]], demanding that the Americans vacate the building and allow it to re-open as a school. The protesters became increasingly heated, and the deployment of [[tear gas|smoke gas canisters]] failed to disperse the crowd.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/2003/iraqfalluja/Iraqfalluja-04.htm#P273_41771 |title=Violent Response |publisher=Human Rights Watch |access-date=19 May 2011}}</ref> The protest escalated as gunmen reportedly fired upon U.S. forces from the protesting crowd and [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the [[325th Airborne Infantry Regiment]] of the [[82nd Airborne Division (United States)|82nd Airborne Division]] returned fire, killing 17 people and wounding more than 70 of the protesters. There were no U.S. Army or coalition casualties in the incident. U.S. forces said that the shooting took place over 30–60&nbsp;seconds, however other sources claim the shooting continued for half an hour.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/2003/iraqfalluja/ |title=Violent Response |publisher=Human Rights Watch |date=28 April 2003 |access-date=19 May 2011}}</ref>

Two days later, a protest at the former Ba'ath party headquarters decrying the American shootings was also fired upon by U.S. forces, this time the [[3d Armored Cavalry Regiment (United States)|U.S. 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment]], which resulted in three more deaths.<ref name=autogenerated7/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/2003/iraqfalluja/Iraqfalluja-08.htm#P388_58785 |title=Violent Response |publisher=Human Rights Watch |access-date=19 May 2011}}</ref> Following both incidents, coalition forces asserted that they had not fired upon the protesters until they were fired upon first.

The 82nd Airborne soldiers were replaced by soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and 2/502nd Regiment, [[101st Airborne Division (United States)|101st Airborne Division]]. On 4 June, members of B&nbsp;Company ("Renegades"), 2/502nd, came under attack after a presence patrol on foot. An RPG round struck the lead vehicle as these soldiers mounted vehicles to return to base; PFC Brandon Oberleitner was killed and six were injured. Oberleitner's death was the only loss of life for B.&nbsp;Co. during the deployment. Soon after this attack, the 3rd Armored Cavalry requested an additional 1,500 troops, to counter growing resistance in Fallujah and nearby [[Habbaniyah]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/2003/iraqfalluja/Iraqfalluja-10.htm#P441_66825 |title=Violent Response |publisher=Human Rights Watch |date=28 May 2003 |access-date=19 May 2011}}</ref>

In June, American forces began confiscating motorcycles from local residents, claiming that they were being used in [[Hit-and-run tactics|hit-and-run]] attacks on coalition forces.<ref>{{cite news
|date=29 June 2003
|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3030494.stm
|title =  US strikes at Iraqi resistance
|work=BBC News
|access-date =15 May 2006
}}
</ref>

On 30 June, a large explosion occurred in a mosque in which the [[imam]], Sheikh Laith Khalil and eight other people were killed. While the local population claimed that Americans had fired a missile at the mosque, U.S. forces claimed that it was an accidental detonation by insurgents constructing bombs.<ref>{{cite news
|date=1 July 2003
|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3034254.stm
|title = Bush firm despite Iraq attacks
|work=BBC News
|access-date =15 May 2006
}}</ref>

On 12 February 2004, insurgents attacked a convoy carrying General [[John Abizaid]], commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, and the [[82nd Airborne Division (United States)|82nd Airborne]]'s Major General [[Charles Swannack]], firing on the vehicles from nearby rooftops with [[Rocket-propelled grenade|RPGs]], after seemingly infiltrating the Iraqi security forces.<ref name=autogenerated3>{{cite web|url=http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/feb2004/fall-f23.shtml |title=Attack on Fallujah police highlights lack of US control in Iraq |publisher=Wsws.org |date=23 February 2004 |access-date=19 May 2011}}</ref>

Eleven days later, insurgents diverted Iraqi police to a false emergency on the outskirts of the city, before simultaneously attacking three police stations, the mayor's office and a civil defence base. At least 17 police officers were killed,<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2004-02-14-fallujah_x.htm | work=USA Today | title=Insurgents attack five sites, kill 17 Iraqi policemen | first1=Robert | last1=Hodierne | first2=Rob | last2=Curtis | first3=Army | last3=Times | date=15 February 2004 | access-date=2 May 2010}}</ref> and as many as 87 prisoners released.<ref name=autogenerated3/>

During this time, the [[82nd Airborne Division|82nd Airborne]] was conducting regular "lightning raids" inside the city, where [[Humvee]] convoys would destroy road barriers and curbs that could hide [[Improvised explosive device|IEDs]], and oversee searches of homes and schools, which frequently saw property damage, and led to shoot-outs with local residents.<ref>{{cite web |author=The Nation / By Christian Parenti |url=http://www.alternet.org/story/17986/?page=3 |title=Scenes From a Nasty, Brutish, Long War |publisher=AlterNet |access-date=19 May 2011 |archive-date=4 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604161632/http://www.alternet.org/story/17986/?page=3 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In March 2004, Swannack transferred authority of the [[Al Anbar|Al-Anbar province]] to the [[I Marine Expeditionary Force]] commanded by [[James T. Conway|Lt. General Conway]].

By early March 2004, the city began to fall under the increasing influence of guerrilla factions. The rising violence against the American presence resulted in the complete withdrawal of troops from the city, with only occasional incursions trying to gain and reinforce a "foothold in the city" being attempted.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2004/03/18/military/iraq/3_17_0422_45_56.txt |title=Marines settling into new home in Fallujah North County Times - North San Diego and Southwest Riverside County News |publisher=NCTimes.com |date=18 March 2004 |access-date=19 May 2011}}</ref> This was coupled with one or two patrols around the outer limits of [[Dreamland (Fallujah, Iraq)|FOB Volturno]], the former site of [[Qusay Hussein|Qusay]] and [[Uday Hussein]]'s palace.<ref>Mortenson, Darrin. [[North Carolina Times]], 2 April 2004.  ''Marines make a home near Fallujah''</ref>

On 27 March, a [[Joint Special Operations Command|JSOC]] surveillance team was compromised in the town and had to shoot its way out of trouble.<ref>Urban, Mark, ''Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq '', St. Martin's Griffin, 2012 {{ISBN|1250006961}} {{ISBN|978-1250006967}},p.28,</ref>

On the morning of 31 March, a combat engineer team from the 1st Engineer Battalion/1st Infantry Division was sent out on a route clearance mission in support of the 82nd Airborne and Blackwater movements. While en route from Habbaniyah to Fallujah, they were hit with the largest roadside bomb used at that point in the war, resulting in the deaths of 5 Bravo Company soldiers.<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Casualties March 2004 |url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_casualties_mar04.htm |website=globalsecurity.org}}</ref>