Editing Second Battle of Fallujah (section)

==Preparations==
===Coalition forces===
[[File:US Navy 041117-N-4388F-004 Construction Electrician 3rd Class Joe Tank mans a turret mounted M-240B machine gun atop a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) to provide security while Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile.jpg|thumb|A [[Bradley Fighting Vehicle]] and [[Humvee|HMMWV]] providing security while Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Four (NMCB-4) clear debris from the streets of Fallujah, Iraq.]]
[[File:I Marine Expeditionary Force - November 2004.svg|280px|thumb|I Marine Expeditionary Force. November 2004.]]

Before beginning their attack, U.S. and Iraqi forces had established checkpoints around the city to prevent anyone from entering, and to intercept insurgents attempting to flee. In addition, overhead imagery was used to prepare maps of the city for use by the attackers. American units were augmented by Iraqi interpreters to assist them in the planned fight. After weeks of withstanding [[air strikes]] and [[artillery]] bombardment, the militants in the city appeared to be vulnerable to direct attack.

U.S., Iraqi and British forces totaled about 13,500. The U.S. had gathered some 6,500 Marines and 1,500 Army soldiers that would take part in the assault with about 2,500 Navy personnel in operational and support roles.<ref name="Ricks 2007 399"/> U.S. troops were grouped in two Regimental Combat Teams: Regimental Combat Team 1 comprised 3rd Battalion/1st Marines, 3rd Battalion/5th Marines, and U.S. Army 2d Battalion/7th Cavalry. Regimental Combat Team 7 comprised the 1st Battalion/8th Marines, 1st Battalion/3rd Marines, U.S. Army 2d Battalion/2d Infantry, 2d Battalion/12th Cavalry<ref name="lowry1">Lowry, Richard S. (2010). ''New Dawn: The Battles for Fallujah''. Savas Beatie. pp. 269–279. {{ISBN|1-932714-77-4}}.</ref> About 2,000 Iraqi troops assisted with the assault.<ref name="Ricks 2007 399"/> All were supported by Marine fixed and rotary-winged aircraft, Navy and Air Force fixed-wing aircraft; and USSOCOM Sniper Elements.

The 850-strong 1st Battalion of the [[Black Watch]] was ordered to help U.S. and Iraqi forces with the encirclement of Fallujah.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/black-watch-ordered-to-join-us-cordon-for-assault-on-fallujah-544600.html |work=The Independent |location=London |title=Black Watch ordered to join US cordon for assault on Fallujah |date=22 October 2004 |access-date=1 July 2011}}</ref> As part of [[Joint Special Operations Command Task Force in the Iraq War#Task Force Black/Knight|Task Force Black]], D Squadron of the British [[Special Air Service|SAS]] prepared to take part in the operation, but British political nervousness about the possible scale of casualties stopped any direct UK involvement in the ground battle.<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.65</ref>

===Insurgent forces===
In April, Fallujah was occupied by about 500 "hardcore" and 1,000+ "part time" insurgents. By November, it was estimated that the numbers had doubled.<ref>{{cite book|title=No True Glory: A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah|author=Bing West|publisher=Bantam Books|isbn=978-0-553-80402-7|year=2005|page=[https://archive.org/details/notruegloryfront00west/page/256 256]|url=https://archive.org/details/notruegloryfront00west/page/256|author-link=Bing West}}</ref> Another estimate put the number of insurgents at 3,000; however, a number of insurgent leaders escaped before the attack.<ref name=nytimes20041108>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/08/international/08CND_IRAQ.html?_r=1&ex=1114401600&en=2bb5b33cda9ccdd9&ei=5070|title=With Airpower and Armor, Troops Enter Rebel-Held City|work=The New York Times |date=8 November 2004|access-date=27 December 2008|first=Dexter|last=Filkins|author2=James Glanz|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602200017/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/08/international/08CND_IRAQ.html?_r=1&ex=1114401600&en=2bb5b33cda9ccdd9&ei=5070|archive-date=June 2, 2023 }}</ref>

Fallujah was occupied by virtually every insurgent group in Iraq: al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), [[Islamic Army of Iraq]] (IAI), [[Jamaat Ansar al-Sunna|Ansar al-Sunna]], Army of Mohammed (AOM), the Army of the Mujahedeen and the Secret Islamic Army of Iraq. Three groups, (AQI, IAI and the [[1920 Revolution Brigade|National Islamic Army (1920 Revolution Brigade)]]) had their nationwide headquarters in Fallujah. An estimated 2,000 insurgents were from the Army of Mohammed (made up of ex [[Fedayeen Saddam]] fighters), Ansar al-Sunna and various smaller Iraqi groups.<ref>[[Malcolm Nance|Nance, Malcolm W.]], ''[[The Terrorists of Iraq|The Terrorists of Iraq: Inside the Strategy and Tactics of the Iraq Insurgency 2003–2014]]'', CRC Press, 2014 {{ISBN|1498706894}} {{ISBN|978-1498706896}}</ref>

Unlike what most cities in Iraq saw, the Battle of Fallujah did not have internal disputes between insurgents. The fighters consisted of both Sunnis and Shi'as; Soldiers of the [[Mahdi army]] fought alongside Sunni and Ba'athist groups against the United States.<ref>{{Citation |title=قتال جيش المهدي في الفلوجة 2004 شاهد ترحيب الأهالي وهوسات صباح الجنابي | date=15 September 2016 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f7nnOzzgjM |language=ar|access-date=2022-08-20|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230623144711/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f7nnOzzgjM&themeRefresh=1|archive-date=June 23, 2023|trans-title=The Mahdi Army Fighting in Fallujah, 2004}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=براثا |first=وكالة انباء |date=2008-05-23 |title=اسرار من معركة الفلوجة عام 2004 كيف تعاون مقتدى الصدر مع البعثيين والتكفيريين وقاتل الى جانبهم |url=http://burathanews.com/arabic/articles/42142 |access-date=2022-08-20 |website=وكالة أنباء براثا |language=ar-iq|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418235752/http://burathanews.com/arabic/articles/42142|archive-date=April 18, 2023}}</ref>
The Iraqi insurgents and foreign [[Mujahideen]] present in the city prepared fortified defenses in advance of the anticipated attack.<ref name="ricks2" /><ref name="lowry2">Lowry, Richard S. (2010). ''New Dawn: The Battles for Fallujah''. Savas Beatie. p. 20. {{ISBN|1-932714-77-4}}.</ref> They dug tunnels, trenches, prepared [[spider hole]]s, and built and hid a wide variety of [[Improvised explosive devices|IEDs]].<ref name="ricks2" /><ref name="lowry2" /> In some locations, they filled the interiors of darkened homes with large numbers of propane bottles, large drums of gasoline, and ordinance, all wired to a remote trigger that could be set off by an insurgent when troops entered the building. They blocked streets with [[Jersey barrier]]s and even emplaced them within homes to create strong points behind which they could attack unsuspecting troops entering the building.<ref name="Bellavia2008" /> Insurgents were equipped with a variety of advanced small arms,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://smallarmsreview.com/insurgent-arsenal-of-fallujah/|title=Insurgent Arsenal of Fallujah|last=Cuney|first=Jonathan|publisher=Small Arms Review|date=October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221031120256/https://smallarmsreview.com/insurgent-arsenal-of-fallujah/|archive-date= 31 October 2022}}</ref> and had captured a variety of U.S. armament, including M14s, M16s, body armor, uniforms and helmets.<ref name="Bellavia2008" />

They [[booby-trap]]ped buildings and vehicles, including wiring doors and windows to grenades and other ordnance. Anticipating U.S. tactics to seize the roofs of high buildings, they bricked up stairwells to the roofs of many buildings, creating paths into prepared [[field of fire (weaponry)|fields of fire]] which they hoped the troops would enter.<ref name=Bellavia2008>{{Cite book|title=House to House: A Tale of Modern War |first=David |last=Bellavia| page=336 |publisher=Pocket Books |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-84739-118-6|url=https://archive.org/details/housetohouseepic0000bell|url-access=registration}}</ref>

Intelligence briefings given prior to battle reported that coalition forces would encounter [[Chechen people|Chechen]], [[Philippines|Filipino]], [[Saudi people|Saudi]], Libyan, and [[Syria]]n combatants, as well as native Iraqis.<ref name="bellavia">Bellavia, David & Bruning, John. [https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781416596608 ''House to House: An Epic Memoir of War''] Free Press. (2007) {{ISBN|1-4165-7471-9}}.</ref>

===Civilian presence===
Most of Fallujah's civilian population fled the city before the battle, which greatly reduced the potential for noncombatant casualties.<ref name=Bellavia2008/> U.S. military officials estimated that 70–90% of the 300,000 civilians in the city fled before the attack, leaving 30,000 to 90,000 civilians still in the city.<ref name=nytimes20041108/> The military used leaflets and broadcasts to encourage civilians to leave the city before the assault.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Estes |first1=Kenneth W. |title=Into the Fray |date=2011 |publisher=United States Marine Corps History Division |location=Washington, D.C. |page=60}}</ref> However, multiple news agencies reported that military-aged males were prevented from leaving or entering the city by the U.S. military.<ref name="UStroopsbanmen">{{cite news |last=AFP |date=8 November 2004 |title=US troops ban men from entering, leaving Fallujah |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-11-08/us-troops-ban-men-from-entering-leaving-fallujah/581886 |work=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=18 December 2022}}</ref> Additionally, not all civilians had the means to leave Fallujah before the battle. [[Jane Arraf]], who was embedded with U.S. troops, said that some families wrote "We are family" on the doors of their homes, hoping the Marines would not attack during the battle.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gott |first1=Kendall D. |title=Eyewitness to War |date=2007 |publisher=Combat Studies Institute Press |location=Fort Leavenworth, Kansas |isbn=9780160773129 |page=309}}</ref>