Editing Triangle of Death (Iraq)

{{Short description|Region south of Baghdad during the 2003–2011 occupation of Iraq}}
{{More footnotes needed|date=May 2025}}
{{use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}

[[File:US Navy 030527-N-5362A-010 Engineering Aide 1st Class Scott Lyerla assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Fifteen (NMCB-15) helps to guard his convoy as it travels through Al Hillah in support of Operation Iraqi Freedo.jpg|thumb|300px|A U.S. Navy Seabee mans a vehicle-mounted machine gun while travelling through Al Hillah, Iraq in May 2003.]]

The '''Triangle of Death''' is a name given to a region south of [[Baghdad]] during the 2003–2011 [[Post-invasion Iraq|occupation of Iraq]] by the U.S. and allied forces<ref name="Al-Shawi2006">{{cite book|author=Ibrahim Al-Shawi|title=A Glimpse of Iraq|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nHLR2kg60G0C&pg=PA203|year=2006|publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=978-1-4116-9518-4|page=203}}{{self-published source|date=July 2024}}</ref> which saw major combat activity and [[Sectarian_violence_in_Iraq|sectarian violence]] from early 2003 into the fall of 2007.

==Description==
The "Triangle of Death" (not to be confused with the much larger [[Sunni Triangle]] further north) lies between Baghdad and [[Al Hillah]], is inhabited by one million mostly Sunni civilians, and contains several large towns in the [[Mahmudiya District]] including [[Yusufiyah]], [[Mahmoudiyah, Iraq|Mahmoudiyah]], [[Iskandariyah]], [[Latifiyah]] and [[Jurf Al Sakhar]] and hundreds of rural villages. The major terrain feature of the Triangle of Death is the [[Euphrates River]], which borders the Triangle to the southwest. The terrain is mostly farmland, but is sliced by many irrigation ditches. These farms are usually small, being maintained by the families that own the land. The weather is generally consistent with the rest of Iraq, except for increased humidity due to the area's proximity to the Euphrates River and irrigation canals used for farming.

[[Musayyib]] is home to the Musayyib Power Plant, which was a frequent target of [[Iraqi insurgency (2003–2006)|insurgent]] attacks due to its infrastructure importance. The power plant would be capable of supplying between one quarter and one third of Iraq's electricity demands if it were fully operational. In October 2006, it was at roughly 33% of its maximum potential output. Because of the indirect fire attacks on the facility, and the kidnapping of American soldiers to the area, U.S. forces occupied Patrol Base Dragon (formerly known as FOB Chosin) on the grounds of the power plant. Attacks diminished due to increased security in 2007 and with an overall increase in the security situation of [[Babil Governorate]] in 2008, the facility was closed as a U.S. base.

==Sociological causes of violence==
Analysts generally attributed this area's high level of violence to the tension between the majority Sunni population, the [[Saddam Hussein]]-era military industrial complex in the area (such as the al-Quds General Company for Mechanical Industries, the al-Musayyib Ammunition Depot, and the [[Al Qa'qaa]] Munitions Facility), the lack of economic alternatives to joining the [[insurgency]], and the near-endless supply of munitions that were stored throughout the area (in part due to the looting of the munitions facilities after the fall of Hussein's government).

==Post-invasion violence==
After the fall of the [[Ba'ath Party (Iraqi-dominated faction)|Ba'athist government]], the area's population suffered from unemployment. One city in the north of Babil Governorate, [[Al Hillah]], was a frequent target of insurgent attacks. On 28 February 2005, al Hillah saw the deadliest [[suicide bombing]] in the Iraq War until that point, when 125 Iraqis were killed.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/suicide-bomber-kills-over-120-security-officers-and-recruits-in-hillah-iraq| title = Suicide Bomber Kills Over 120 Security Officers and Recruits in Hillah, Iraq {{!}} PBS NewsHour| website = [[PBS]]| date = 28 February 2005}} </ref> At 9:30 in the morning, a suicide bomber struck a crowd of recruits for police and other government jobs waiting outside for their physicals. Casualties were also suffered at a nearby vegetable market. Other suicide attacks occurred in al Hillah on 30 May 2005 (20 killed), 30 May 2006 (12 killed), and 30 August 2006 (12 killed). On 16 July 2005, the town of [[Musayyib]] was attacked in a [[2005 Musayyib bombing|suicide bombing]] in one of the most savage attacks of the war until that point, when an insurgent detonated his [[explosive belt]] in a crowded marketplace beside a fuel truck containing cooking gas, exploding the truck and killing 98 Iraqis.

The Triangle of Death often saw catastrophic attacks like these due to the proximity to both Baghdad and Fallujah-Ramadi area, where suicide bombers usually met before heading to their intended targets. The Triangle of Death also was used as the staging area for attacks in Baghdad, specifically the 24 October 2005 attack on the [[Palestine Hotel]]. The Triangle of Death saw several deadly sectarian attacks during the 2007 [[Day of Ashura|Ashura]] processions.

Even though most insurgent attacks in the Triangle of Death were against Iraqi civilians and Iraqi government forces, U.S. forces were also the target of many attacks.

On June 16, 2006, one American soldier (SPC David J. Babineau) was killed and two other soldiers (PFC Thomas L. Tucker and PV2 Kristian Menchaca) were kidnapped near the [[Jurf Al Sakhar Bridge]] (located on the [[Euphrates River]] in southwestern [[Yusufiyah]]) after their [[Humvee]] was attacked. Their remains were found four days later, on the side of a canal road near Patrol Base Swamp in Shakaria (approximately 10 kilometers northeast from where they were ambushed). The bodies were discovered by SFC Jason Beaton, of 3rd Platoon, B Company, 2nd Battalion, [[502nd Infantry Regiment]] (101st Airborne Division). The report from the U.S. Army Graves Registration team indicated that the bodies had been dismembered, mutilated, burned and beheaded, as well as rigged with an [[Improvised explosive device|IED]] between one of the victim's legs.

On April 8, 2007, members of Bayonet Company, 2nd Battalion, [[69th Armor Regiment]] were on static overwatch at a battle position composed of two [[Bradley Fighting Vehicle|Bradley Fighting Vehicles]] southwest of Yusufiah when insurgents detonated an improvised explosive device attached to one of the vehicles. The explosion destroyed one Bradley and killed PFC David Simmons and SSG Harrison Brown.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://coastalcourier.com/news/military/warriors-gave-their-all/| title = Warriors Gave Their All |work=[[Coastal Courier]]| date = 18 May 2007}} </ref>

On May 12, 2007, members of Delta Company, 4th Battalion, [[31st Infantry Regiment (United States)|31st Infantry Regiment]] (of the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division) were attacked with IED, rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire while operating near the Qarghouli tribe region of Yusufiyah. The ambush left five soldiers dead and three missing. The body of one of these missing soldiers, PFC Joseph Anzack, was found in the Euphrates River in Musayyib by members of D Company, 1st Battalion, [[501st Infantry Regiment]] (Airborne) and members of the local Iraq police force. The other two missing soldiers, SGT Alex Jimenez and PFC Byron Fouty, remained missing for over a year until their remains were discovered by soldiers from 3rd platoon, A Company, 3rd Battalion, [[7th Infantry Regiment (United States)|7th Infantry Regiment]] "Cotton Bailers By God" west of the town of [[Jurf al-Nasr]].

==Military in the area==
Numerous units were stationed in the Triangle of Death from 2003. Initial deployments began with occupation of small towns and roads, sometimes in individual houses and temporarily abandoned schools, but later expanded to extensive troop commitments and culminated in 2007 with multiple brigades incurring 15-month deployments commanded by Multi-National Division-Central headed by [[3rd Infantry Division (United States)|3rd Infantry Division]] Headquarters. Attacks dropped dramatically from the spring through fall of 2007 following the activation of Multi-National Division-Central and an increase in operational tempo following the kidnapping of soldiers from 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, near Yusifiyah in May 2007.  Another contributing factor to the decline in violence was the implementation of "concerned citizen" groups in the region, conducting their own patrols of several tribal areas.

== Situation in late 2014 to 2015 ==

The towns and villages of the Triangle of Death are under the control of the Iraqi Government following many battles to regain control over the area, of which [[Operation Ashura]] was the most significant.

==See also==
* [[The Triangle of Death (documentary)|''The Triangle of Death'' (documentary)]], 2009 film

== References ==

<references/>

==Further reading==
* {{Cite press release |title=33 Terrorists Killed In Daylong Battle With ISF, MND-B Soldiers |date=28 July 2006 |publisher=[[United States Central Command]] |url=http://www.centcom.mil/sites/uscentcom1/Lists/Press%20Releases/DispForm.aspx?ID=3513&Source=http:%2F%2Fwww.centcom.mil%2Fsites%2Fuscentcom1%2FLists%2FPress%20Releases%2FCurrent%20Releases.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008035825/http://www.centcom.mil/sites/uscentcom1/Lists/Press%20Releases/DispForm.aspx?ID=3513&Source=http:%2F%2Fwww.centcom.mil%2Fsites%2Fuscentcom1%2FLists%2FPress%20Releases%2FCurrent%20Releases.aspx |archive-date=2007-10-08}}
* {{Cite news |last=Al-Bashir |first=Qais |date=30 August 2006 |title=Bombings Across Iraq Kill at Least 39 |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2373567 |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC]] |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}
* {{Cite news |date=18 July 2005 |title=Death toll in Musayyib, Iraq fuel tanker blast rises to 98 |url=http://www.dailynews.lk/2005/07/18/wld01.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060906093252/http://www.dailynews.lk/2005/07/18/wld01.htm |archive-date=2006-09-06 |work=[[Daily News (Sri Lanka)|Daily News]] |agency=[[Reuters]]}}
* {{Cite press release |title=Iraqi SWAT Team Ready to Hunt Terrorists |date=1 February 2006 |publisher=[[United States Department of Defense]] |url=http://defendamerica.mil/articles/feb2006/a020106wm1.html |last1=Gomez |first1=Jorge|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060902171101/http://defendamerica.mil/articles/feb2006/a020106wm1.html |archive-date=2 September 2006 }}
* {{Cite news |date=1 March 2005 |title=Group purporting to be al-Qaida in Iraq claims responsibility for Hillah attack |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1:105892910/Group+purporting+to+be+al-Qaida+in+Iraq+claims+responsibility+for+Hillah+attack.html?refid=ency_botnm |via=[[HighBeam Research]] |agency=Associated Press}}{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* {{Cite news |last=Ignatius |first=David |date=September 29, 2005 |title=To Stop An Arc of Violence |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/28/AR2005092802107.html |newspaper=[[Washington Post]]}}
* {{Cite news |date=30 May 2006 |title=Insurgents Kill At Least 46 in Iraq |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2006/05/mil-060530-voa09.htm |work=[[Voice of America]] |via=Globalsecurity.org}}
* {{Cite news |date=28 February 2005 |title=Iraq Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 110 |url=http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/02/28/international/i051823S58.DTL |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* {{Cite news |date=29 March 2005 |title=Iraqi combat capability on the upswing |url=http://www.reportingwar.com/wts032905.shtml |work=World Defense Review |access-date=30 August 2006 |archive-date=25 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525075717/http://www.reportingwar.com/wts032905.shtml |url-status=dead }}
* {{Cite news |last=Morin |first=Monte |date=29 September 2006 |title=Faltering power plant brings Iraq's electrical woes to light |url=http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=39451&archive=true |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928014805/http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=39451&archive=true |archive-date=2007-09-28 |work=[[Stars and Stripes (newspaper)|Stars and Stripes]] |edition=Mideast}}
* {{Cite news |last=Perry |first=Cal |date=November 1, 2005 |title=Luck runs out in 'Triangle of Death' |url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/10/31/triangle.death/ |work=[[CNN]]}}
* {{Cite web |last=Pike |first=John<!--from website metadata--> |date=2011-07-09 |title=Iskandariyah |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/iskandariyah.htm |website=GlobalSecurity.org}}
* {{Cite web |last=Pike |first=John<!--from website metadata--> |date=2011-07-24 |title=Al Qa Qaa - Iraq Special Weapons Facilities |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iraq/al_qa_qaa.htm |website=GlobalSecurity.org}}
* {{Cite news |last=Shadid |first=Anthony |date=November 23, 2004 |title=Iraq's Forbidding 'Triangle of Death' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5710-2004Nov22.html |newspaper=[[Washington Post]] |page=A01}}
* {{Cite news |date=30 May 2005 |title=Suicide Bombings In Al-Hillah Kill At Least 20 |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2005/05/mil-050530-rferl01.htm |work=[[Radio Free Europe]] |via=Globalsecurity.org}}
* {{Cite news |date=June 17, 2006 |title=Teams search 'Triangle of Death' for missing soldiers |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/06/17/soldiers.missing/index.html |work=[[CNN]]}}
* {{Cite episode |title=The Insurgency |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/insurgency/ |series=PBS Frontline |date=February 21, 2006}}
* {{Cite news |date=October 25, 2004 |title=Tons of Iraq explosives missing |url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/10/25/iraq.explosives/ |work=[[CNN]]}}
* {{Cite news |date=November 19, 2004 |title='Triangle of death' south of Baghdad: Bounties offered for killings of Shiites, Westerners |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna6530940 |work=[[NBC]] |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070312120307/http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/15759181.htm "Iraqi leader of police unit dies in blast"]

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[[Category:2004 in Iraq]]
[[Category:Iraq War by location]]
[[Category:Urban warfare]]
[[Category:Iraq War terminology]]
[[Category:Baghdad Governorate in the Iraq War]]
[[Category:Babylon Governorate in the Iraq War]]