Battle of Diwaniya
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Diwaniya took place in Diwaniya (Diwaniyah?), 180 kilometers south of Baghdad, on August 28, 2006 between the Mahdi Army
and the Iraqi Army
.
The fighting erupted after coalition troops arrested a Sadr militia leader. The militia engaged in heavy street fighting with Iraqi soldiers which lasted late into the night. Militia fighters were entrenched in residential areas during the fighting. The Iraqi Army claims that most of its casualties occurred when Mahdi militiamen captured and executed a group of soldiers who had run out of ammunition. By next morning a ceasefire was in place with 23 Iraqi soldiers, 20 militiamen and 7 civilians killed.
About a month and a half later on October 9, 2006 another battle broke out in the city, this time between the militia and the U.S. Army. Thirty militiamen were killed and a U.S. military tank severely damaged.
Mahdi Army
The Mahdi Army, also known as the Mahdi Militia or Jaish al-Mahdi , was an Iraqi paramilitary force created by the Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in June 2003....
and the Iraqi Army
Iraqi Army
The Iraqi Army is the land component of the Iraqi military, active in various forms since being formed by the British during their mandate over the country after World War I....
.
The fighting erupted after coalition troops arrested a Sadr militia leader. The militia engaged in heavy street fighting with Iraqi soldiers which lasted late into the night. Militia fighters were entrenched in residential areas during the fighting. The Iraqi Army claims that most of its casualties occurred when Mahdi militiamen captured and executed a group of soldiers who had run out of ammunition. By next morning a ceasefire was in place with 23 Iraqi soldiers, 20 militiamen and 7 civilians killed.
About a month and a half later on October 9, 2006 another battle broke out in the city, this time between the militia and the U.S. Army. Thirty militiamen were killed and a U.S. military tank severely damaged.