Battle of Karbala (2007)
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Karbala began on the night of August 27, 2007 and involved fighting between the Mahdi Army
, who provided security for the pilgrims, and police
(who were largely members of the Badr Organization
) in Karbala
, Iraq
.
Hundreds of Thousands of Shia pilgrims gathered in the city for the annual festival of Mid-Sha'ban
. Security was high as pilgrims have been killed in previous years by suicide bombers
.
reacted by deploying more troops to the area.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
imposed a curfew on the morning of August 29 as fighting continued. Soon after, he claimed that the situation was under control. The curfew ordered pilgrims to leave their devotions early and ultimately failed to stop a third bout of shooting in the evening.
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....
, who provided security for the pilgrims, and police
Iraqi security forces
Iraqi security forces is a U.S. Department of Defense term for all security forces of the Federal government of Iraq. They consist of the following organizations:*Ministry of Defence **Iraqi Armed Forces:*** Iraqi Army*** Iraqi Air Force...
(who were largely members of the Badr Organization
Badr Organization
The Badr Organization previously known as the Badr Brigades or Badr Corps is an Iraqi political party headed by Hadi al-Amiri...
) in Karbala
Karbala
Karbala is a city in Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorate, and has an estimated population of 572,300 people ....
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
Hundreds of Thousands of Shia pilgrims gathered in the city for the annual festival of Mid-Sha'ban
Mid-Sha'ban
Mid-Sha'ban is thereceding night is known as Laylatul Bara’ah or Laylatun Nisfe min Sha’ban in the Arab world, and as Shab-e-barat in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran and Afghanistan...
. Security was high as pilgrims have been killed in previous years by suicide bombers
Suicide attack
A suicide attack is a type of attack in which the attacker expects or intends to die in the process.- Historical :...
.
Battle
Shooting first started on August 27. The governmentFederal government of Iraq
The federal government of Iraq is defined under the current Constitution as an Islamic, democratic, federal parliamentary republic. The federal government is composed of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, as well as numerous independent commissions.-Federalism Law:Article 114 of the...
reacted by deploying more troops to the area.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
Nouri al-Maliki
Nouri Kamil Mohammed Hasan al-Maliki , also known as Jawad al-Maliki or Abu Esraa, is the Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party. Al-Maliki and his government succeeded the Iraqi Transitional Government. He is currently in his second term as Prime Minister...
imposed a curfew on the morning of August 29 as fighting continued. Soon after, he claimed that the situation was under control. The curfew ordered pilgrims to leave their devotions early and ultimately failed to stop a third bout of shooting in the evening.