Ramădī (الرمادي) is a city in central Iraq, about 100 kilometers west of Baghdad. It is the capital of Al Anbar province.
During World War I British forces under General Maude fought there in November of 1917.
Ramadi is considered to be the southwest point of Iraq's Sunni Triangle. It has been a focal point of resistance to the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Because it hosts the main railway line into Syria, it has long been suspected by American commanders of being a staging area for insurgents.
Ramadi's population numbers around 400,000.
People
Most inhabitants are Sunni Muslims from the Dulaim tribe.
Wartime casualties
Five Marines killed by roadside bomb - September 28, 2005
On April 6, 2004, at least 12 U.S. Marines were killed by guerrilla forces in Ramadi, in an apparent effort to relieve the ongoing siege of nearby Fallujah.
According to data gathered by [1], there have been 207 reported deaths due to military intervention in Ramadi between the start of the invasion and the beginning of 2006.
Wartime Military Control
The city was first occupied by the Army's 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and Florida National Guard's 124th Infantry Regiment after the end of "major combat operations" on May 1st, 2003. In September 2003, the city fell under control of the 82nd Airborne Division with support from the 1st Infantry Division BCT from Fort Riley, KS. The 82nd Airborne, under MG Charles Swannack, established a training post for both Iraqi police and Iraqi Civil Defense Corps (ICDC; later Iraqi Nation Guard). In December 2003, an attack on the 82nd HQ Base (an old Saddam palace) killed one American soldier. In March 2004, the Marines took control of the city.
Between 2004 and 2005, the city was held under the auspices of the United States via the 1st Marine Division (who were in control of the western half of the city) and the 2nd brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division of the Army (who owned, roughly, the eastern half of the city). While the 2nd Infantry Division performed a year-long tour in the city, the Marines rotated after six months and were relieved by the 2nd Marine Division. Interestingly, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team mentioned here, had deployed directly from the peninsula of South Korea and upon the end of their deployment, was relocated to Fort Carson, Colorado. The brigade is now under a reconstruction of sorts with many of its units changing locations and new lineages being added in their places.
As Ar-Ramadi is still a combat area and much of its description is kept vague for security purposes, it can be described as follows: to the East, it is roughly bordered by a “suburb” of sorts called Habbiniya. This town is also home to a large United States Military base named Al-Taqaddam. On the opposite side of the city is a mirror military base- also large and logistically important known as Camp Junction City. Within these two points, in the city’s proper are many austere outposts named, “The Snake Pit,’ and, ironically, “The Combat Outpost” among others. It is from these camps of only 200-300 soldiers and little to no luxuries (such as civilian-ran chow halls and Post Exchanges as found on other posts across Iraq) that some of the most fierce fighting in the entire country takes place. A company commander during this time references Ar-Ramadi here: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002090550_iraqdig14.html. The city, more or less, fades into desert-type area to the south. To the north, it is bordered by the Euphrates River. A major strategic point for the city is the Ramadi General Hospital that sits along this river and directly in the north-central portion of the city.
While the Marines hold claim to officially commanding this area as it falls under their command of the Al-Anbar Province, many Army units, as stated, have fought and lived here. In July of 2005, a mixture of the U.S. National Guard (as stated more explicitly later) and portions of the 3rd Infantry Division took control of the eastern half of the city from 2nd BCT units of the 2nd Infantry Division such as 1/503rd Infantry Regiment and the 1/506th Infantry Regiment.
In July 2005, 2nd BCT of the 28th I.D. (M), Pennsylvania Army National Guard deployed to the Al Anbar province. Attached were many supporting units such as the 2nd Bn. 222nd FA Regt from the Utah Army National Guard, and units from approximately 20 other states. This Brigade Combat Team fell under 1st Marine Division and later 2nd Marine Division and performed Stability and Support Operations, Combat Operations, and a host of supporting tasks.
See also
