View source for Religion:Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011)

{{Short description|Sectarian/anti-government warfare in American-occupied Iraq}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Iraqi insurgency
| partof            = the Iraq War
| image             = Iraqi insurgents with guns, 2006.jpg
| image_size        =
| caption           = Insurgents in northern Iraq, 2006
| date              = 1 May 2003 – 18 December 2011<br />({{Age in months, weeks and days|2003-05-01|2011-12-18}})
| place             = Iraq
| result            = Inconclusive
* 2003–2006 insurgency phase deteriorates into 2006–2008 civil war
* 20,000+ additional American soldiers deployed to Iraq to quell violence in troop surge of 2007
* Coalition failure to defeat Iraqi insurgency<ref>{{Cite news |last=Krepinevich |first=Andrew F. |last2=Jr |date=2005-09-01 |title=How to Win in Iraq |language=en-US |work=Foreign Affairs |issue=September/October 2005 |url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/iraq/2005-09-01/how-win-iraq |access-date=2023-10-20 |issn=0015-7120}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Georgy |first=Michael |date=2023-03-16 |title=Iraqi ambush of Americans made a mockery of 'Mission Accomplished' |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iraqi-ambush-americans-made-mockery-mission-accomplished-2023-03-16/ |access-date=2023-10-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Mazzetti |first=Mark |date=2004-07-06 |title=U.S. Response to Insurgency Called a Failure |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jul-06-fg-counterinsurgency6-story.html |access-date=2023-10-20 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cordesman |first=Anthony H. |date=2020-01-02 |title=America’s Failed Strategy in the Middle East: Losing Iraq and the Gulf |url=https://www.csis.org/analysis/americas-failed-strategy-middle-east-losing-iraq-and-gulf |language=en}}</ref>  
* End of American military presence in Iraq with 2007–2011 withdrawal
* Continued Iraqi conflict
| combatant1        = {{flag|United States}}<br />{{flag|United Kingdom}}
{{collapsible list
| bullets = yes
| titlestyle = background:transparent;font-weight:normal;text-align:left;
| title = {{flagicon image|Flag of Multi-National Force&nbsp;– Iraq.png}} MNF–I<br />(2003–09)
| {{flag|United States}} (2003–09)
| {{flag|United Kingdom}} (2003–09)
| {{flag|Australia}} (2003–09)
| {{flag|Romania}} (2003–09)
| {{flag|Azerbaijan}} (2003–08)
| {{flag|Kuwait}} (2003–08)
| {{flag|Estonia}} (2003–09)
| {{flag|El Salvador}} (2003–09)
| {{flag|Bulgaria}} (2003–08)
| {{flag|Moldova}} (2003–08)
| {{flag|Albania}} (2003–08)
| {{flag|Ukraine}} (2003–08)
| {{flag|Denmark}} (2003–08)
| {{flag|Czech Republic}} (2003–08)
| {{flag|South Korea}} (2003–08)
| {{flag|Singapore}} (2003–08)
| {{flag|Croatia}} (2003–08)
| {{flag|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} (2003–08)
| {{flag|North Macedonia|name=Republic of Macedonia}} (2003–08)
| {{flag|Latvia}} (2003–08)
| {{flag|Poland}} (2003–08)
| {{flag|Kazakhstan}} (2003–08)
| {{flag|Mongolia}} (2003–08)
| {{flag|Georgia}} (2003–08)
| {{flag|Tonga}} (2004–08)
| {{flag|Japan}} (2004–08)
| {{flag|Armenia}} (2005–08)
| {{flag|Slovakia}} (2003–07)
| {{flag|Lithuania}} (2003–07)
| {{flag|Italy}} (2003–06)
| {{flag|Norway}} (2003–06)
| {{flag|Hungary}} (2003–05)
| {{flag|Netherlands}} (2003–05)
| {{flag|Portugal}} (2003–05)
| {{flag|New Zealand}} (2003–04)
| {{flag|Thailand}} (2003–04)
| {{flag|Philippines}} (2003–04)
| {{flag|Honduras|1949}} (2003–04)
| {{flag|Dominican Republic}} (2003–04)
| {{flag|Spain}} (2003–04)
| {{flag|Nicaragua}} (2003–04)
| {{flag|Iceland}} (2003–unknown)
}}
{{flagdeco|Iraq}} New Iraqi government
* Iraqi Armed Forces
* Iraqi Police
* {{flag|Iraqi Kurdistan}}
** Peshmerga
Sons of Iraq
'''Supported by''':<br />{{flagicon|IRN}} [[Religion:Iran|Iran]]<ref>Elaheh Rostami-Povey, ''Iran's Influence: A Religious-Political State and Society in Its Region'', pp. 130–154, Zed Books Ltd, 2010.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/Felter_Iranian_Strategy_in_Iraq.pdf |title=Iranian Strategy in Iraq Politics and "Other Means" |access-date=12 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305151457/http://cisac.fsi.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/Felter_Iranian_Strategy_in_Iraq.pdf |archive-date=5 March 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Seal of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army.svg|border=no}} Artesh
* {{flagicon image|Seal of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution.svg|border=no}} Quds Force
{{flag|NATO}}
* {{flagicon image|Seal_of_NATO_Training_Mission_–_Iraq.png}} NATO Training Mission – Iraq
{{flag|Israel}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/3702655|title=U.S. employs Israeli tactics in Iraq |date=December 13, 2003 |website=NBC News|access-date=2023-06-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Hersh|first=Seymour M.|date=21 June 2004|title=As June 30th approaches, Israel looks to the Kurds.|magazine=The New Yorker|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/06/28/plan-b-2|access-date=12 June 2023}}</ref>{{Sfnp|Bishku|2018|p=63}}<br />{{flag|United Nations}}
* United Nations Security Council
* United Nations Secretariat
** United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq
| combatant2        = {{flagicon image|Flag_of_the_Ba%27ath_Party.svg}} '''Ba'ath loyalists'''
* {{flagicon image|Fedayeen_Saddam_SSI.svg}} Fedayeen Saddam (2003 Only)
* SCJL
** {{flagicon|Ba'athist Iraq|1991}} JRTN
| combatant3        = {{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} '''Sunni insurgents'''
* {{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda in Iraq.svg}} Al-Qaeda in Iraq (2004–06)
* {{flagdeco|ISIL}} Islamic State of Iraq<ref name="YouTube">{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a01Rg2g2Z8#t=745 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/2a01Rg2g2Z8 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=President Barack Obama Speaks With VICE News|date=16 March 2015|publisher=YouTube}} </ref> (from 2006)
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Islamic Army In Iraq.svg}} Islamic Army of Iraq
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Jama'at Ansar al-Sunnah.svg}} Ansar al-Sunnah (2003–07)
*[[File:Iraqi Islamic Resistance Army.jpg|25px|The flag of the Iraqi Islamic Resistance Army]] Iraqi Islamic Resistance Army
* Others
| combatant4        = {{flagicon image|Shiism arabic blue.svg}} '''Shia insurgents'''
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the Mahdi Army.svg}} Mahdi Army
* {{flagicon image|Shiism arabic blue.svg}} Special Groups
* {{flagicon image|Kata'ib Hezbollah sans logo.JPG}} [[Religion:Kata'ib Hezbollah|Kata'ib Hezbollah]] 
* Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq
* Badr Brigades
* Others
| commander1        = '''{{flagdeco|United States}} George W. Bush'''<br />{{flagdeco|United States}} [[Biography:Barack Obama|Barack Obama]]<br />{{flagdeco|United States}} Tommy Franks<br />{{flagdeco|United States}} Donald Rumsfeld<br />{{flagdeco|United States}} Robert Gates<br />{{Flagdeco|United Kingdom}} '''Tony Blair'''<br />{{flagdeco|United Kingdom}} Gordon Brown<br />{{flagdeco|United Kingdom}} David Cameron<br />{{flagdeco|Australia}} John Howard<br />{{flagdeco|Australia}} Kevin Rudd<br />{{flagdeco|Italy}} Silvio Berlusconi<br />{{flagdeco|Canada}} Walter Natynczyk<br />{{flagdeco|Spain}} José María Aznar<br />{{flagdeco|Denmark}} Anders Fogh Rasmussen<br />{{flagdeco|Poland}} Aleksander Kwaśniewski<br/>{{flagdeco|Iraq}} Ayad Allawi<br />{{flagdeco|Iraq}} Ibrahim al-Jaafari<br />{{flagdeco|Iraq}} Nouri al-Maliki<br />{{flagdeco|Iran}} Ali Khamenei<br />{{flagdeco|Iran}} Mohammad Salimi<br />{{flagdeco|Iran}} Ataollah Salehi<br>{{flagicon|Iran}} Qasem Soleimani
| commander2        = '''{{flagicon|Ba'athist Iraq|1991}} Saddam Hussein{{POW}}[[File:Skull and crossbones.svg|15px|link=Execution of Saddam Hussein]]'''<br />{{flagicon|Ba'athist Iraq|1991}} Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri<br />{{flagicon|Ba'athist Iraq|1991}} Abid Hamid Mahmud<br />{{flagicon|Ba'athist Iraq|1991}} Ali Hassan al-Majid<br />{{flagicon|Ba'athist Iraq|1991}} Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti{{POW}}{{executed}}<br />{{flagicon|Ba'athist Iraq|1991}} Taha Yasin Ramadan{{POW}}{{executed}}<br />{{flagicon|Ba'athist Iraq|1991}} Tariq Aziz{{POW}}<br />{{flagicon|Ba'athist Iraq|1991}} Mohammed Younis al-Ahmed
| commander3        = '''{{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda in Iraq.svg}} Abu Musab al-Zarqawi{{KIA}}'''<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda in Iraq.svg}} Abu Ayyub al-Masri{{KIA}}<br />{{flagdeco|ISIL}} Abu Omar al-Baghdadi{{KIA}}<br />{{flagdeco|ISIL}} Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda in Iraq.svg}} Abu Abdullah al-Shafi'i{{POW}}<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Islamic Army In Iraq.svg}} Ishmael Jubouri
| commander4        = '''{{flagicon image|Flag of Promised Day Brigades.svg}} Muqtada al-Sadr'''<br />{{flagicon image|Shiism arabic blue.svg}} Abu Deraa<br />{{flagicon image|Shiism arabic blue.svg}} Akram al-Kaabi<br /> Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis<br />Qais al-Khazali
| strength1         = 
| strength2         = 
| strength3         = 
| casualties1       = 
| casualties2       = 
| casualties3       = 
| notes             = 
| campaignbox       = {{Campaignbox Iraq War}}
| alt               = Two masked Iraqi men with weapons during the insurgency that followed the 2003 invasion of Iraq
}}
<!-- bolding not necessary per WP:SBE -->

An '''Iraqi insurgency''' began shortly after the 2003 American invasion deposed longtime leader Saddam Hussein. It is considered to have lasted until the end of the Iraq War and U.S. withdrawal in 2011. It was followed by a renewed insurgency. 

The initial outbreak of violence (the 2003–2006 phase) was triggered by the fall and preceded the establishment of the new Iraqi government by the Multi-National Force – Iraq (MNF–I), which was led by the {{wipe|United States}}. From around 2004 to May 2007, Iraqi insurgents largely focused their attacks on MNF-I troops,<ref>{{cite web|title=Meeting Resistance: New Doc Follows Iraqis Fighting U.S. Occupation of Their Country |publisher=Democracy Now! |url=http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/10/18/1419205 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113204643/http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07%2F10%2F18%2F1419205 |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 November 2007 |access-date=1 August 2008}} "Know Thine Enemy" | New York Times |21 October 2007 "Meeting Resistance is directed by journalists Molly Bingham and Steve Connors. In a video op-ed for the New York Times, they cite Pentagon reports between 2004 and '07 to claim 74% of attacks by Iraqi insurgents target American-led occupation forces. They also cite a recent BBC/ABC poll which found 100% of Iraqis polled disapproved of attacks on Iraqi civilians."</ref> but later shifted to targeting the post-invasion Iraqi security forces as well.

The insurgents were composed of a diverse mix of private militias, pro-Saddam [[Social:Ba'athism|Ba'athists]], local Iraqis opposed to the MNF–I and/or the post-Saddam Iraqi government, and a number of [[Religion:Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011)#Foreign participants|foreign jihadists]]. The various insurgent groups fought an [[Physics:Asymmetric warfare|asymmetric]] war of [[Social:Attrition warfare|attrition]] against the MNF–I and the Iraqi government, while also fighting among themselves. 

The insurgency was shaped by sectarian tensions in Iraq, particularly between Shia Muslims (~60% of the population) and Sunni Muslims (~35% of the population). By February 2006, the violence escalated into a Shia–Sunni civil war, and for the next two years, the MNF–I and the Iraqi government were locked in intense fighting with various militants, who were also targeting each other based on their sectarian affiliations. Many of the militant attacks in American-controlled territories were directed at the Shia-dominated government of Nouri al-Maliki. Militancy continued amid post-invasion Iraqi reconstruction efforts, as the federal government tried to establish itself in the country. The civil war and sectarian violence ended in mid-2008, having been quelled by the American troop surge of 2007. 

However, after the American withdrawal from Iraq in December 2011, a renewed sectarian and anti-government insurgency swept through the country, causing thousands of casualties. Two years later, the violence of the new insurgency escalated into the Second Iraq War, largely triggered by the rise of the [[Religion:Islamic State|Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]].

== Background ==
The 2003 invasion of Iraq (19 March – 1 May 2003) began the Iraq War, or ''Operation Iraqi Freedom'', in which a combined force of troops from the {{wipe|United States}}, the {{wipe|United Kingdom}}, {{wipe|Australia}}, and {{wipe|Poland}} invaded Iraq and toppled the government of Saddam Hussein within 26 days of major combat operations. The invasion phase consisted of a conventionally fought war which concluded with the capture of the Iraq capital [[Place:Baghdad|Baghdad]] by U.S. forces.

Four countries participated with troops during the initial invasion phase, which lasted from 19 March to 15 April 2003. These were the United States (148,000), United Kingdom (45,000), Australia (2,000), and Poland (194). Thirty-six other countries were involved in its aftermath. In preparation for the invasion, 100,000 U.S. troops were assembled in Kuwait by 18 February.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/02/18/sprj.irq.deployment/index.html|title=U.S. has 100,000 troops in Kuwait|work=CNN|date=18 February 2003|access-date=1 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108211421/http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/02/18/sprj.irq.deployment/index.html|archive-date=8 November 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> The United States supplied the majority of the invading forces, but also received support from Kurdish irregulars in [[Place:Iraqi Kurdistan|Iraqi Kurdistan]].

The invasion was preceded by an air strike on the Presidential Palace in Baghdad on 19 March 2003. The following day coalition forces launched an incursion into Basra Province from their massing point close to the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border. While the special forces launched an amphibious assault from the Persian Gulf to secure [[Place:Basra|Basra]] and the surrounding petroleum fields, the main invasion army moved into southern Iraq, occupying the region and engaging in the Battle of Nasiriyah on 23 March. Massive air strikes across the country and against Iraqi command and control threw the defending army into chaos and prevented an effective resistance. On 26 March the 173rd Airborne Brigade was airdropped near the northern city of [[Place:Kirkuk|Kirkuk]] where they joined forces with Kurdish rebels and fought several actions against the Iraqi army to secure the northern part of the country.

The main body of coalition forces continued their drive into the heart of Iraq and met with little resistance. Most of the Iraqi military was quickly defeated and Baghdad was occupied on 9 April. Other operations occurred against pockets of the Iraqi army including the capture and occupation of Kirkuk on 10 April, and the attack and capture of [[Place:Tikrit|Tikrit]] on 15 April. Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and the central leadership went into hiding as the coalition forces completed the occupation of the country.

On 1 May, an end of major combat operations was declared, ending the invasion stage of the Iraq War and beginning the [[Social:Military occupation|military occupation]] period and the Iraqi insurgency against coalition forces.

== History ==

=== 2003–2006: initial insurgency ===
{{See|Ramadi under U.S. military occupation}}
[[File:U.S. Army M1A2 Abrams Iraq 2005 retouched.jpg|thumb|U.S. Army M1A2 Abrams tanks patrol the streets of Tal Afar, Iraq in February 2005.]]
The Iraqi insurgency of 2003–06 erupted following the invasion of Iraq and the toppling of Saddam Hussein's rule in May 2003. The armed insurgent opposition to the United States-led multinational force in Iraq and the post-2003 Iraqi government lasted until early 2006, when it deteriorated into a sectarian civil war, the most violent phase of the Iraq War.

=== 2006–2008: insurgency to civil war ===
[[File:Islamic State of Iraq.png|thumb| Map of the Islamic State of Iraq and its provinces on 7th of April, 2007]]
Following the U.S.-launched 2003 invasion of Iraq, the situation deteriorated, and by 2007, the [[Social:Communal violence|intercommunal violence]] between Iraqi Sunni and Shi'a factions was described by the National Intelligence Estimate as having elements of a civil war.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Elements of 'civil war' in Iraq|quote=A US intelligence assessment on Iraq says "civil war" accurately describes certain aspects of the conflict, including intense sectarian violence.|date=2 February 2007|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/world/middle_east/6324767.stm|journal=BBC News | access-date=2 January 2010}}</ref> In a 10 January 2007 address to the American people, President George W. Bush stated that "80% of Iraq's sectarian violence occurs within {{convert|30|mi|km}} of the capital. This violence is splitting [[Place:Baghdad|Baghdad]] into sectarian enclaves, and shaking the confidence of all Iraqis."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2007/01/20070110-7.html |title=President's Address to the Nation |publisher=The White House |date=10 January 2007 |access-date=1 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501145439/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2007/01/20070110-7.html |archive-date=1 May 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> Two polls of Americans conducted in 2006 found that between 65% and 85% believed Iraq was in a civil war;<ref name=IraqPoll1>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/09/28/poll.iraq/index.html|title=Poll: Nearly two-thirds of Americans say Iraq in civil war|date=28 Sep 2006|website=CNN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129114323/http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/09/28/poll.iraq/index.html|archive-date=29 November 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=IraqPoll2>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/CBSNews_polls/dec06iraq.pdf |title=12/06 CBS: 85% of Americans now characterize the situation in Iraq as a Civil War |website=CBS News |access-date=26 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018164433/http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/CBSNews_polls/dec06iraq.pdf |archive-date=18 October 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> however, a similar poll of Iraqis conducted in 2007 found that 61% did not believe that they were in a civil war.<ref name="TimesPoll">{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article1530762.ece |title=Iraqis: life is getting better |newspaper=The Times |date=18 March 2007 |location=London |first=Marie |last=Colvin |access-date=30 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429095521/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article1530762.ece |archive-date=29 April 2011 |url-status=live }}[]</ref>

In October 2006, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Iraqi government estimated that more than 370,000 Iraqis had been displaced since the 2006 bombing of the al-Askari Mosque, bringing the total number of Iraqi refugees to more than 1.6 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/452fa9954.html|title=UNHCR worried about effect of dire security situation on Iraq's displaced|publisher=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)|access-date=26 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129042719/http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/452fa9954.html|archive-date=29 November 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> By 2008, the UNHCR raised the estimate of refugees to a total of about 4.7 million (~16% of the population). The number of refugees estimated abroad was 2 million (a number close to CIA projections<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/iraq/|title=The World Factbook|access-date=26 April 2013}}</ref>) and the number of internally displaced people was 2.7 million.<ref name=UNHCR-04084>[http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/iraq?page=briefing&id=4816ef534 UNHCR – Iraq: Latest return survey shows few intending to go home soon] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905005407/http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/iraq?page=briefing&id=4816ef534 |date=5 September 2008}}. Published 29 April 2008. Retrieved 20 May 2008.</ref> The estimated number of orphans across Iraq has ranged from 400,000 (according to the Baghdad Provincial Council), to five million (according to Iraq's anti-corruption board). A {{wipe|United Nations}} report from 2008 placed the number of orphans at about 870,000.<ref>[http://gorillasguides.com/2007/12/15/5-million-orphans/ 5 million Iraqi orphans, anti-corruption board reveals] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121217151042/http://gorillasguides.com/2007/12/15/5-million-orphans/ |date=17 December 2012}} English translation of Aswat Al Iraq newspaper 15 December 2007</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://mawtani.al-shorfa.com/en_GB/articles/iii/features/iraqtoday/2012/03/27/feature-01|title=Draft law seeks to provide Iraqi orphans with comprehensive support &#124; Mawtani|date=12 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130112045604/http://mawtani.al-shorfa.com/en_GB/articles/iii/features/iraqtoday/2012/03/27/feature-01 |archive-date=12 January 2013 }}</ref> The Red Cross has also stated that Iraq's humanitarian situation remains among the most critical in the world, with millions of Iraqis forced to rely on insufficient and poor-quality water sources.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/iraq-report-170308/$file/ICRC-Iraq-report-0308-eng.pdf|title=Search results – Resource centre|work=International Committee of the Red Cross|access-date=26 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090907182444/http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/iraq-report-170308/$file/ICRC-Iraq-report-0308-eng.pdf|archive-date=7 September 2009|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to the Failed States Index, produced by Foreign Policy magazine and the Fund for Peace, Iraq was one of the world's top 5 unstable states from 2005 to 2008.<ref>
* {{cite web | url=http://www.fundforpeace.org/web/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=103&Itemid=325| title= Failed States list 2005 | publisher = Fund for Peace | access-date=24 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619230117/http://www.fundforpeace.org/web/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=103&Itemid=325|archive-date=19 June 2008}}
* {{cite web | url=http://www.fundforpeace.org/web/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=104&Itemid=324| title= Failed States list 2006 | publisher = Fund for Peace | access-date=24 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080223095751/http://www.fundforpeace.org/web/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=104&Itemid=324|archive-date=23 February 2008}}
* {{cite web | url=http://www.fundforpeace.org/web/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=229&Itemid=366 | title= Failed States list 2007 | publisher = Fund for Peace | access-date=19 June 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070620194359/http://www.fundforpeace.org/web/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=229&Itemid=366|archive-date=20 June 2007}}
* {{cite web | url=https://foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4350&page=1|title=Failed States list 2008|publisher = Fund for Peace|access-date=24 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626091706/http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4350&page=1|archive-date=26 June 2008}}</ref> A poll of top U.S. foreign policy experts conducted in 2007 showed that over the next 10 years, just 3% of experts believed the U.S. would be able to rebuild Iraq into a "beacon of democracy" and 58% of experts believed that Sunni-Shiite tensions would dramatically increase in the Middle East.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070820/pl_nm/security_usa_bush_dc;_ylt=Au59xROu4wsVd5s8u2fll42s0NUE|title=U.S. foreign policy experts oppose surge}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/images/TI3_Final_Results.doc|title=Foreign Policy: Terrorism Survey III (Final Results)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031172626/http://www.foreignpolicy.com/images/TI3_Final_Results.doc|archive-date=31 October 2007}}</ref>

In June 2008, the U.S. Department of Defense reported that "the security, political and economic trends in Iraq continue to be positive; however, they remain fragile, reversible and uneven."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/pdfs/Master_16_June_08_%20FINAL_SIGNED%20.pdf|work=US Department of Defense|date=June 2008|title=Measuring Security and Stability in Iraq|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625062302/http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/pdfs/Master_16_June_08_%20FINAL_SIGNED%20.pdf|archive-date=25 June 2008}}</ref> In July 2008, the [[Engineering:Government Accountability Office|audit arm of the U.S. Congress]] recommended that the U.S. Government should "develop an updated strategy for Iraq that defines U.S. goals and objectives after July 2008 and addresses the long-term goal of achieving an Iraq that can govern, defend, and sustain itself".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08837.pdf |title=US Government Accountability Office (June 2008): Securing, Stabilizing, and Rebuilding Iraq |access-date=26 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330215141/http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08837.pdf |archive-date=30 March 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Steven Simon, a Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the [[Organization:Council on Foreign Relations|Council on Foreign Relations]], wrote in May 2008 that "the recent short-term gains" had "come at the expense of the long-term goal of a stable, unitary Iraq."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20080501faessay87305/steven-simon/the-price-of-the-surge.html|magazine=Council on Foreign Relations|title=The Price of the Surge|first=Steven|last=Simon|date=May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218232810/http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20080501faessay87305/steven-simon/the-price-of-the-surge.html|archive-date=18 December 2008}}</ref>

After Iraqi security forces took the lead in security operations on 30 June 2009, Iraq experienced a "dramatic reduction in war-related violence of all types ..., with civilian and military deaths down by 80 to 90 percent compared with the same period in 2008."<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/world/middleeast/13iraq.html |title=The New York Times|date=10 December 2009|access-date=22 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227161327/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/world/middleeast/13iraq.html |archive-date=27 February 2017 |url-status=live |last1=Nordland|first1=Rod}}</ref>

=== 2008–2011: low-level insurgency ===
In 2010, the low point for the al-Qaeda effort in Iraq, car bombings declined to an average of ten a month and multiple-location attacks occurred only two or three times a year.

== Aftermath ==

=== 2011–2013: American withdrawal and renewed insurgency ===
The Iraqi attacks since U.S. withdrawal<ref name=latimes2701>{{cite news|title=Suicide bomber kills 32 at Baghdad funeral march|url=http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/01/27/car-bombing-kills-26-in-baghdad/|agency=Associated Press|publisher=Fox News|access-date=22 April 2012|date=27 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306053129/http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/01/27/car-bombing-kills-26-in-baghdad/|archive-date=6 March 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> relates to the last stage of violent terror activities engaged by Iraqi, primarily radical Sunni and Shia insurgent groups against the central government and the sectarian warfare between various factions within Iraq in the aftermath of the U.S. withdrawal. The events of post-U.S. withdrawal violence succeeded the previous insurgency in Iraq (prior to 18 December 2011), but have showed increasingly violent patterns,<ref name=alarabiya2902>{{cite web |url=http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/02/29/197696.html |title=As bombs hit Baghdad, Iraq says about 69, 263 people killed between 2004 and 2011 |publisher=English.alarabiya.net |date=29 February 2012 |access-date=7 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130910171312/http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/02/29/197696.html |archive-date=10 September 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> raising concerns that the surging violence might slide into another civil war.<ref name=latimes2701/>

== Militant organizations ==
The Iraqi insurgency is composed of at least a dozen major organizations and perhaps as many as 40 distinct groups. These groups are subdivided into countless smaller cells. The Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimates that less than 10% of insurgents are non-Iraqi foreign fighters.<ref name="guardian.co.uk">{{cite news|first1=Brian|last1=Whitaker|first2=Ewen|last2=MacAskill|title=Report attacks 'myth' of foreign fighters|work=The Guardian|date=23 September 2005|url=https://www.theguardian.com/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1576666,00.html|access-date=21 October 2007}}</ref> According to the Chief of the British General Staff, General Sir Richard Dannatt, speaking in September 2007,

{{Quote|The militants (and I use the word deliberately because not all are insurgents, or terrorists, or criminals; they are a mixture of them all) are well armed – probably with outside help, and probably from Iran. By motivation, essentially, and with the exception of the Al Qaeda in Iraq element who have endeavoured to exploit the situation for their own ends, our opponents are Iraqi Nationalists, and are most concerned with their own needs – jobs, money, security – and the majority are not bad people.<ref name=Speech>{{cite web|title= Address to the International Institute for Strategic Studies |date= 21 September 2007 |publisher= UK Ministry of Defence |url= http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/People/Speeches/ChiefStaff/20070921AddressToTheInternationalInstituteForStrategicStudies.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009194854/http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/People/Speeches/ChiefStaff/20070921AddressToTheInternationalInstituteForStrategicStudies.htm |archive-date=9 October 2007}}</ref>}}

[[File:Deadliest Roadside Bombing.jpg|thumb|A roadside bombing in Iraq on 3 August 2005]]
Because of its clandestine nature, the exact composition of the Iraqi insurgency is difficult to determine, but the main groupings are:
* [[Social:Ba'athism|Ba'athists]], the supporters of Saddam Hussein's former administration including army or intelligence officers, whose ideology is a variant of [[Social:Pan-Arabism|Pan-Arabism]].
* Iraqi nationalists, Iraqis who believe in a strong version of Iraqi [[Social:Self-determination|self-determination]]. These policies may not necessarily espouse a Pan-Arab ideology, but rather advocate the country's territorial integrity including Kuwait and Khuzestan. Historical figures of this movement include the pre-Ba'athist leader of Iraq Abd al-Karim Qasim and his government.
* Iraqi Salafi [[Religion:Islamism|Islamists]], the indigenous armed followers of the Salafi movement, as well as any remnants of the Kurdish Ansar al-Islam: individuals with a Salafi-only policy opposed to non-Salafis though not aligned to one specific ethnic group. Though opposed to the U.S.-led invasion, these groups are not wholly sympathetic towards the former Ba'ath Party as its members included non-Salafis.
* Shi'a militias, including the southern, [[Religion:Iran|Iran]]-linked Badr Organization, the Mahdi Army, and the central-Iraq followers of Muqtada al-Sadr. These groups neither advocate the dominance of a single ethnic group, nor the traditional ideologies behind the Iraqi state (e.g. these particular Shi'as do not support the capture of Khuzestan or other border areas with Iran, but rather promote warm relations with Iran's Shi'a government).
* Foreign Islamist volunteers, including those often linked to al Qaeda and largely driven by the Salafi/Wahhabi doctrine (the two preceding categories are often lumped as "[[Religion:Jihad|jihad]]ists");
* Possibly some socialist revolutionaries (such as the Iraqi Armed Revolutionary Resistance, which claimed one attack in 2007).
* Non-violent resistance groups and political parties (not part of the armed insurgency).

=== Arab nationalists ===
==== Ba'athists and pro-Saddamists ====
[[File:Flag of the Ba'ath Party.svg|thumb|Ba'ath Party flag]]
The Ba'athists include former Ba'ath Party officials, the Fedayeen Saddam, and some former agents of the Iraqi intelligence elements and security services, such as the Mukhabarat and the Special Security Organization. Their goal, at least before the capture of Saddam Hussein, was the restoration of the former Ba'athist government to power. The pre-war organization of the Ba'ath Party and its militias as a cellular{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}} structure aided the continued pro-Saddam resistance after the fall of Baghdad, and Iraqi intelligence operatives may have developed a plan for [[Social:Guerrilla warfare|guerrilla war]] following the toppling of Saddam Hussein from power.

Following Saddam's capture, the Ba'athist movement largely faded; its surviving factions were increasingly shifting to either nationalist factions (Iraqi, though not Pan-Arab, such as the ideology of the pre-Ba'athist regime), or Islamist (Sunni or Shia, depending on the actual faith of the individual, though Ba'ath Party policy had been secular, and many of its members were atheist).

As the goal of restoring the Ba'ath Party to power was seemingly out of reach, the alternative solution appeared to be to join forces with organisations who opposed the U.S.-led invasion. Many former Ba'athists had adopted an Islamist façade to attract more credibility within the country, and perhaps gain support from outside Iraq. Others, especially following the January 2005 elections, became more interested in politics.<!-- commented out because image was deleted: [[File:Fedayeen-Saddam.jpg|thumb|Fedayeen Saddam, irregular soldiers loyal to the former Iraqi Ba'athist regime]] -->

The fall of Baghdad effectively ended the existence of the Fedayeen Saddam as an organized paramilitary. Several of its members died during the war. A large number survived, however, and were willing to carry on the fight even after the fall of Saddam Hussein from power. Many former members joined guerrilla organizations that began to form to resist the U.S-led coalition in Iraq. By June, an insurgency was underway in central and northern Iraq, especially in an area known as the [[Place:Sunni Triangle|Sunni Triangle]]. Some units of the Fedayeen also continued to operate independently of other insurgent organizations in the Sunni areas of Iraq. On 30 November 2003, a U.S. convoy traveling through the town of [[Place:Samarra|Samarra]] in the [[Place:Sunni Triangle|Sunni Triangle]] was ambushed by over 100 Iraqi guerillas, reportedly wearing trademark Fedayeen Saddam uniforms.

Following the execution of Saddam Hussein, Deputy Leader of the Iraqi-cell of the Iraqi-led Ba'ath Party and former Vice President of Iraq Izzat Ibrahim ad-Douri became a leading candidate to succeed him as Leader of the Iraqi Ba'ath Party. Ad-Douri had taken over the running of the Iraqi Ba'ath Party following Saddam Hussein's capture in 2003 and had been endorsed by a previously unknown group calling itself Baghdad Citizens Gathering.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070102091923/http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/31/africa/ME_GEN_Jordan_Saddam_Execution.php A group of Iraqi Ba'athists pledges allegiance to Saddam's fugitive deputy, naming him leader] ''International Herald Tribune'', 31 December 2006</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467631042&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull |title=Jordan Baathists pledge loyalty to Saddam deputy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917213547/http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1167467631042&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull |archive-date=17 September 2011 |newspaper=Jerusalem Post |date=31 January 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref> On 3 January 2007 the website of the banned Iraqi Ba'ath Party confirmed that he was new leader of the party.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6226977.stm Saddam aide is new Ba'ath leader] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070116202139/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6226977.stm |date=16 January 2007}} BBC News, 3 January 2007</ref><ref name=autogenerated3>{{cite web|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-28895025_ITM|title=Wanted: the iceman: the last of Saddam's inner circle still at liberty continues to taunt his would-be captors with frequent sightings and leads a ruthless band of Ba'athist insurgents|work=Access My Library|date=1 December 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070109072329/http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-28895025_ITM|archive-date=9 January 2007}}</ref>

Increasing Syrian influence in the Iraqi Ba'ath Party may well have a major effect on result in a fragmentation of Ba'athist parts of the insurgency.<ref name=autogenerated2>[https://www.theguardian.com/Iraq/Story/0,,1980915,00.html Battle for New Leader Likely] ''{{wipe|The Guardian}}'', 1 January 2007</ref>

==== Iraqi nationalists (non-Ba'athist) ====
<!-- unsourced image removed: [[File:Shosei Koda.jpg|thumb|Tenzheem Qa'adah al-Jihad members with Shosei Koda]] --><!-- unsourced image removed: thumb|[[Jama'at al-Tawhid wa'l Jihad members with Kim Sun-il giving Korea 24 hours to withdraw Korean troops out of Iraq]] -->Iraqi nationalists are mostly drawn from the Arab regions. Their reasons for opposing the Coalition vary from a rejection of the Coalition presence as a matter of principle to the failure of the multinational forces to fully restore public services and to quickly restore complete sovereignty.

One notable leader of the insurgency among nationalist Sunni is former aide to Saddam Hussein and a former regional Ba'ath Party Organiser Mohammed Younis al-Ahmed al-Muwali who has been crossing the border between Iraq and Syria disbursing funds, smuggling weaponry and organising much of the fighting in the central area of Iraq.<ref name=autogenerated3 /><ref name=autogenerated2 />

One former minister in the interim government, Ayham al-Samarai, announced the launch in 2005 of "a new political movement, saying he aimed to give a voice to figures from the legitimate Iraqi resistance. 'The birth of this political bloc is to silence the skeptics who say there is no legitimate Iraqi resistance and that they cannot reveal their political face,' he told a news conference."<ref>[http://www.aljazeerah.info/News%20archives/2005%20News%20Archives/June/29%20n/Iraqis%20Unhappy%20with%20the%20Bush%20vow%20to%20stay%20on.htm Iraqis Unhappy with the Bush vow to stay on]. aljazeerah.info News archives {{Dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> It is unclear what became of this movement.

=== Shia militias ===

==== Government inefficacy and Iranian support ====
The Shia militias have presented Nouri al-Maliki with perhaps the greatest conundrum of his administration given the capture of [[Place:Amarah|Amarah]]. American officials have pressed him hard to disarm the militias and rid the state security forces of their influence.<ref name=newyorktimes-10-20>{{cite news|title=Attack on Iraqi City Shows Militia's Power|date=20 October 2006|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/20/world/middleeast/21iraqcnd.html?ex=1318996800&en=a542d37a1dff56f9&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss|first=Kirk|last=Semple|access-date=27 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091123133459/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/20/world/middleeast/21iraqcnd.html?ex=1318996800&en=a542d37a1dff56f9&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss|archive-date=23 November 2009|url-status=live}}</ref>

A 2008 report by the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point based on reports from the interrogations of dozens of captured Shia fighters described an Iranian-run network smuggling Shia fighters into Iran where they received training and weapons before returning to Iraq.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/19/world/middleeast/19intel.html | work=The New York Times | title=Documents Say Iran Aids Militias From Iraq | first=Mark | last=Mazzetti | date=19 October 2008 | access-date=27 March 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210064027/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/19/world/middleeast/19intel.html | archive-date=10 December 2008 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ctc.usma.edu/Iran_Iraq.asp |title=Combating Terrorism Center |publisher=Ctc.usma.edu |access-date=26 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100206164118/http://www.ctc.usma.edu/Iran_Iraq.asp |archive-date= 6 February 2010}}</ref>

==== Badr Organization ====
One major Shia militia in Iraq is the Badr Organization, the military wing of the Supreme Islamic Council of Iraq. The group is currently based in Karbala, Iraq, and is also active in areas throughout southern Iraq. The group was formed by the Iranian Government to fight the Saddam Hussein-controlled Iraq during the Iran–Iraq War. Originally, the group consisted of Iraqi exiles who were banished from Iraq during the reign of Saddam Hussein. After the war ended in 1988, the organization remained in Iran until Saddam Hussein was overthrown during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Following the invasion, the brigade then moved into Iraq, became members of the new Iraq Army, and aided coalition forces in insurgents.

Colonel Derek Harvey told Reuters "that the U.S. military detained Badr assassination teams possessing target lists of Sunni officers and pilots in 2003 and 2004 but did not hold them. Harvey said his superiors told him that 'this stuff had to play itself out' – implying that revenge attacks by returning Shi'ite groups were to be expected. He also said Badr and ISCI offered intelligence and advice to U.S. officials on how to navigate Iraqi politics."<ref>Ned Parker, [https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/mideast-crisis-iraq-militias/ "Torture by Iraqi militias: The report Washington did not want you to see"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170704005248/http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/mideast-crisis-iraq-militias/ |date=4 July 2017}} Reuters, 14 December 2015</ref>

In a letter published by the Coalition in February 2004, an insurgent believed to be Zarqawi wrote that jihadis should start an open sectarian war so that Sunnis would mobilize against what would otherwise be a secret war being waged by Shia. The author only specifically pointed to assassinations carried out by the Badr Brigade as an example of this secret war.<ref>[http://2001-2009.state.gov/p/nea/rls/31694.htm "Zarqawi Letter"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180422235817/https://2001-2009.state.gov/p/nea/rls/31694.htm |date=22 April 2018}} State Dept. archives</ref>

In December 2005, the group and their leaders in the Supreme Islamic Council of Iraq participated in parliament elections, under the pro-Shiite coalition known as the United Iraqi Alliance, and managed to get 36 members into the Iraqi Parliament.

The Badr organization supports the government of Nouri Al-Maliki.

==== Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army ====
Supporters of the young Shi'a cleric Muqtada al-Sadr are largely impoverished men from the Shi'a urban areas and slums in Baghdad and the southern Shi'a cities.<ref name=al-Sadr_supporter_demographics>{{cite news |first=Jack |last=Fairweather |title=Sadr City slum divided over firebrand cleric as calm returns |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/04/14/wirq214.xml |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171014073658/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/?xml=/news/2004/04/14/wirq214.xml |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 October 2017 |work=The Telegraph|publisher=Telegraph Group|date=14 April 2004 |access-date=6 October 2006 | location=London}}</ref> The Mahdi Army area of operation stretches from [[Place:Basra|Basra]] in the south to the Sadr City section of [[Place:Baghdad|Baghdad]] in central Iraq (some scattered Shi'a militia activity has also been reported in Baquba and [[Place:Kirkuk|Kirkuk]], where Shi'a minorities exist).{{Citation needed|date=August 2007}}

During his group's active militant phase, Al-Sadr enjoyed wide support from the Iraqi people according to some polls. A poll by the Iraq Center for Research and Studies found that 32% of Iraqis "strongly supported" him and another 36% "somewhat supported" him, making him the second most popular man in Iraq, behind only Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani.{{Citation needed|date=August 2007}} The Mahdi Army is believed to have around 60,000 members.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002581_pf.html |title=Intensified Combat on Streets Likely |work=Washingtonpost.com |date=11 January 2007 |access-date=26 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110428213841/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/AR2007011002581_pf.html |archive-date=28 April 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Nasrawi |first=Salah |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/iraq/2003467318_iraqsaudi08.html |title=The Seattle Times: Iraq: Saudis reportedly funding insurgents |publisher=Seattletimes.nwsource.com |date=8 December 2006 |access-date=26 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524115849/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/iraq/2003467318_iraqsaudi08.html |archive-date=24 May 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>

After the December 2005 elections in Iraq, Al-Sadr's party got 32 new seats giving him substantial political power in the divided Iraqi Parliament. In January 2006, he used these seats to swing the vote for prime minister to Ibrahim Al-Jaafari, giving Al-Sadr a legitimate stake in the new Iraqi government and allying Al-Jaafari with the cleric.

On 27 November 2006, a senior American intelligence official told reporters that the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah had been training members of the Mahdi Army. The official said that 1,000 to 2,000 fighters from the Mahdi Army and other Shia militias had been trained by Hezbollah in [[Place:Lebanon|Lebanon]], and a small number of Hezbollah operatives have also visited Iraq to help with training. [[Religion:Iran|Iran]] has facilitated the link between Hezbollah and the Shia militias in Iraq, the official said. "There seems to have been a strategic decision taken sometime over late winter or early spring by [[Place:Damascus|Damascus]], [[Place:Tehran|Tehran]], along with their partners in ait Lebanese Hezbollah, to provide more support to Sadr to increase pressure on the U.S.," the American intelligence official said.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/28/world/middleeast/28military.html?_r=1&oref=slogin |title=Hezbollah Said to Help Shia Army in Iraq |first1=Michael R. |last1=Gordon |first2=Dexter |last2=Filkins |newspaper=The New York Times |date=27 November 2006 |access-date=22 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160725050413/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/28/world/middleeast/28military.html?_r=1&oref=slogin |archive-date=25 July 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Foreign participants ===
When Saddam Hussein was captured in December 2003, several documents were found in his possession. One particular document, which was apparently written after he lost power, appeared to be a directive to his Ba'athist loyalists warning them to be wary of Islamist [[Religion:Mujahideen|mujahideen]] and other foreign Arabs entering the country to join the insurgency. The directive supposedly shows Saddam having concerns that foreign fighters would not share the same objectives as Ba'ath loyalists (i.e. the eventual return of Saddam to power and the restoration of his regime). A U.S. official commenting on the document stressed that while Saddam urged his followers to be cautious in their dealings with other Arab fighters, he did not order them to avoid contact or rule out co-operation. Bruce Hoffman, a Washington counter-terrorism expert stated that the existence of the document underscores the fact that "this is an insurgency cut of many different cloths...[and] everybody's jockeying for their position of power in the future Iraq." Many experts believe that fighters from other countries who have flocked to Iraq to join the insurgents are motivated by animosity toward the United States and the desire to install an Islamic state in place of the Ba'ath Party's secular regime.<ref>[http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/01/15/1073877963219.html Saddam warning on Islamist forces] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080428222223/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/01/15/1073877963219.html |date=28 April 2008}}, ''The Age'', 16 January 2004.</ref>

Foreign fighters are mostly Arabs from neighboring countries, who have entered Iraq, primarily through the porous desert borders of Syria and Saudi Arabia, to assist the Iraqi insurgency. Many of these fighters are [[Religion:Wahhabism|Wahhabi]] fundamentalists who see Iraq as the new "field of [[Religion:Jihad|jihad]]" in the battle against U.S. forces. It is generally believed that most are freelance fighters, but a few members of [[Religion:Al-Qaeda|Al-Qaeda]] and the related group Ansar al-Islam are suspected of infiltrating into the Sunni areas of Iraq through the mountainous northeastern border with [[Religion:Iran|Iran]]. The United States and its allies point to Jordanian-born Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu&nbsp;Musab&nbsp;al-Zarqawi as the key player in this group. Zarqawi was considered the head of an insurgent group called Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad ("Monotheism and Holy War") until his death on 7 June 2006, which according to U.S. estimates numbers in the low hundreds.

Usage of the term "foreign fighters" has received criticism as being Western-centric because, taken literally, the term would encompass all non-Iraqi forces, including Coalition forces.<ref>[http://www.countercurrents.org/iraq-fisk301003.htm "This is a Resistance Movement, Whether We Like It or Not"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050421233325/http://www.countercurrents.org/iraq-fisk301003.htm |date=21 April 2005}} by Robert Fisk. Democracy Now, 30 October 2003.</ref> Zarqawi has taken to taunting the American forces about the irony of the term: "Who is the foreigner, O cross worshippers? You are the ones who came to the land of the Muslims from your distant corrupt land." (Communiqué of 10 May 2005).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globalterroralert.com/pdf/0505/zarqawi0505-11.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050929211423/http://www.globalterroralert.com/pdf/0505/zarqawi0505-11.pdf |archive-date=29 September 2005 |title=Communiqué from "Al-Qaida's Jihad Committee in Mesopotamia" (Abu Musab al-Zarqawi)}}</ref> Zarqawi's group has since announced the formation of the Ansar platoon, a squad of Iraqi suicide bombers, which an AP writer called "an apparent bid to deflect criticism that most suicide bombers in Iraq are foreigners."<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,160247,00.html Al Qaeda in Iraq to Recruit Locals for Attacks] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070530091446/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,160247,00.html |date=30 May 2007}}, Fox News, 21 June 2005.</ref>

While it is not known how many of those fighting the U.S. forces in Iraq are from outside the country, it is generally agreed that foreign fighters make up a very small percentage of the insurgency. Major General Joseph Taluto, head of the 42nd Infantry Division, said that "99.9 per cent" of captured Insurgents are Iraqi.<ref>Phil Sands, [http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/05/06/09/168406.html 'Good and honest' Iraqis fighting US forces] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061013015804/http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/05/06/09/168406.html |date=13 October 2006}} 6 September 2005, 06:25 (UAE)</ref> The estimate has been confirmed by the Pentagon's own figures; in one analysis of over 1000 insurgents captured in Fallujah, only 15 were non-Iraqi.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FK20Ak03.html/Middle_East/FK20Ak03.html |title=The Sunni-Shi'ite power play |date=11 October 2004 |work=Asia Times |author=Pepe Escobar |access-date=March 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011113303/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FK20Ak03.html |archive-date=2007-10-11 |url-status=dead}}</ref> According to the ''Daily Telegraph'', information from military commanders engaging in battles around Ramadi exposed the fact that out of 1300 suspected insurgents arrested in five months of 2005, none were foreign, although Colonel John Gronski stated that foreigners provided money and logistical support: "The foreign fighters are staying north of the [Euphrates] river, training and advising, like the {{wipe|Union of Soviet Socialist Republics}} were doing in Vietnam"<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/12/04/wirq04.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/12/04/ixportal.html " US Army admits Iraqis outnumber foreign fighters as its main enemy"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060211004819/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2005%2F12%2F04%2Fwirq04.xml&sSheet=%2Fportal%2F2005%2F12%2F04%2Fixportal.html |date=11 February 2006}} Telegraph 3 December 2005</ref>

In September 2006, the ''Christian Science Monitor'' reported, "It's true that foreign fighters are in Iraq, such as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. But they are a small minority of the insurgents, say administration critics. Most Iraqi mujahideen are Sunnis who fear their interests will be ignored under Iraq's Shia-dominated government. They are fighting for concrete, local political goals – not the destruction of America." The paper quoted University of Michigan history professor Juan Cole: "If the Iraqi Sunni nationalists could take over their own territory, they would not put up with the few hundred foreign volunteers blowing things up, and would send them away or slit their throats."<ref>Peter Grier, "Is war in Iraq a shield against attacks at home?" ''Christian Science Monitor'' (18 September 2006) p. 3.</ref> In 2005, the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) concluded that foreign fighters accounted for less than 10% of the estimated 30,000 insurgents and argued that the U.S. and Iraqi Governments were "feeding the myth" that they comprised the backbone of the insurgency.<ref name="guardian.co.uk"/>

Despite the low numbers of foreign fighters their presence has been confirmed in several ways and Coalition forces believe the majority of suicide bombings are believed to be carried out by non-Iraqi foreigners. Kenneth Katzman, a Middle East expert with the [[Social:Congressional Research Service|Congressional Research Service]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecssr.ac.ae/CDA/en/ProfileBank/ViewProfile/0,1421,1250-00,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080428105410/http://www.ecssr.ac.ae/CDA/en/ProfileBank/ViewProfile/0%2C1421%2C1250-00%2C00.html |archive-date=28 April 2008 |title=View Profile |publisher=ECSSR |access-date=26 March 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> stated in June 2005: "I still think 80 percent of the Insurgents, the day-to-day activity, is Iraqi – the roadside bombings, mortars, direct weapons fire, rifle fire, automatic weapons fire...[but] the foreign fighters attract the headlines with the suicide bombings, no question."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/w-me/2005/jun/30/063006836.html |title=Foreigners Blamed for Iraq Suicide Attacks |newspaper=Las Vegas Sun |date=30 June 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930030154/http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/w-me/2005/jun/30/063006836.html |archive-date=30 September 2007}}</ref>

In September 2005, Iraqi and U.S. forces conducted a counter-insurgency operation in the predominantly Turkmen town of [[Place:Tal Afar|Tal Afar]]. According to an AP, report, an Iraqi Army Captain claimed that Iraqi forces arrested 150 non-Iraqi Arabs (Syria, Sudan, Yemen and Jordan) in the operation;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9173345/from/RL.1/ |title=AP report |publisher=MSNBC |date=8 September 2005 |access-date=26 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520143256/http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9173345/from/RL.1/ |archive-date=20 May 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> the American army claimed 20% of arrests were foreign combatants,<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2005/09/mil-050911-rferl03.htm "Iraq: Operation In Tal Afar A Success, But For How Long?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070604054806/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2005/09/mil-050911-rferl03.htm |date=4 June 2007}}, Radio Free Iraq</ref>{{bsn|date=April 2023}} while Donald Rumsfeld on PBS confirmed that foreign combatants were present.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20051225211747/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/july-dec05/iraq_9-21.html "Violence Escalates In Iraq"], PBS, 21 September 2005</ref> However, not all accounts of the battle mention these arrests,<ref>For example, this [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/10/AR2005091001308_pf.html Washington Post report] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020122317/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/10/AR2005091001308_pf.html |date=20 October 2017}} doesn't, although, this [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/02/AR2005090202250.html Washington Post report] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020122319/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/02/AR2005090202250.html |date=20 October 2017}} refers to foreign fighters amongst the insurgents in Tal Afar.</ref> and U.S. Army commander Colonel H. R. McMaster said the "vast majority" of Insurgents captured there were "Iraqis and not foreigners."<ref name="english.aljazeera.net">{{cite web |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/FFFE08A7-D75C-45F5-AB51-206EA2D48668.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051219024830/http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/FFFE08A7-D75C-45F5-AB51-206EA2D48668.htm |archive-date=19 December 2005 |title=Iraqi troops sweep through Tal Afar |date=11 September 2005}}</ref> Iraqi journalist Nasir Ali claimed that there were "very few foreign combatants" in Tal Afar and charged "Every time the US army and the Iraqi government want to destroy a specific city, they claim it hosts Arab fighters and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi."<ref name="english.aljazeera.net"/>

There are allegations that the U.S. government has attempted to inflate the number of foreign fighters in order to advance the theory that the insurgency is not a local movement.{{Citation needed|date=September 2007}} U.S. Army Specialist Tony Lagouranis spoke about his job identifying many of the bodies after the assault on Fallujah:

{{quote|We had women and children, old men, young boys. So, you know, it's hard to say. I think initially, the reason that we were doing this was they were trying to find foreign fighters. [U.S. commanders] were trying to prove that there were a lot of foreign fighters in Fallujah. So, mainly, that's what we were going for, but most of them really didn't have I.D.'s but maybe half of them had I.D.'s. Very few of them had foreign I.D.'s. There were people working with me who would—in an effort to sort of cook the books, you know they would find a Koran on the guy and the Koran was printed in Algeria, and they would mark him down as an Algerian, or you know guys would come in with a black shirt and khaki pants and they would say, well, this is the Hezbollah uniform and they would mark him down as a Lebanese, which was ridiculous, but—you know... [AMY GOODMAN: So, what did you say?] Well, I was only a specialist, so actually, you know, I did say something to the staff sergeant, who was really in charge, and you know, I just got yelled down you know, shot down.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/15/1632233 |title=Former U.S. Army Interrogator Describes the Harsh Techniques He Used in Iraq, Detainee Abuse by Marines and Navy Seals and Why "Torture is the Worst Possible Thing We Could Do" |work=Democracy Now! |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070711051852/http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05%2F11%2F15%2F1632233 |archive-date=11 July 2007}}</ref>}}

==== Foreign fighters' nationality distribution ====
In July 2007, the {{wipe|Los Angeles Times}} reported that 45% of all foreign militants targeting U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians and security forces are from Saudi Arabia; 15% are from Syria and Lebanon; and 10% are from North Africa. 50% of all Saudi fighters in Iraq come as suicide bombers. In the six months preceding that article, such bombings have killed or injured 4,000 Iraqis.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://fairuse.100webcustomers.com/fairenough/latimesA98.html|title=Saudis' role in Iraq insurgency outlined|newspaper={{wipe|Los Angeles Times}}|date=July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223180041/http://fairuse.100webcustomers.com/fairenough/latimesA98.html |archive-date=23 February 2009}}</ref>

According to a U.S. military press briefing on 20 October 2005, 312 foreign nationals from 27 countries had been captured in Iraq from April to October 2005.<ref>[http://www.aeaweb.org/annual_mtg_papers/2007/0105_1430_1601.pdf The National Origins of Foreign Fighters in Iraq] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070309144100/http://www.aeaweb.org/annual_mtg_papers/2007/0105_1430_1601.pdf |date=9 March 2007}}, by Alan B. Krueger, Princeton University and NBER, 30 December 2006.</ref> This represents a component of the Iraqi insurgent movement, which also includes a nationalist movement encompassing over 30 Shia and Sunni militias.

Foreign insurgents captured in Iraq in the 7-month period April–October 2005:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Nationality
!Number
|-
|{{flagcountry|Egypt}}
|style="text-align:right;"|78
|-
|{{flagcountry|Syria}}
|style="text-align:right;"|66
|-
|{{flagcountry|Sudan}}
|style="text-align:right;"|41
|-
|{{flagcountry|Saudi Arabia}}
|style="text-align:right;"|32
|-
|{{flagcountry|Jordan}}
|style="text-align:right;"|17
|-
|{{flagcountry|United States}}
|style="text-align:right;"|15
|-
|{{flagcountry|Iran}}
|style="text-align:right;"|13
|-
|{{flagcountry|Palestine}}
|style="text-align:right;"|12
|-
|{{flagcountry|Tunisia}}
|style="text-align:right;"|10
|-
|{{flagcountry|Algeria}}
|style="text-align:right;"| 8
|-
|{{flagicon image|Flag of Libya (1977-2011).svg}} [[Place:Libya|Libya]]
|style="text-align:right;"| 7
|-
|{{flagcountry|Turkey}}
|style="text-align:right;"| 6
|-
|{{flagcountry|Lebanon}}
|style="text-align:right;"| 3
|-
|{{flagcountry|India}}
|style="text-align:right;"| 2
|-
|{{flagcountry|Qatar}}
|style="text-align:right;"| 2
|-
|{{flagcountry|UAE}}
|style="text-align:right;"| 2
|-
|{{flagcountry|United Kingdom}}
|style="text-align:right;"| 2
|-
|{{flagcountry|Denmark}}
|style="text-align:right;"| 1
|-
|{{flagcountry|France}}
|style="text-align:right;"| 1
|-
|{{flagcountry|Indonesia}}
|style="text-align:right;"| 1
|-
|{{IRL}}
|style="text-align:right;"| 1
|-
|{{flagcountry|Israel}}
|style="text-align:right;"| 1
|-
|{{flagcountry|Kuwait}}
|style="text-align:right;"| 1
|-
|{{flagcountry|Macedonia}}
|style="text-align:right;"| 1
|-
|{{flagcountry|Morocco}}
|style="text-align:right;"| 1
|-
|{{flagcountry|Somalia}}
|style="text-align:right;"| 1
|-
|{{flagcountry|Yemen}}
|style="text-align:right;"| 1
|-
|Total
|style="text-align:right;"|619
|}

==== Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qaeda in Iraq, and Sunni jihadists ====
The extent of Zarqawi's influence is a source of much controversy. Zarqawi was reported killed in action in March 2004 in "a statement signed by a dozen alleged insurgent groups".<ref>{{cite news|first=Joel |last=Roberts |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/05/iraq/main604191.shtml |title=Rebels: Top Iraq Terrorist Dead, Statement Says Al-Zarqawi Not Behind Recent Bombings Or Letter |publisher=CBS News |date=4 March 2004 |access-date=26 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091001021221/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/05/iraq/main604191.shtml |archive-date=1 October 2009}}</ref> His Jordanian family then held a funeral service on his behalf, although no body was recovered and positively identified. Iraqi leaders denied the presence of Zarqawi in Fallujah prior to the U.S. attack on that city in November 2004. Zarqawi's existence was even questioned.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FJ15Ak02.html |title=Zarqawi - Bush's man for all seasons |publisher=Atimes.com |date=15 October 2004 |access-date=26 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100314194208/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FJ15Ak02.html |archive-date=14 March 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Involvement of Zarqawi in significant terrorist incidents was not usually proven, although his group often claimed it perpetrated bombings. As al-Qaeda is an "opt-in" group (meaning everyone who agrees to some basic Wahhabi moral tenets and the fundamental goals may consider himself a member), it is most likely that "Al-Qaeda in Iraq" is a loose association of largely independent cells united by a common strategy and vision, rather than a unified organization with a firm internal structure.{{Citation needed|date=August 2007}}

On 8 June 2006, Iraqi officials confirmed Zarqawi was killed by two 500&nbsp;lb laser-guided bombs dropped from an F-16 the previous evening.{{Citation needed|date=August 2007}} Abu Ayyub al-Masri, an Egyptian who was trained in Al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan took his place.{{Citation needed|date=August 2007}}


Journalist Jill Carroll, detailing her captivity in Iraq, described one of her captors who identified himself as Abdullah Rashid and leader of the Mujahideen Shura Council in Iraq. He told her that; "The Americans were constantly saying that the mujahideen in Iraq were led by foreigners... So, the Iraqi insurgents went to Zarqawi and insisted that an Iraqi be put in charge." She continued by stating; "But as I saw in coming weeks, Zarqawi remained the insurgents' hero, and the most influential member of their council, whatever Nour/Rashid's position... At various times, I heard my captors discussing changes in their plans because of directives from the council and Zarqawi."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0821/p01s01d-woiq.html |title=Hostage: The Jill Carroll Story – Part 6 • Reciting Koranic verses |website=csmonitor.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060901234407/http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0821/p01s01d-woiq.html |archive-date=1 September 2006}}</ref>

==== Schism between foreign fighters and native Iraqi insurgency ====
Large-scale terrorist attacks against civilians carried out by foreign fighters, as well as the interpretation of Islam that they attempt to impose on the local population in areas under their control, have increasingly turned Iraqis against them, in some cases breaking out into open fighting between different groups in the insurgency.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28105-2004Oct12.html |title=Insurgent Alliance Is Fraying in Fallujah |work=washingtonpost.com |date=13 October 2004 |access-date=26 March 2010 |first=Karl |last=Vick |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110213204746/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28105-2004Oct12.html |archive-date=13 February 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.economist.com/world/displaystory.cfm?story_id=5213863 |title=Arab world, Iraq and al-Qaeda &#124; Unfamiliar questions in the Arab air |work=Economist|date=24 November 2005 |access-date=26 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207092327/http://www.economist.com/world/displaystory.cfm?story_id=5213863 |archive-date=7 December 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.today/20130210050711/http://www.worldthreats.com/middle_east/Foreign%20Fighters%20Reviled.htm|title=W O R L D T H R E A T S – Foreign Fighters Now Reviled by Fallujah Residents}}</ref> There are signs that local Islamist insurgent groups have also increasingly caused the population to turn against them.<ref>{{cite news|last=Cole |first=Juan |url=http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/05/22/najaf/index1.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120909063437/http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/05/22/najaf/index1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 September 2012 |title="Najaf is dying" – Page 2 |work=Salon.com |date=22 May 2004 |access-date=26 March 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18911-2004May11.html |title=Some in Najaf Protest Sadr |work=washingtonpost.com |date=12 May 2004 |access-date=26 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106152402/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18911-2004May11.html |archive-date=6 November 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-iraq-protest,0,2250615.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040512151950/http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-iraq-protest%2C0%2C2250615.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines |archive-date=12 May 2004 |title=Thousands March in Iraq Protesting Al-Sadr |date=11 May 2004 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=482652004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040610184938/http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=482652004 |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 June 2004 |title=The Scotsman |publisher=Thescotsman.scotsman.com |access-date=26 March 2010}}</ref>

Opinions differ on how broad this schism is. Terrorism expert Jessica Stern warned that; "In the run-up to the war, most Iraqis viewed the foreign volunteers who were rushing in to fight against America as troublemakers, and Saddam Hussein's forces reportedly killed many of them."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/news/opeds/2003/stern_terrorism_nyt_082003.htm |title=Jessica Stern in the New York Times: How America Created a Terrorist Haven |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030827151002/http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/news/opeds/2003/stern_terrorism_nyt_082003.htm |archive-date=27 August 2003}}</ref> This opinion contradicts Iraqi scholar Mustapha Alani, who says that these foreigners are increasingly welcomed by the public, especially in the former Ba'athist strongholds north of Baghdad.{{Citation needed|date=August 2007}}

While some have noted an alliance of convenience that existed between the foreign fighters and the native Sunni insurgents, there are signs that the foreign militants, especially those who follow Zarqawi, are increasingly unpopular among the native fighters. In the run-up to the December 2005 elections, Sunni fighters were warning al-Qaeda members and foreign fighters not to attack polling stations. One former Ba'athist told Reuters; "Sunnis should vote to make political gains. We have sent leaflets telling al-Qaeda that they will face us if they attack voters." An unnamed Sunni leader was quoted commenting on Zarqawi; "Zarqawi is an American, Israeli and Iranian agent who is trying to keep our country unstable so that the Sunnis will keep facing occupation."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1520703/Abu-Musab-al-Zarqawi.html|title=Abu Musab al-Zarqawi|date=9 June 2006|work=The Telegraph|access-date=5 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130065652/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1520703/Abu-Musab-al-Zarqawi.html|archive-date=30 January 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

By early 2006, the split between the Sunni groups and the Zarqawi-led foreign fighters had grown dramatically, and Sunni forces began targeting al-Qaeda forces for assassination. One senior intelligence official told the ''Telegraph'' that Zarqawi had fled to Iran as a result of the attacks.<ref>{{cite news|last=Poole |first=Oliver |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/02/06/wirq06.xml |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171014073822/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/?xml=/news/2006/02/06/wirq06.xml |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 October 2017 |title=Insurgents turning against al-Qaeda in Iraq |newspaper=Telegraph |date=6 February 2006 |access-date=26 March 2010 | location=London}}</ref> In response to al-Qaeda killings in Iraq, Sunni insurgents in al-Anbar province led by former Ba'athist intelligence officer Ahmed Ftaikhan formed an anti-al-Qaeda militia called the Anbar Revolutionaries. All of the militia's core members have relatives who have been killed by al-Qaeda in Iraq, and they have sought to prevent foreign jihadis from entering the country. The group "claims to have killed 20 foreign fighters and 33 Iraqi sympathizers."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/03/11/wirq11.xml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113203255/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2006%2F03%2F11%2Fwirq11.xml |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 November 2007 |title=Sunni insurgents 'have al-Zarqawi running for cover' |newspaper=Telegraph |date=13 March 2010 |access-date=26 March 2010 |location=London |first=Charles |last=Moore}}</ref> The schism became all the more apparent in when a tape alleged to be from the Mujahedeen Shura Council urged Osama Bin Laden to replace al-Qaeda in Iraq's current head with an Iraqi national. The Mujahedeen Shura Council, however, issued a statement shortly afterwards denying the authenticity of this tape.

On 19 July 2007 seven domestic insurgent groups informed journalists in [[Place:Damascus|Damascus]] that they were forming a united front independent of al-Qaeda.<ref>{{cite news|first=Seumas |last=Milne |url=https://www.theguardian.com/Iraq/Story/0,,2129675,00.html |title=Insurgents form political front to plan for US pullout |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=26 March 2010 | location=London | date=19 July 2007}}</ref>

=== Covert Iranian military involvement ===
An estimated 150 Iranian intelligence officers, plus members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, are believed to be active inside Iraq at any given time.<ref name=wp20070125>Dafna Linzer – [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/25/AR2007012502199.html Troops Authorized to Kill Iranian Operatives in Iraq] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012121816/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/25/AR2007012502199.html |date=12 October 2017}} – The Washington Post</ref> For more than a year, U.S. troops have detained and recorded fingerprints, photographs, and DNA samples from dozens of suspected Iranian agents in a catch and release program designed to intimidate the Iranian leadership.<ref name=wp20070125 /> Iranian influence is felt most heavily within the Iraqi Government, the ISF, and Shiite militias.

Although the CPA enforced a 1987 law banning unions in public enterprises, trade unions such as the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) and Iraq's Union of the Unemployed have also mounted effective opposition to the Coalition.<ref>{{cite web |first=David |last=Bacon |url=http://www.fpif.org/commentary/2004/0407upsurge.html |title=Iraq's Labor Upsurge Wins Support from U.S. Unions |work=FPIF Commentary |date=28 July 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040803074552/http://www.fpif.org/commentary/2004/0407upsurge.html |archive-date=3 August 2004}}</ref> However, no trades unions support the armed insurgents, and unions have themselves been subject to attacks from the insurgents. Hadi Saleh of the IFTU was assassinated under circumstances that pointed to a Ba'athist insurgent group on 3 January 2005.<ref>David Bacon, [http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=fb8395c4d2b0853d7f8fe2c2017f8f16 Murdered Iraqi Trade Unionist Trapped Between U.S. and Insurgents] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051025161614/http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=fb8395c4d2b0853d7f8fe2c2017f8f16 |date=25 October 2005}}. News Analysis, Pacific News Service, 26 January 2005.</ref> Another union federation, the General Union of Oil Employees (GUOE) opposes the Coalition forces in Iraq and calls for immediate withdrawal but was neutral on participation in the election. Whereas the GUOE wants all Coalition troops out immediately, both the IFTU and the Workers Councils' call for replacement of U.S. and British forces with neutral forces from the UN, the Arab League and other nations as a transition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uslaboragainstwar.org/downloads/USLAW%20on%20Iraqi%20Labor.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327090659/http://uslaboragainstwar.org/downloads/USLAW%20on%20Iraqi%20Labor.pdf |archive-date=27 March 2010 |title=USLAW Statement on the Iraqi Labor Solidarity Tour of U.S. |access-date=26 March 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:McCool shot by sniper in Iraq, 2006.webm|thumb|U.S. Army Sgt. McCool shot by an Iraqi insurgent sniper in Ramadi, 2006.]]

== Tactics ==
The '''tactics of the Iraqi insurgency''' vary widely. The majority of militant elements use improvised explosive devices (IEDs), car bombs, kidnappings, hostage-taking, shootings, ambushes, sniper attacks, mortar and rocket strikes and other types of attacks to target Iraqis and U.S. forces with little regard for civilian casualties.
[[File:IraqiInterpreter.jpg|thumb|An armed Iraqi interpreter on patrol with U.S. troops on the streets of Baghdad. They became frequent targets of insurgents during the war.]]

== Awareness of American public opinion ==
A single study has compared the number of insurgent attacks in Iraq to supposedly negative statements in the U.S. media, release of public opinion polls, and geographic variations in access to international media by Iraqis. The purpose was to determine if there was a link between insurgent activity and media reports. The researchers' study suggested it may be possible that insurgent attacks spiked by 5 to 10% after increases in the number of negative reports of the war in the media. The authors believe this may possibly be an "emboldenment effect" and speculated that "insurgent groups respond rationally to expected probability of US withdrawal."<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Radha |last1=Iyengar |first2=Jonathan |last2=Monten |title=Is There an "Emboldenment" Effect? Evidence from the Insurgency in Iraq |journal=NBER Working Paper No. 13839 |date=March 2008 |doi=10.3386/w13839|doi-access=free }}</ref>

== Iraqi public opinion ==
A series of several polls have been conducted to ascertain the position of the Iraqi public further on Al Qaeda in Iraq and the U.S. presence. Some polls have found the following:
* Polls suggest the majority of Iraqis disapprove of the presence of Coalition forces.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/27/AR2006092701435.html |title=Poll: Iraqis Back Attacks on U.S. Troops |work=washingtonpost.com |date=27 September 2006 |access-date=26 March 2010 |first=Barry |last=Schweid |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120508190155/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/27/AR2006092701435.html |archive-date=8 May 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* A majority of both Sunnis and Shi'as want an end to the U.S. presence as soon as possible, although Sunnis are opposed to the Coalition soldiers being there by greater margins.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20050204012321/http://zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=957 Survey Finds Deep Divisions in Iraq; Sunni Arabs Overwhelmingly Reject Sunday Elections; Majority of Sunnis, Shias Favor U.S. Withdrawal, New Abu Dhabi TV / Zogby Poll Reveals]. Zogby International, 28 January 2005.</ref>
* Polls suggest the vast majority of Iraqis support attacks on insurgent groups with 80% supporting US attacks on Al-Qaeda.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7299569.stm Polls suggest Iraqi's "Optimistic"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080412170054/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7299569.stm |date=12 April 2008}} BBC</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Gary |last=Langer |url=https://abcnews.go.com/PollingUnit/story?id=7058272&page=1 |title=Dramatic Advances Sweep Iraq, Boosting Support for Democracy |publisher=ABC News |date=16 March 2009 |access-date=7 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120821191154/https://abcnews.go.com/PollingUnit/story?id=7058272&page=1 |archive-date=21 August 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Directly after the invasion, polling suggested that a slight majority supported the US invasion.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130126110354/http://www.indianexpress.com/storyOld.php?storyId=22949 Most Iraqis in Baghdad welcome US: NDTV poll] The Indian Express</ref> However polls conducted in June 2005 suggest that there is some sentiment towards Coalition armies being in Iraq. A 2005 poll by British intelligence said that 45% of Iraqis support attacks against Coalition forces, rising to 65% in some areas, and that 82% are "strongly opposed" to the presence of Coalition troops.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/10/23/wirq23.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/10/23/ixworld.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409123953/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2005%2F10%2F23%2Fwirq23.xml&sSheet=%2Fnews%2F2005%2F10%2F23%2Fixworld.html |archive-date= 9 April 2008 |title=Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent |work=The Telegraph|date=13 March 2010 |access-date=26 March 2010 |location=London |first=Charles |last=Moore |url-status=dead}}</ref> Demands for U.S. withdrawal have also been signed on by one third of Iraq's Parliament.<ref>Abdel-Wahed Tohmeh, [http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=15&ItemID=8138 83 MPs Ask al-Jaafari to Put a Timetable for the Withdrawal of Foreign Troops] {{Webarchive|url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20091001195457/http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=15&ItemID=8138|date=1 October 2009}}. 22 June 2005.</ref> These results are consistent with a January 2006 poll that found an overall 47% approval for attacks on U.S.-led forces. That figure climbed to 88% among Sunnis. Attacks on Iraqi security forces and civilians, however, were approved of by only 7% and 12% of respondents respectively. Polls conducted between 2005 and 2007 showed 31–37% of Iraqi's wanted US and other Coalition forces to withdraw once security was restored and that 26–35% wanted immediate withdrawal instead.<ref name="WorldPublicOpinion">{{cite web|url=http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/pdf/sep06/Iraq_Sep06_rpt.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061005203935/http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/pdf/sep06/Iraq_Sep06_rpt.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date= 5 October 2006 |title=The Iraqi Public on the U.S.&nbsp;Presence and the Future of Iraq |publisher=World Public Opinion |date=27 September 2006 |access-date=23 November 2008}}</ref><ref name="bbcpoll">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/19_03_07_iraqpollnew.pdf Iraq Poll] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120727213455/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/19_03_07_iraqpollnew.pdf |date=27 July 2012}} conducted by D3&nbsp;Systems for the BBC, ABC News, ARD German TV and USA Today. More than 2,000 people were questioned in more than 450 neighbourhoods and villages across all 18&nbsp;provinces of Iraq between 25 February and 5 March 2007. The margin of error is + or&nbsp;– 2.5%.</ref><ref>[http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/poll/2007/0806oildevt.htm Iraqis Oppose Oil Development Plans, Poll Finds (August 6, 2007)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128065233/https://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/iraq/poll/2007/0806oildevt.htm |date=28 January 2015}} (Oil Change International, Institute for Policy Studies, War on Want, PLATFORM and Global Policy Forum)</ref>

A September 2006 poll of both Sunnis and Shias found that 71% of Iraqis wanted the U.S. to leave within a year, with 65% favoring an immediate pullout and 77% voicing suspicion that the U.S. wanted to keep permanent bases in Iraq.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/26/AR2006092601721.html |title=Most Iraqis Favor Immediate U.S. Pullout, Polls Show |work=washingtonpost.com |date=27 September 2006 |access-date=26 March 2010 |first=Amit R. |last=Paley |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100419230306/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/26/AR2006092601721.html |archive-date=19 April 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> 61% approved of attacks on U.S. forces.<ref name=autogenerated1 /> A later poll in March 2007<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17687430/ |title=poll from March 2007 |publisher=MSNBC |date=19 March 2007 |access-date=26 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100831112231/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17687430/ |archive-date=31 August 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> suggests the percentage of Iraqis who approve of attacks on Coalition forces has dropped to 51%. In 2006 a poll conducted on the Iraqi public revealed that 52% of the ones polled said Iraq was going in the wrong direction and 61% claimed it was worth ousting Saddam Hussein.<ref name="WorldPublicOpinion"/>

Despite a majority having previously been opposed to the US presence, 60% of Iraqis opposed American troops leaving directly prior to withdrawal, with 51% saying withdrawal would have a negative effect.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100911132527/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iPXciunRc2PXMN3VHyMfi1DIsIuQ Most Iraqis in Baghdad welcome US: NDTV poll] The Indian Express</ref><ref>[http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/158748/reftab/36/Default.aspx US under 50,000 – Iraqis ‘down’ on drawdown] Arab Times {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116040655/http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/158748/reftab/36/Default.aspx |date=16 January 2013}}</ref>

== Scope and size of the insurgency ==
The most intense Sunni insurgent activity takes place in the cities and countryside along the Euphrates River from the Syrian border town of [[Place:Al-Qa'im (town)|al-Qaim]] through [[Place:Ramadi|Ramadi]] and [[Place:Fallujah|Fallujah]] to [[Place:Baghdad|Baghdad]], as well as along the Tigris river from Baghdad north to [[Place:Tikrit|Tikrit]]. Heavy guerrilla activity also takes place around the cities of Mosul and [[Place:Tal Afar|Tal Afar]] in the north, as well as the "Triangle of Death" south of Baghdad, which includes the "-iya" cities of Iskandariya, Mahmudiya, Latifiya, and Yusufiya. Lesser activity takes place in several other areas of the country. The insurgents are believed to maintain a key supply line stretching from Syria through al-Qaim and along the Euphrates to Baghdad and central Iraq, the Iraqi equivalent of the Ho Chi Minh trail. A second "ratline" runs from the Syrian border through Tal Afar to Mosul.
[[File:Iraqcontrol.JPG|thumb|right|Provincial control of Iraq in September 2011 {{legend|green|Coalition control}}]]
Although estimates of the total number of Iraqi guerrillas varies by group and fluctuates under changing political climate, the latest assessments put the present number at between 3,000 and 7,000 fighters along with numerous supporters and facilitators throughout the Sunni Arab community. At various points U.S. forces provided estimates on the number of fighters in specific regions. A few are provided here (although these numbers almost certainly have fluctuated):
* Fallujah (mid-2004): 2,000–5,000 In a November 2004 operation, the Fallujah insurgency has been destroyed or dispersed, but had staged a comeback in 2005, albeit not to former strength, in the course of 2005–2008 the remainder of the insurgency was defeated in Fallujah and the rest of Al-Anbar province.
* [[Place:Samarra|Samarra]] (August 2011): 1,000+
* Baquba (August 2011 ): 1,000+
* Baghdad (August 2011): 2,000+
Guerilla forces operate in many of the cities and towns of al-Anbar province, due to mostly ineffective Iraqi security forces in this area. There was extensive guerrilla activity in [[Place:Ramadi|Ramadi]], the capital of the province, as well as [[Place:Al-Qa'im (town)|al-Qa'im]], the first stop on an insurgent movement route between Iraq and Syria. In 2006, reports suggested that the Anbar capital Ramadi had largely fallen under insurgent control along with most of the Anbar region, and that as a result the United States had sent an extra 3,500 marines to reestablish control of the region. In the early part of 2007 the insurgency suffered serious setbacks in Ramadi after they were defeated in the Second Battle of Ramadi in the fall of 2006. With the help of the Anbar Salvation Council, incidents fell from an average of 30 attacks per day in December 2006 to an average of fewer than four in April 2007.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-kidcops7may07,1,648855.story?coll=la-news-a_section |title=A ragtag solution with real results|newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=7 May 2007 |access-date=26 March 2010 |first=Chris |last=Kraul |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100605161954/http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-fg-kidcops7may07%2C1%2C648855.story?coll=la-news-a_section |archive-date= 5 June 2010}}</ref>

Baghdad is still one of the most violent regions of the country, even after the 2007 troop surge more than two-thirds of the violence that takes place in Iraq happens in Baghdad even though the Iraqi Government is in firm control of the entire city. Suicide attacks and car bombs are near daily occurrences in Baghdad. The road from Baghdad to the city airport is the most dangerous in the country, if not the world. Iraqi security and police forces had also been significantly built up in the capital and, despite being constantly targeted, had enjoyed some successes such as the pacification of Haifa Street, which however subsequently saw a massive surge of insurgent activity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://home.bellsouth.net/s/editorial.dll?pnum=1&bfromind=1057&eeid=4934130&_sitecat=1505&dcatid=0&eetype=article&render=y&ac=1&ck=&ch=ne&s=in|title=AT&T |publisher=Home.bellsouth.net |date=1 January 1985 |access-date=26 March 2010}}{{Dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> and after the failed Coalition Operation Together Forward fell under Sunni insurgent control. The U.S. and Iraqi Forces scored many decisive victories in 2007 during the U.S. troops surge when they launched Operation Law and Order and Operation Phantam Thunder which broke the back of the insurgency and has since the saw a mass reduction in violence by 80 percent since then.

Recent{{when|date=December 2022}} intelligence suggests that the base of foreign paramilitary operations has moved from Anbar to the religiously and ethnically mixed [[Place:Diyala Governorate|Diyala province]]. By July 2007 Diyala had fallen under almost total Insurgent control, and had become the headquarters for the Sunni-dominated Islamic State of Iraq, which has issued a proclamation declaring the regional capital Baqubah its capital.

In response to a law allowing for the partitioning of Iraq into autonomous regions, members of the Mutayibeen Coalition (''Khalf al-Mutayibeen''<ref name="memri171006">{{cite web|url=http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/1910.htm|title=Islamist Websites Monitor No. 8|publisher=MEMRI|date=17 October 2006|access-date=2 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140602195941/http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/1910.htm|archive-date=2 June 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><!-- alternate spelling: "Helf" Alternate trans.: "Mutayibeen Alliance"? Also appears in the Islamic State of Iraqs "mission statement" as "Pact of the Scented People"? Singular: mutayib -->), a coalition of Sunni insurgent groups including Al Qaeda in Iraq, announced the creation of the Islamic State of Iraq encompassing parts of 6 of Iraq's 18 provinces on 15 October 2006.<ref name="memri171006"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/e239159e-5c6a-11db-9e7e-0000779e2340.html |title=/ In depth – Call for Sunni state in Iraq |publisher=Ft.com |date=15 October 2006 |access-date=26 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080906223355/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/e239159e-5c6a-11db-9e7e-0000779e2340.html |archive-date=6 September 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> Yet another show of defiance came on 18 October when Sunni fighters brazenly paraded in Ramadi. Similar parades were held two days later in several towns across western Iraq, two of which occurred within two miles of U.S. military bases.

By October 2006, small radicalized militias had seemed to overshadow the larger and more organized Sunni groups which had composed the insurgency previously.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/18/AR2006101801865.html |title=Militias Splintering into Radicalized Cells |work=washingtonpost.com |date=19 October 2006 |access-date=26 March 2010 |first=Sudarsan |last=Raghavan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100806072722/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/18/AR2006101801865.html |archive-date=6 August 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> As disagreements emerged in pre-existing groups for reasons ranging from the rift in the Sunni forces between foreign and Iraqi fighters, competition between Mahdi Army and Badr Brigade, and anger over various decisions such as Muqtada al Sadr's agreement to join the political process, dozens of insurgency groups sprung up across the country, though particularly in Baghdad where the U.S. army has listed 23 active militias. Residents have described the capital as being a patchwork of militia run fiefs.{{Citation needed|date=October 2007}} As a result of the insurgency's splintering nature, many established leaders seemed to lose influence.{{Citation needed|date=October 2007}} This was particularly illustrated on 19 October, when members of the Mahdi army briefly seized control of Amarah. The attack, while demonstrating the influence of the Madhi army, is believed to have originated as a result of contention between local units of the Madhi army and the allegedly Badr brigade run security forces, and the timing suggested that neither Al Sadr nor his top commanders had known or orchestrated the offensive.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Burns|first1=John F.|title=Precarious Cease-Fire in Amara Holds|work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/22/world/middleeast/22iraq.html?pagewanted=all|access-date=21 December 2015|agency=The New York Times|date=22 October 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160108081447/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/22/world/middleeast/22iraq.html?pagewanted=all|archive-date=8 January 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

At the height of the war, insurgents launched hundreds of attacks each month against Coalition forces. Overtime, insurgency groups moved to more sophisticated methods of attack such as Explosively formed penetrators, and [[Physics:Far-infrared laser|infrared lasers]], which cannot be easily jammed. These attacks contributed to the rate of civilian casualties which in turn reduced Iraq's public safety as well as the reliability of infrastructure.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.fareedzakaria.com/articles/newsweek/082205.html |first= Fareed |last= Zakaria |title= Don't Make Hollow Threats |date= 22 August 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060317010823/http://www.fareedzakaria.com/articles/newsweek/082205.html |archive-date=17 March 2006}}</ref>

As of 29 January 2009 4,235 U.S. soldiers, 178 British soldiers and 139 soldiers from other nations (allied with the coalition) have died in Iraq. 31,834 U.S. soldiers had been wounded.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://icasualties.org/oif/ |first1=Pat |last1=Kneisler |first2=Michael |last2=White |author3=Evan D. |publisher= Iraq coalition casualties count |title= Operation Enduring Freedom Fatalities |date= 29 January 2007 |access-date= 23 September 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070922155006/http://icasualties.org/oif/ <!-- bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 22 September 2007}}</ref> Coalition forces do not usually release death counts. As such, the exact number of insurgents killed by the Coalition or Iraqi forces is unknown. Through September 2007 more than 19,000 insurgents were reported to have been killed in fighting with Coalition forces and tens of thousands of Iraqi "suspected civilians" were captured (including 25,000 detainees in U.S. military custody at the time), according to military statistics released for the first time.<ref>{{cite news |last=Michaels |first=Jim |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-09-26-insurgents_N.htm |title=19,000 insurgents killed in Iraq since '03 |publisher=Usatoday.com |date=27 September 2007 |access-date=26 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110428200503/http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-09-26-insurgents_N.htm |archive-date=28 April 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== American-led counter-insurgency operations ==
[[File:Apache-killing-Iraq.ogv|thumb|227x227px|Video footage taken from the gun camera of an Apache helicopter showing the killing of people whom the U.S. military regarded as suspected Iraqi insurgents. Date and location: December 1, 2003, near Al-Taji.<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 January 2004 |title=Tape Shows Apache Pilots Firing on Iraqis |url=https://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=131481&page=1 |website=ABC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=6 May 2004 |title=Video shows killing of 3 Iraqis by US helicopter |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/video-shows-killing-of-3-iraqis-by-us-helicopter-1.1139270 |newspaper=The Irish Times}}</ref>]]
Over 500 [[Social:Counter-insurgency|counter-insurgency]] operations have been undertaken by the U.S.-led Coalition or the Iraqi government. These include Operation Option North and Operation Bayonet Lightning in [[Place:Kirkuk|Kirkuk]], Operation Desert Thrust, Operation Abilene and Operation All American Tiger throughout Iraq, Operation Iron Hammer in [[Place:Baghdad|Baghdad]] and Operation Ivy Blizzard in [[Place:Samarra|Samarra]] – all in 2003; Operation Market Sweep, Operation Vigilant Resolve and Operation Phantom Fury in [[Place:Fallujah|Fallujah]] in 2004; Operation Matador in Anbar, Operation Squeeze Play and Operation Lightning in Baghdad, Operation New Market near [[Place:Haditha|Haditha]], Operation Spear in Karabillah and the Battle of Tal Afar – all in 2005; Operation Swarmer in Samarra and Operation Together Forward in Baghdad in 2006; and Operation Law and Order in Baghdad, Operation Arrowhead Ripper in Baqouba and Operation Phantom Strike throughout Iraq – all in 2007.

== See also ==
* Challenge Project
* Sectarian violence in Iraq (2006–2008)
* Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013)
* Consolation payment
* Fallujah during the Iraq War
* Juba (sniper)
* [[Social:List of revolutions and rebellions|List of revolutions and rebellions]]
* Iraq War order of battle 2009
* USA kill or capture strategy in Iraq
* USA list of most-wanted Iraqis
* Joint Special Operations Command Task Force in the Iraq War
* Task Force ODIN
* Executive Order 13303
'''Chronology:'''
* History of Iraq (2003–11)
** 2003 in Iraq
** 2004 in Iraq
** 2005 in Iraq
** 2006 in Iraq
** 2007 in Iraq
** 2008 in Iraq
*** 2008 Mosul offensive
** 2009 in Iraq
** 2010 in Iraq
** 2011 in Iraq

== References ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Sources==
* {{Citation|last=Bishku|first=Michael B.|title=Israel and the Kurds: A Pragmatic Relationship in Middle Eastern Politics|date=2018|volume=41|issue=2|pages=|publisher=Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies}}

== Further reading ==
* Chehab, Zaki. ''Iraq Ablaze: Inside the Insurgency'', I. B. Tauris & Co Ltd. {{ISBN|1-84511-110-9}}.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20230328141142/https://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/sr134.pdf ''Who Are the Insurgents? Sunni Arab Rebels in Iraq'' U.S. Institute of Peace Special Report, April 2005]
* Rogers, Paul. ''Iraq and the War on Terror: Twelve Months of Insurgency.'' I.B. Tauris. {{ISBN|1-84511-205-9}}.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061102215837/http://ksgfaculty.harvard.edu/Ahmed_Hashim Hashim, Ahmed S]. [http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/cup_detail.taf?ti_id=4447 ''Insurgency and Counter-Insurgency in Iraq''.] I.B. Tauris. {{ISBN|0-8014-4452-7}}. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctvrf8c5d JSTOR]
* Enders, David. ''Baghdad Bulletin: Dispatches on the American Occupation'' University of Michigan Press (4 April 2005) {{ISBN|0-472-11469-7}} [https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3998/mpub.100388 JSTOR]
* O'Connell, Edward. Bruce R. Pirnie. ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20221219091728/https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG595.3.pdf Counterinsurgency in Iraq: 2003–2006]''/ RAND {{ISBN|978-0-8330-4297-2}}.
* Jürgen Todenhöfer [https://web.archive.org/web/20090826024513/http://www.whydoyoukillzaid.com/ ''Why do you kill? The untold story of the Iraqi resistance''.]

== External links ==

=== Analysis ===
* Christopher Alexander, Charles Kyle and William McCallister [https://web.archive.org/web/20221219091714/http://www.comw.org/warreport/fulltext/03alexander.pdf ''The Iraqi Insurgent Movement''], Commonwealth Institute 14 November 2003
* Carl Conetta "[https://web.archive.org/web/20090320002300/http://www.comw.org/pda/0507bm34.html 400 Days and Out: A Strategy for Solving the Iraq Impasse]". [http://www.comw.org/pda/ ''Project on Defense Alternatives''], 19 July 2005.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20230410155130/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/insurgency/ ''Frontline: The Insurgency''] PBS ''Frontline'' 21 February 2006
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100224074914/http://www.comw.org/pda/0603insurgency.html Insurgent Iraq: Links to full-text online articles and reports about the Iraqi Insurgency]. Compiled by [http://www.comw.org/pda/ ''Project on Defense Alternatives''], March 2006. Updated 22 August 2006.
* "[https://web.archive.org/web/20230308150814/http://www.wadinet.de/news/dokus/Electronic_Propaganda_Study.pdf Electronic Propaganda in Iraq]". wadinet.de ([[PDF]])

=== News articles ===
* Biedermann, Ferry. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20171012070844/https://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/168/36870.html Portrait of an Iraqi Rebel]." ''Salon.'' 16 August 2003, via globalpolicy.
* "[https://web.archive.org/web/20040831082234/http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=11043 Crushing Iraq's insurgency may take up to 10 years]." ''Middle East Online'' (UK). 23 August 2004.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060223092033/http://www.smh.com.au/flash/mcgeough/main.html multimedia article by Australian Journalist Paul McGeogh of the ''Sydney Morning Herald'']

=== Supportive of the insurgents ===
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20221205222220/https://www.albasrah.net/moqawama/english/iraqi_resistance.htm Iraqi Resistance Reports] from [http://www.albasrah.net/ albasrah.net].

=== Profiles of insurgent groups ===
* "[https://web.archive.org/web/20230406030909/https://www.albasrah.net/index.php Iraq's Insurgents: Who's Who]". ''Washington Post'', 19 March 2006.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20230604232745/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3483089.stm BBC: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi]

{{Asia in topic|Terrorism in}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iraqi Insurgency}}
[[Category:Political neologisms]]

{{Sourceattribution|Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011)|1}}