Karbala provincial headquarters raid

Karbala Provincial Headquarters Raid
Part of the Iraqi insurgency
Date January 20, 2007 Location Karbala, Iraq Result Decisive tactical insurgent victory
Belligerents
United States	Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq Supported by: Qods Force
Commanders and leaders
CPT Brian Freeman † 1LT Jacob Fritz †	Azhar al-Dulaimi Qasem Soleimani
Strength
25+	9-12
Casualties and losses
Total: 8 5 killed 3 wounded	none

Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq
Supported by:

Azhar al-Dulaimi

The Karbala provincial headquarters raid was an infiltration attack carried out on January 20, 2007 by insurgent commandos, with possible Iranian involvement, on the American contingent of the Joint Security Station located within the Iraqi Police headquarters. The assault, which left five American soldiers dead and three wounded, has been called the "boldest and most sophisticated attack in four years of warfare" and is furthermore notable for being one of the few instances when militants have actually managed to capture U.S. soldiers.

Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Karbala province has not seen the same intensity of violence that has wracked other areas of Iraq such as Baghdad and Al Anbar province. Although Karbala has been the site of many attacks, it has largely been free of the spectacular bombings that regularly take place in Baghdad or the heavy urban warfare seen in Fallujah, Mosul, Najaf, Ramadi, and elsewhere. There have been two notable exceptions to this trend: the March 2004 Ashura massacre and the uprising of Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army across southern Iraq the following month. Prior to the 20 January raid, only 33 Coalition soldiers had been killed in Karbala province, constituting just over 1% of total coalition fatalities in Iraq.

The attack was perpetrated by "nine to 12 militants posing as an American security team ... [who] traveled in black GMC Suburban vehicles — the type used by U.S. government convoys — had American weapons, wore new U.S. military combat fatigues, and spoke English. This was denied by the surviving soldiers. According to one Iraqi official, the militant team was led by a blond-haired man. The attack occurred as the U.S. military continued preparations to leave. About 30 U.S. troops were inside the compound at the time.

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Wikipedia