page_title: Samawah
section_title: Security since 2003 invasion
hierarchical_section_title: Samawah / Security since 2003 invasion
caption_attribution_description: English: Handover ceremony of power for Al Muthanna province in July 2006. Al Muthanna became the first province to take full independence from the coalition forces in Iraq. The ceremony took place at the Football stadium and was attended by the Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki and commanders of the coalition forces in the province
context_page_description: Samawah or As-Samawah is a city in Iraq, 280 kilometres southeast of Baghdad.
  The city of Samawah is the modern capital of the Al Muthanna Governorate. The city is located midway between Baghdad and Basra, at the northern edge of the governorate. The province was established in 1975; prior to that date it was a unified province along with Qadissiya and Najaf.
context_section_description: Since the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, the town has had the fewest problems with Coalition forces, with insurgent activity practically non-existent.
  Elements of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division and 1–41 Infantry, 1st Armored Division, took the town in the Battle of Samawah, a fierce running battle with emplaced Fedayeen forces in the days after the initial invasion. After the initial combat phase ended in May 2003, the 82nd was relieved by U.S. Marines from RCT-5, 1st Marine Division. Control of the city was handed over to Dutch forces in August 2003,  to the British Army (1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards) in October 2004 who in turn handed over to (The Light Dragoons) again British Army Cavalry Regiment in April 2005 and in October 2005 the 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment took over. All units took part in peacekeeping operations involving foot and vehicular patrols winning hearts and minds also they helped in training local police in crowd control and riot training, also fire arms training.
  Japan Self-Defense Forces, stationed in Samawah since January 2004, left in 2006.  British and Australian troops departed, making Samawah's entire province the first to be responsible for its own security, dubbed in Iraqi parlance the first "green province", meaning that it is fully independent.
  On December 24, 2006, political violence between Shiite militias hit Samawah, killing 9 people, among them 4 policemen. Reportedly, local members of the Mahdi Army tried to seize the city in a failed attempt and clashed with the police, who were aided by the Badr Organization. Internal fighting and division among the local tribes was reported. Associates of Mahdi leader Muqtada al-Sadr said he was distancing himself from the Samawah militia, led by "a renegade cleric".
  On May 1, 2016 a government office and bus station in the city of Samawah were attacked in a double car bombing claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The attack killed at least 32 people and wounded another 85.
caption: Handover ceremony for Al Muthanna province in July 2006 at the football stadium
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