Triangle of Death ( Iraq ) The Triangle of Death is a name given during the 2003 – 2010 occupation of Iraq by U . S . and allied forces to a region south of Baghdad which saw major combat activity and sectarian violence from late 2004 into the fall of 2007 . Description . The " Triangle of Death " ( not to be confused with the much larger Sunni Triangle further north ) lies between Baghdad and Al Hillah , is inhabited by a Sunni majority , and contains several large towns in the Mahmudiya District including Yusufiyah , Mahmoudiyah , Iskandariyah and Latifiyah . The major terrain feature of the Triangle of Death is the Euphrates River , which borders the Triangle to the southwest . The terrain is mostly farm land , but is sliced by many irrigation ditches . These farms are usually small , being maintained by the families that own the land . The weather is generally consistent with the rest of Iraq , with the exception of increased humidity due to the area ' s proximity to the Euphrates River and irrigation canals used for farming . Musayyib is home to the Musayyib Power Plant , a frequent target of insurgent attacks due to its infrastructure importance . The power plant is capable of supplying one - fourth to one - third of Iraq ' s electricity demands if it were fully operational . As of October 2006 , it is at roughly 33 % of its maximum output . Because of the indirect fire attacks on the facility , U . S . forces formerly manned Forward Operating Base Iskandariyah ( previously known as FOB Chosin ) on the grounds of the power plant . Attacks diminished due to increased security in 2007 and with an overall increase in the security situation of Babil Province in 2008 , the facility was closed as a U . S . base . Sociological causes of violence . Analysts generally attribute this area ' s high level of violence to the tension from the Sunni majority population , the Saddam Hussein era military industrial complex in the area ( such as the al - Quds General Company for Mechanical Industries , the al - Musayyib Ammunition Depot , and the Al Qa ' qaa Munitions Facility ) , the current lack of economic alternatives to joining the insurgency , and the near endless supply of munitions stored throughout the area ( in part due to the looting of the munitions facilities after the fall of the Hussein Regime ) . Recent violence . After the fall of the Hussein Regime , the area ' s population suffered from unemployment . One city in the Northern Babil Governorate , al Hillah , has been a frequent target of insurgent attacks . As of January 2006 , al Hillah has seen the single most deadly suicide bombing in the Iraq War when on 28 February 2005 125 Iraqis were killed . Other suicide attacks on 30 May 2005 ( 20 killed ) , 30 May 2006 ( 12 killed ) , and 30 August 2006 ( 12 killed ) have occurred in al Hillah . On 16 July 2005 , Musayyib saw one of the most savage attacks of the war , when a suicide bomber driving a fuel truck detonated himself and the fuel truck killing at least 98 Iraqis . The Triangle of Death often sees catastrophic attacks like these due to the proximity to both Baghdad and Fallujah - Ramadi area , where suicide bombers usually meet before heading to their intended targets . The Triangle of Death has also reportedly used as the staging area for attacks in Baghdad , specifically the 24 October 2005 attack on the Palestine Hotel . The Triangle of Death saw several deadly sectarian attacks during the 2007 Ashura celebrations . Even though most insurgent attacks in the Triangle of Death are against Iraqi civilian and Iraqi government forces , U . S . forces have also been the target of a variety of attacks . On June 16 , 2006 , one American Soldier ( SPC David J . Babineau ) was killed and two other Soldiers ( PFC Thomas L . Tucker and PV2 Kristian Menchaca ) were kidnapped near the Jurf as Sakhr Bridge ( located on the Euphrates River in southwestern Yusufiyah ) after their HMMWV was attacked . Their remains were found four days later , on the side of a canal road near Patrol Base Swamp in Shakaria ( approximately 10 kilometers northeast from where they were ambushed ) . The bodies were discovered by 3rd Platoon , B Company , 2nd Battalion , 502nd Infantry Regiment ( 101st Airborne Division ) . The report from the U . S . Army Graves Registration team indicated that the bodies had been dismembered , mutilated , burned and beheaded , as well as rigged with an IED between one of the victim ' s legs . On May 12 , 2007 , members of Delta Company , 4th Battalion , 31st Infantry Regiment ( of the U . S . Army ' s 10th Mountain Division ) were attacked with IED , rocket - propelled grenades and small - arms fire while operating in the vicinity of the Qarghouli tribe region of Yusufiyah . The ambush left five Soldiers dead and three missing . The body of one of these missing Soldiers , PFC Joseph Anzack was found in the Euphrates River in Musayyib by members of D Company , 1st Battalion , 501st Infantry Regiment ( Airborne ) and members of the local Iraq police force . The other two missing Soldiers , SGT Alex Jimenez and PFC Byron Fouty , remained missing for over a year until their remains were discovered following efforts with locals by 3rd Battalion , 7th Infantry Regiment west of the town of Jurf as Sakhr . Military in the area . Numerous units have been stationed in the Triangle since 2003 . Initial deployments began with very rudimentary and temporary quartering , sometimes in individual houses , but later expanded to extensive troop commitments and culminated in 2007 with multiple brigades incurring 15 - month deployments under the command of Multi - National Division - Central headed by 3rd Infantry Division Headquarters . Attacks dropped dramatically from the spring through fall of 2007 following the activation of Multi - National Division - Central and an increase in operational tempo following the kidnapping of soldiers from 4th Battalion , 31st Infantry near Yusifiyah in May 2007 . Most areas are now under effective control of local authorities with local inhabitants declining to participate in insurgencies led by Al Qaeda in Iraq and Jaysh al Mahdi .