Falluja Precursors Operation Vigilant Resolve was an operation by the members of the United States Military as well as other Iraqi forces , to unsuccessfully capture / pacify the city of Fallujah in April 2004 , as part of the occupation of Iraq . This article deals with the events and circumstances that led up to the battle . Falluja has been considered the ' center ' of the insurgency in Iraq . The purpose of this article is to establish specific events that led to the city of Falluja becoming this center . It is to be considered a work in progress , to possibly be merged with other related articles in the future . The following are the main contributions to difficulties that the coalition has had with Falluja . Falluja In The 20th century . In the spring of 1920 , the British , who had gained control of Iraq after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire , sent Lt Col Gerard Leachman , a renowned explorer and a senior colonial officer , to quell a rebellion in Fallujah . Leachman was killed just south of the city in a fight with local leader Shaykh Dhari . The British sent an army to stop the rebellion . During the brief Anglo - Iraqi War of 1941 , the Iraqi army was defeated by the British in a battle near Fallujah . Locations of Key Facilities . Bathist Headquarters : Centrally located in the middle of Falluja , next to the mayor ' s office . Falluja Hospitals : There are three major hospital locations in Falluja . The main hospital ( formerly Saddam General ) is located downtown , near the west end . The second is located across the Euphrates River in an area west Falluja commonly referred to as the ' peninsula ' , ( due to its shape ) . The third hospital is the Jordanian Field Hospital located east of the Highway 10 / Highway 1 interchange . Highway 1 is a four - lane , divided superhighway that travels from Baghdad , past Falluja , towards the west . After the sanctions imposed by the UN after the 1991 Gulf War , this highway became the main supply route for the country . Truckers and travellers from Saudi Arabia , Jordan and Southern Syria all merge onto this highway prior to entering the Eastern Al Anbar province . The highway has a prominent ' cloverleaf ' offramp on the eastern edge of Falluja . The highway provides a clear line of demarcation for the east edge of the city . Highway 10 is a two - lane highway , that tuns into a four land highway one inside of Falluja . The highway runs eas - west , from Baghdad , through Falluja , then west towards Ramadi . A ' cloverleaf ' on ramp allows for traffic on / off Highway 1 . The highway basically splits the city into two halves , north and south . A ' railroad ' line runs east - west , just along the northern edge of Falluja . The line sits atop a 10 – 15 foot high berm all along the northern edge of the city , except where it crosses Highway 1 . The railroad provides a clear line of demarcation for the northern edge of the city . The Euphrates River Flows from the west ( Ramadi ) , past Fllauja , and into the Baghdad area . When the river reaches the western edge of Falluja , it turns north , then quickly south , forming what is commonly referred to as the ' peninsula ' area . There are two bridges that cross the Euphrates at Falluja . The river provides a cleat line of demarcation for the western edge of the city . Under Saddam Hussein . Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq from 1979 to 2003 . The people of Fallujah had generally benefited under Saddam Hussein , mostly due to the high number of police , military and intelligence officers hired by his administration . However his government was still not popular in the city . Military Buildup . During his reign , Saddam conducted an extraordinarily large buildup of military forces in and around Falluja area , indicative of the level of unrest in the area . The decision after to disband the Iraqi military after the invasion led to a high number of trained personnel to become unemployed . Generally , the number of personnel in the Iraqi military prior to the 2003 war was uncertain , but it was believed to have been poorly - equipped . The International Institute for Strategic Studies estimated the Iraqi armed forces to number 389 , 000 ( army 350 , 000 , navy 2 , 000 , air force 20 , 000 and air defense 17 , 000 ) , the paramilitary Fedayeen Saddam 44 , 000 , and reserves 650 , 000 . Another estimate numbers the army and Republican Guard at between 280 , 000 to 350 , 000 and 50 , 000 to 80 , 000 , respectively , [ 55 ] and the paramilitary between 20 , 000 and 40 , 000 . There were an estimated thirteen infantry divisions , ten mechanized and armored divisions , as well as some special forces units . The Iraqi Air Force and Iraqi Navy played a negligible role in the conflict . Military Near Falluja . 17th Hammurabi Republican Guard Armor Division Bathist Resort ( aka Dreamland ) Mujahedin - E Khalq ( MEK ) Training Camp - a former Iranian terrorist training camp , located outside of Fallujah . Al Taqaddum Airbase is located in central Iraq approximately west of Falluja . The airfield is served by two runways 13 , 000 and long . According to the " Gulf War Air Power Survey , there were 24 hardened aircraft shelters Al Taqaddum . Habbaniyah Airbase is located in Central Iraq approximately west of Falluja , Just South of the town of Al Habbaniyah . The airbase is served by a single long runway , according to the Gulf War Air Power Survey , there were 8 hardened aircraft shelters , at the base as of 1991 . Abu Ghurayb Presidential Site includes a command bunker , sleeping quarters and a large underground military and intelligence center . The Abu Ghraib complex was one of eight designated presidential palaces , and Iraq ' s decision to declare it off - limits to UN arms inspectors spurred the { 1998 US - Iraqi showdown } . Political Buildup . Many residents of the primarily Sunni city were employees and supporters of Saddam ' s government , and many senior Ba ' ath Party officials were natives of the city . Iraqi Intelligence Agencies . During his reign , Saddam had several intelligence agencies at his disposal . The foundation of his power a network of security and intelligence agencies which protected the president and the regime from internal and external enemies . The number and size of these agencies multiplied over time , and by design the areas of responsibility of different agencies were duplicative , to ensure both competition among the services and to ensure that no agency emerged as a threat to the power of Saddam . There was an unusually high number of national intelligence ( mukhabarat ) working in Falluja . Local residents told Human Rights Watch that many of them had worked for the military , police or intelligence . This was likely due to the historically restive nature of Falluja . Former Iraqi Intelligence Organizations included : Special Security Organization - SSO [ Jihaz al - Himaya al - Khas / Al Amn al - Khas ] Iraqi Intelligence Service - IIS General Intelligence Directorate - GID [ Jihaz al - Mukhabarat al - Amma ] Military Intelligence [ Al - Istikhbarat al - Askariyya ] Military Security Service [ Al Amn al - Askariyya ] General Security Service [ Mudiriyat al - Amn al - Amma ] Special Republican Guard ( SRG ) Saddam ' s Martyrs [ " Men of Sacrifice " ] Fedayeen Saddam Economic Incentives . In 1947 the town had only about 10 , 000 inhabitants . It grew rapidly into a city after Iraqi independence with the influx of oil wealth into the country . Its position on one of the main roads out of Baghdad made it of central importance . Fallujah was heavily industrialized during the Saddam era , with the construction of several large factories , including one closed down by United Nations Special Commission ( UNSCOM ) in the 1990s that may have been used to create chemical weapons . A new highway system ( a part of Saddam ' s infrastructure initiatives ) circumvented Fallujah and gradually caused the city to decline in national importance by the time of the Iraq War . Religious Considerations . Falluja is considered to have significant religious influence . The city has the nickname " city of mosques ' . There are more than one hundred mosques located in the city . " Wahabism " is among the most ultraconservative forms of Islam . The Wahabi movement has its origins in Saudi Arabia . However , the movement in Iraq has its beginnings in Falluja . Like any other ultraconservative movement , Saddam saw the Wahabbi movement as a threat . Gulf War 1991 . Two separate failed bombing attempts on Fallujah ' s bridge across the Euphrates River hit crowded markets , killing an estimated 200 civilians . After the conclusion of the Gulf War of 1991 , the U . S . , the UK , and the international community maintained a policy of “ containment ” towards Iraq . This policy involved numerous economic sanctions Events Just Prior to 2003 Invasion . The 2003 invasion of Iraq mainly by the United States , Britain , Australia and Poland officially began on March 20 , 2003 . This section discusses events prior to this invasion . Form more information on events during and after the invasion , see the following links . Iraq War 2003 invasion of Iraq Post - invasion Iraq , 2003 – present Prisoner Amnesty . In October 2002 , Iraq ' s Revolutionary Command Council ( RCC ) , the state ' s supreme authority , issued an amnesty to all prisoners in Iraq . Abu Ghraib prison , located east of Falluja , was reported to be deserted following the amnesty . According to news reports , authorities claimed that 13 , 000 inmates were released from Abu Ghraib prison , however numbers were unconfirmed .