CIAO DATE: 08/2014
September 2007
Institute for the Study of War
In March 2003, before Operation Iraqi Freedom I began, Baghdad’s Mansour district was an affluent Sunni enclave with “villas, gardens, and private pools.” Also known as the “embassies district,” it attracted shoppers seeking luxury foreign goods from all over the city. Due to the ongoing Iraq War, however, the district and its many neighborhoods succumbed to sectarian violence. In the four years between 2003 and 2007, conflict between Sunni and Shiite militias transformed Mansour into “a bombed-out wasteland.” The intense violence included street battles between rival militias, kidnappings, bombings, assassinations and death squads. Thus, many residents to fled from the area due to a lack of security and services. Because this district was “one of the most heavily contested by the Shiite and Sunni militias,” restoring order there has been challenging for U.S. and Iraqi Security Forces.
Resource link: Baghdad's Neighborhoods: November 2006 – August 2007: The Baghdad Security Plan in Mansour District [PDF] - 213K