Combat· Iraq War (Op IRAQI FREEDOM)
Mosque Fight
The mosque fight was one of the sharp engagements during the clearance of Fallujah in the Second Battle, when Marines battling through the city encountered insurgents who had fortified and fought from one of the city's mosques, using the religious building as a strongpoint.
The defenders' use of the mosque, a protected site under normal rules, as a fighting position forced the Marines to reduce it as they would any other strongpoint, clearing the structure against determined resistance. Such fights illustrated the insurgents' practice of exploiting protected sites for military advantage, presenting the Marines with both a tactical problem and the sensitivity of fighting in and around places of worship. The action was one of many building-by-building struggles that made up the larger battle for the city. Clearing the fortified mosque removed one of the strongpoints anchoring the insurgent defense and was part of the grinding reduction of Fallujah's defended structures.
Record no. 756