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39-514: Sadr City – or more accurately Thawra District (Arabic: حيّ الثورة , romanized:  Ḥayy ath-Thawra ) – is one of nine administrative districts in Baghdad . A public housing project neglected by Saddam Hussein , Sadr City holds around 1 million residents. The City (or District) was built in 1959 by Prime Minister Abdul Karim Qassim in response to grave housing shortages in Baghdad . At

78-603: A bachelor's degree in military science from Eastern Washington University . He followed this with a master's degree in Near and Middle Eastern Studies from Princeton University . He graduated from the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth , Kansas, and earned another master's degree at the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base , Alabama. Volesky served in

117-668: A massive public works and housing project that came to be known as Revolution City. It quickly became a stronghold of the Iraqi Communist Party , with resistance to the Baathist -led coup of 1963 becoming prevalent within the city itself. The development was devised by the Greek planner Constantinos Apostolou Doxiadis , who also designed Islamabad and Riyadh . The original plans for the city were designed as part of Doxiadis’s Plans for Baghdad which were not fully completed as

156-441: A new Provincial Council was elected. This system of 127 separate councils may seem overly cumbersome but Baghdad Province is home to approximately seven million people. At the lowest level, the neighborhood councils, each council represents an average of 74,000 people. 33°20′N 44°23′E  /  33.333°N 44.383°E  / 33.333; 44.383 Gary J. Volesky Gary J. Volesky (born September 7, 1961)

195-493: A result of the cancellation of the plans in 1959. Doxiadis Associates managed to develop the northeast side of Baghdad. This later developed as the nucleus for Al-Thawra City . During urban development of Baghdad, Al-Habibiyah Jewish Cemetery was built by Saddam Hussein in 1975. In 1982, the district was renamed Saddam City . In the 1980s, the district became known for poverty and communist organizing, with illegal documents and, in some cases, people themselves being hidden from

234-581: A series of car bombs exploded, followed by mortar attacks, which killed at least 215 people. See 23 November 2006 Sadr City bombings for further details. As the U.S. began a surge of forces into Iraq, Operation Imposing Law was implemented in Sadr City. On station US army units included 82nd Airborne DIV 2/325 INF White Falcons and 2nd INF DIV C- CO 2/3 INF SBCT. In March 2008, during the Battle of Basra , clashes erupted in Sadr City between U.S. forces and

273-576: A series of meetings in each neighborhood to explain local government , to describe the caucus election process and to encourage participants to spread the word and bring friends, relatives and neighbors to subsequent meetings. Each neighborhood process ultimately ended with a final meeting where candidates for the new neighborhood councils identified themselves and asked their neighbors to vote for them. Once all 88 (later increased to 89) neighborhood councils were in place, each neighborhood council elected representatives from among their members to serve on one of

312-645: A vacant lot. On May 18, gunmen shot and killed Ali Mutib Sakr, a Transport Ministry driver. On May 23, a car bomb exploded outside a crowded restaurant, killing eight Iraqis and wounding an additional 89. On March 12 three car bombs exploded, killing thirty-five people. On July 1 a car bomb exploded in an open-air market killing 77 and wounding 96. In August 2005 the Iraqi government and the U.S. Army locked down Sadr City for three days to search houses for hostages and death squads. Some hostages were found and freed. Multiple death squad leaders were arrested. In these three days,

351-665: Is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who commanded I Corps from 2017 to 2020. He previously served as commander of the 101st Airborne Division and commander of the American ground forces in Iraq as part of Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve . Volesky retired in February 2020, being succeeded by Lieutenant General Randy George as commander of I Corps. From Spokane, Washington , Volesky graduated from Ferris High School in 1979. In 1983, he earned

390-743: The Gulf War , Iraq War and War in Afghanistan . He earned the Silver Star for his actions on 4 April 2004 – later known as "Black Sunday" – that began the Siege of Sadr City . Volesky served as the U.S. Army's Chief of Public Affairs in Washington, D.C., prior to being appointed commander of the 101st Airborne Division in June 2014. In 2015, he was deployed with the 101st to Liberia to help

429-668: The Iraqi National Alliance to make huge gains in provincial elections in 2009 and parliamentary elections in 2010. In 2010, a Turkish consortium of contractors won the bid for the reconstruction of Baghdad's Sadr City, offering to complete the massive project for $ 11.3 billion. The project involves construction of a modern city of 75,000 housing units to accommodate up to 600,000 people. Administrative districts in Baghdad#Thawra District There are nine administrative districts in

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468-469: The Mahdi Army in Sadr City ambushed an American convoy, inflicting multiple casualties. The Combat Patrol, made up of vehicles from the 2/2 ACR was attacked by approximately 100 men with several improvised explosive devices, RPGs and automatic weapons fire from the surrounding rooftops and streets killing and injuring soldiers from E Trp 2/2 ACR. The Mahdi Army attempted to capture several soldiers during

507-478: The Mahdi Army . At that time, Sadr City was secured with the use of Strykers from the 1st Squadron, 2d Stryker Cavalry Regiment led by LTC Daniel Barnett. The fighting grew so intense that armored vehicles including M2A3 Bradley IFVs and M1A1/2 Abrams MBTs were called in for assistance. The Mahdi Army relied heavily in the use of improvised explosive devices allegedly smuggled from Iran and engaged U.S. forces with sniper fire and intense small arms engagements in

546-497: The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) with the ebola crisis by building treatment facilities and to train aid workers. He later served as commander of the American ground forces in Iraq as part of Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve . Volesky replaced Lieutenant General Stephen Lanza as commander of I Corps on 3 April 2017. He retired in February 2020, after Lieutenant General Randy George succeeded him as I Corps commander. On July 9, 2022,

585-577: The 1st (Quick Reaction Force) division stationed in Al-Anbar and armored forces from the 9th Division based in Taji , operating without the involvement of U.S. ground forces, (except Marines from 1st ANGLICO, SALT B Provided over watch) pushed deep into Sadr City. The Iraqi Security Forces met little resistance in moving through Sadr City and took up positions formerly occupied by the Mahdi Army, including

624-701: The 35 member Baghdad Regional Council. The final step in the establishment of the system of local government for Baghdad Province was the election of the Baghdad Provincial Council . As before, the representatives to the Provincial Council were elected by their peers from the lower councils in numbers proportional to the population of the districts they represent. The 41 member Provincial Council took office in February 2004 and served until national elections held in January 2005, when

663-576: The Imam Ali and Al-Sadr hospitals and Al-Sadr's political office. Sadr City then became the main base for Shi'a Insurgent group Kata'ib Hezbollah , an offshoot of the Mahdi Army. After a year of relative calm, Sadr City was struck by a massive bomb blast on June 24, 2009 when a bomb-laden vegetable cart or motorcycle was detonated in the Muraidi Market of the town, killing at least 69 civilians and wounding over 150. Voters in Sadr City allowed

702-503: The U.S. beef up security and attach an additional 28 tanks and 14 Bradley Fighting Vehicles to the camp. The following day, on October 11, the Weapons Handover Program began in the city, which was designed to purchase weapons from militants. On May 15, 2005 the bodies of 13 Iraqis were discovered in a shallow grave, each blindfolded, tied and shot multiple times in the back of the head. They had been hastily buried in

741-517: The US Army 2d Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment established their headquarters at the abandoned Sumer cigarette factory located on the eastern side of Sadr City. In honor of the history of the factory, the military named their new camp Camp Marlboro . During the fall and winter of 2003, American forces focused on rebuilding civilian infrastructure and training local leaders in democracy. District and neighborhood councils were established, giving

780-470: The US Army suspended Volesky from a lucrative consultant’s role after a social media post appearing under his name taunted first lady Jill Biden 's support of abortion rights. In response to the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, Dr. Biden tweeted, “For nearly 50 years, women have had the right to make our own decisions about our bodies. Today, that right was stolen from us.” An account under Volesky’s name replied: “Glad to see you finally know what

819-471: The ambush, but they were ultimately unsuccessful in their efforts to obtain hostages. On November 9, 2003, a violent confrontation erupted between the chairman of the District Council, elements of the 2d ACR, and a team from the 490th Civil Affairs Battalion. The chairman refused to surrender a pistol during security screening and was shot by an American soldier during a shoving match. The death of

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858-549: The authorities in overflowing septic tanks. The proliferation of communism in the district was seen by some as ironic, given how Doxiadis's design had been considered "anticommunist" with the view that it promoted a village atmosphere in an effort to ease the transition of rural migrants to the city. After Saddam Hussein was removed from power in April 2003, the district was unofficially renamed Sadr City after deceased Shiite leader Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr . In April, 2003,

897-399: The chairman caused a serious setback to reconstruction efforts and led to increased violence. Throughout March 2004 through July 2004, FOB IronHorse, in Sadr City, elements of the 1st Brigade Combat Team and the 13th Signal Battalion were hit almost daily with Mortars and RPGs. TF Lancer was located at FOB War Eagle, northern side of Sadr City. There was no American media in the area to report

936-399: The city of Baghdad , the capital of Iraq , that correspond to the nine district advisory councils. The Baghdad Security Plan used these nine districts as the nine security districts. These were formed in 2003 following the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq . District council members are selected from the 89 Neighborhood Advisory Councils in Baghdad. The number of neighbourhood representatives on

975-430: The city served as administrative centers for the delivery of municipal services but until 2003 had no political function. Beginning in April 2003, the U.S. controlled Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) began the process of creating new functions for these subdivisions. The process initially focused on the election of neighborhood councils in the official neighborhoods, elected by neighborhood caucuses. The CPA convened

1014-439: The city's nine district councils. The number of neighborhood representatives on a district council is based upon the neighborhood's population. The next step was to have each of the nine district councils elect representatives from their membership to serve on the 37 member Baghdad City Council . This three-tier system of local government connected the people of Baghdad to the central government through their representatives from

1053-402: The command of Colonel Robert B. Abrams . On April 4, 2004 the Mahdi Army ambushed a U.S. Army patrol in Sadr City, killing eight American soldiers, and wounding 57 more. This sparked fierce urban fighting between the Mahdi Army and newly arrived soldiers of the B Company 20th Engineer Battalion 2–5, C Battery 1-82 Field Artillery, 2-8 and 1-12 CAV of the 1st Cavalry Division (1CD); alongside

1092-579: The concrete barrier. Over the next month, the Mahdi Army launched a number of attacks on the troops building the barrier, but sustained heavy losses. On May 3, 2008 soldiers from Charlie Company, 2-30 Infantry, 10th Mountain Division placed additional barriers along the eastern boundary of Sadr City to isolate the militants' stronghold, but met heavy resistance as Mahdi Fighters attacked the soldiers with RPGs, IEDs, and small arms fire. The Mahdi fighters were able to destroy two HMMWVs and two MRAPs , however,

1131-442: The district council is based upon the community's population. The Baghdad City Advisory Council consists of 37 members drawn from the district councils and is also based on the district's population. In the list below, alternate spellings (in parentheses) are from United Nations humanitarian info.org map listing 89 neighborhoods . The City of Baghdad has 89 official neighborhoods within 9 districts . These official subdivisions of

1170-513: The headquarters brigade for the operation, began construction of a concrete barrier along Al-Quds street to seal the southern third of the city off and allow reconstruction to take place. C/1-68, a tank and mechanized infantry company team under command and control of 1-68 Armor Combined Arms Battalion, and D/4-64, a tank and mechanized infantry company team, attached to 1-2 SCR, were the primary wall build company level organizations. On May 1, 2008, D/4-64 and B/1-14 killed 28 Mahdi Fighters just north of

1209-518: The heavily congested urban area. The U.S. launched at least one air strike, killing 10 reported militants. As of March 29, 2008, about 75 Iraqis have been killed and 500 injured. The Iraq Health Ministry claims these are all civilians, but the U.S. disputes this. The Mahdi Army intensified rocket attacks on the Green Zone and other U.S. bases, killing at least three American soldiers and several civilians. On April 6 Iraqi and U.S. forces moved into

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1248-413: The just-relieved 1st Squadron, 2d Armored Cavalry Regiment and elements from 2-37 AR of the 1st Armored Division. In late 2004 the Mahdi Army enacted a cease-fire with U.S. troops, and offered to help repair and rebuild the city's main infrastructure which was leaving millions without electricity, water or sewage. On October 10, Camp Marlboro was hit by three mortars launched from within the city, which saw

1287-431: The multiple mortar and RPG fire which hit both FOBs almost daily. In late March, 2004, Task Force Lancer, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Gary Volesky arrived at Camp War Eagle on the north-east corner of Sadr City, to assume responsibility for the governance and security of Sadr City. Task Force Lancer consisted primarily of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment from the 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division under

1326-556: The neighborhood, through the district, and up to the city council. The same process was used to provide representative councils for the other communities in Baghdad Governorate outside of the city itself. There, local councils were elected from 20 neighborhoods (Nahia) and these councils elected representatives from their members to serve on six district councils (Qada). As within the city, the district councils then elected representatives from among their members to serve on

1365-413: The number of murders in Baghdad reached the lowest level ever compared to the average of the previous months of the U.S.-led war. On October 24, 2006, the U.S. Army locked down Sadr City while searching for a kidnapped U.S. soldier. During the lock down, deaths dropped by 50%. When Prime Minister al-Maliki demanded the end of the blockade, the murder rate returned to previous levels. On November 23, 2006,

1404-419: The residents of Sadr City representation in the new Iraqi government. The municipal building became the centerpiece of the reconstruction effort, and it was the site of a forward outpost of American soldiers that met daily with council members and citizens. Progress was slow due to escalating tensions and violence, and attacks against the American military increased significantly in late 2003. On October 9, 2003,

1443-409: The southern third of Sadr City to prevent rocket and mortar fire being launched from the area. 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment then took control of southern Sadr City and hosted Charlie Company, 1-64 Armor, Bravo Company, 1-14 Infantry and Delta Company, 4-64 Armor along with U.S. combat engineers from the 3rd Brigade Heavy Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division,

1482-466: The time it was officially named Al-Rafidain District (Arabic: حي الرافدين ), but was colloquially called Al-Thawra (Arabic: الثورة ) and so it came to be known by that name. It provided housing for Baghdad's urban poor, many of whom had come from the countryside and who had until then lived in appalling conditions. Naziha al-Dulaimi was instrumental in turning the vast slums of eastern Baghdad into

1521-402: The unit responded with combined air and ground strikes and used tanks, attack helicopters, and heavy weapons to repel the assault while claiming the deaths of nearly 30 militants. On May 10, a ceasefire was ordered by Muqtada Al-Sadr , allowing Iraqi troops into all of Sadr City. On May 20, in an entirely Iraqi-planned and executed operation, six battalions of Iraqi troops, including troops from

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