Part 2: “Steel Curtain: The Assault of Fallujah Begins”

Breaking the Gates: The Fight to Enter Fallujah

Prelude to the Storm

This installment continues our five-part series on the Second Battle of Fallujah— Operation Phantom Fury , the largest urban assault carried out by U.S. forces since Vietnam. In Part One , we detailed the political calculations, psychological shaping operations, and the months-long preparation that turned Fallujah into the focal point of coalition strategy in Iraq. Now, in Part Two, we move from strategy to combat.

This is where the storm breaks.

Crossing the Euphrates Under Fire

On the night of November 7, under a crescent moon and the weight of months of anticipation, U.S. Marines from Regimental Combat Team-1 (RCT-1) and mechanized infantry from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division launched the opening move of the main assault: a surprise river crossing into northwestern Fallujah.

Insurgents had heavily fortified eastern and southern approaches, but few expected a direct assault across the Euphrates River. That’s exactly what made it the perfect move.

The Euphrates River in Fallujah, Iraq

Engineers at the Tip of the Spear

The crossing was executed with assault boats, mobile pontoon bridges, and intense coordination. Combat engineers led the way—clearing lanes through mines, IEDs, and makeshift barricades under the constant threat of sniper and mortar fire. The first hours of the breach were lit by the flashing muzzles of M198 howitzers, the thunder of F/A-18 Hornets, and the haunting hum of AC-130 gunships raining down fire on insurgent strongpoints.

The terrain was unforgiving. The water was cold and slow-moving. But the Marines and soldiers pushed through it all, knowing the fate of the operation hinged on securing the western edge of Fallujah before daybreak.

Breach Achieved, but the Battle Just Began

By dawn, U.S. forces had established a tenuous foothold across the river. The berms that ringed the city’s outskirts were breached, allowing armor and heavy vehicles to pour into the breach. But victory was far from certain.

Ahead lay fortified neighborhoods like Jolan, known to be a hotbed of foreign fighters and entrenched insurgents. The breach had been bold and successful—but the deadliest fighting was still to come.

On November 17, 2004, Kilo Company, 3/5 Marines searched house to house in western Fallujah as part of Regimental Combat Team 1’s assault

The Jolan Grind: House-to-House in Hell

The Battlefield — Jolan District, Fallujah’s Ancient Fortress

The Jolan District, one of Fallujah’s oldest neighborhoods, quickly became the crucible of intense urban warfare. Known for its dense, labyrinthine streets and reinforced buildings, Jolan was a formidable defensive position. Its narrow alleys and ancient stone structures gave insurgents natural strongholds, forcing U.S. forces into grueling, close-quarters combat.

Units in the Fray — The Marines and Army Infantry

The fight for Jolan was primarily waged by 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines (3/1 Marines) alongside the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment (2-2 Infantry “Ramrods”) from the U.S. Army. These veteran infantry units were tasked with clearing this urban maze block by block, confronting an enemy that was as cunning as it was fanatical.

3/1 Marines Kilo Co. clearing a courtyard with a frag grenade in Fallujah

Breaching and Clearing — Sledgehammers, Explosives, and Fire Teams

Insurgents had rigged nearly every entrance and window with booby traps or explosives. Doors were often trapped to detonate under pressure, so Marines and soldiers avoided conventional entry points wherever possible.

Instead, they employed sledgehammers, shotguns, and shaped charges to breach walls and create alternative points of entry. Entire fire teams moved swiftly through rooms, using M4 carbines, M203 grenade launchers, and shotguns to neutralize threats in seconds. The coordination and speed of these clearing teams were essential to survival in the cramped, deadly environment.

The Civilian Void — A Ghost Town of Ruin

By the time fighting reached its peak, most civilians had fled or been evacuated. What remained was a haunting urban wasteland—streets filled with dust, debris, and shattered concrete. The eerie silence was punctuated only by the staccato crack of gunfire, the thunder of grenades, and distant explosions.

Aftermath of Second Battle of Fallujah, Iraq, which destroyed large swaths of the city (Dahr Jamail/Al Jazeera)

Supporting Fire — Snipers and Mortarmen Hold the Lines

Covering Fire — Snipers and Mortars

To cover open avenues and prevent insurgent movement, sniper teams were deployed on rooftops and concealed vantage points, picking off enemy fighters attempting to flank or reinforce.

Meanwhile, mortarmen embedded with infantry squads lobbed rounds into courtyards and alleyways, suppressing enemy positions and breaking up coordinated attacks. Their indirect fire was crucial in dislodging insurgents from fortified hideouts.

Intense Firefights — Minutes or Hours of Hell

Engagements varied in length and intensity. Some firefights were brief and brutal, lasting mere minutes as squads cleared a single house or alley. Others devolved into prolonged battles, stretching for hours as insurgents fought desperately from every room and rooftop.

Every building posed a new danger—concealed fighters, booby traps, and sniper nests lurked behind every shattered wall. The Jolan grind was a relentless test of patience, skill, and sheer will.

U.S. Marines from 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marines search houses for insurgents in Fallujah, November 2004 (Scott Peterson/Getty Images)

Special Operations in the Shadows

Elite Units on the Frontlines

Alongside the large-scale assaults by conventional infantry and armored units, elite special operations forces played a critical role in shaping the battle’s outcome. Teams from Navy SEALs, Air Force Combat Controllers (CCTs), and Delta Force (1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta) operated deep within Fallujah’s urban maze to conduct precision raids, reconnaissance, and direct action missions.

Rooftop Insertions and Nighttime Raids

Navy SEALs frequently employed rooftop insertions, fast-roping from helicopters onto enemy-held buildings under cover of darkness. These stealthy nighttime raids aimed to disrupt insurgent command and control by targeting key leaders, weapon caches, and communication hubs.

Using suppressed weapons, such as MP5 submachine guns and Mk 12 SPR rifles, SEAL teams moved swiftly and quietly through tight urban spaces, clearing compounds with breaching charges and coordinated close-quarters tactics.

Eyes in the Sky — UAV Intelligence Gathering

Special operations relied heavily on unmanned aerial vehicles for real-time intelligence. MQ-1 Predator UAVs and smaller RQ-11 Raven drones patrolled rooftops and alleyways, feeding live video feeds to both SOF commanders and conventional ground units.

This aerial surveillance was invaluable in identifying insurgent movements, spotting hidden weapons caches, and monitoring tunnel entrances used by fighters to evade ground forces.

MQ-1 Predator in Iraq in early 2004

Coordinated Efforts with Conventional Forces

Special operators rarely worked in isolation. Embedded Combat Controllers provided critical communications and coordinated precision airstrikes from nearby attack aircraft, often guiding AC-130 gunships or F-15E Strike Eagles onto hard targets with laser designators.

SOF teams liaised closely with Marine infantry platoons and Army infantry squads, providing actionable intelligence to identify fortified enemy positions and plan coordinated assaults. Their role was often to breach first, creating entry points and neutralizing leadership figures before they could vanish into Fallujah’s extensive tunnel networks.

Hunting Insurgent Leadership

One of the primary missions for these special operators was the elimination or capture of insurgent commanders directing the fight. Using advanced tactics, they targeted compounds with precision, minimizing collateral damage while maximizing disruption to enemy command structures.

Their swift, surgical strikes severely hampered insurgent coordination and morale, forcing fighters into reactive, disorganized resistance.

A U.S. Marine leads away a captured Insurgent in Fallujah

First Losses, First Lessons

The Cost of Entry — Casualties Mount Quickly

By November 9, the brutal reality of urban warfare in Fallujah became painfully clear. Both the 1st Marine Division and the 2nd Brigade Combat Team (2nd BCT), 1st Infantry Division, had suffered their first significant casualties. The insurgents’ deadly use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) hidden inside doorframes, booby-trapped corpses, and expertly planned kill zones with interlocking machine gun fire exacted a heavy toll on advancing troops.

Ambush in the Askari District — A Harsh Encounter

Among the hardest hit were Marines from 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines and soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, who were ambushed while clearing a building in the heavily contested Askari District. The sudden and lethal engagement left several wounded and killed, underscoring the perilous nature of every room and alley in Fallujah.

U.S. Army personnel receive an American soldier with shrapnel wounds at the 31st Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq (John Moore/AP)

Heroism Under Fire — Medics and CASEVAC Teams

Combat medics demonstrated extraordinary bravery, providing life-saving care under intense enemy fire. Their efforts were supported by CASEVAC helicopters, which often had to land mere yards from active firefights to evacuate the wounded. These helicopters faced constant threat from small arms and RPG fire, yet remained a lifeline for injured personnel.

Tactical Evolution — Hard Lessons Learned

Each casualty, painful as it was, forced immediate tactical reassessment. Room-clearing procedures became more deliberate and systematic, emphasizing better reconnaissance and safer entry techniques to reduce ambush risk.

Drones like the RQ-11 Raven and larger UAVs were flown more aggressively to scout potential threats before ground troops moved in, improving situational awareness.

Fire support coordination improved dramatically. JTACs and artillery units reduced response times, enabling faster and more precise suppression of enemy positions.

Adapting to the Fight — Fallujah’s Costly School of War

The insurgents had taught a brutal lesson: retaking Fallujah would come at a steep price. But the coalition forces, learning quickly, adapted their tactics with relentless efficiency—balancing overwhelming firepower with tactical patience, determined to minimize further losses while tightening the noose around the entrenched enemy.

Marines Takes aim through a shattered window during the intense fighting in Fallujah

Holding Ground in the Ashes

Securing the Jolan District

By the evening of November 10, the relentless fighting in the Jolan District had largely subsided. Coalition forces had gained firm control over this ancient, contested neighborhood, but scattered pockets of insurgent resistance still flared sporadically. Troops took only brief moments to resupply, regroup, and rearm before preparing to push deeper into Fallujah’s forbidding urban landscape.

The Breach That Changed the Battle

The hard-won breach of Jolan marked a critical milestone. The enemy’s defenses were shaken, disorganized, and reeling, but far from defeated. Ahead lay even more daunting challenges—the industrial zone, key hospitals, the revered central mosque, and a sprawling network of insurgent fortifications and tunnel systems yet untouched.

Soldiers try to identify doctors in a captured Fallujah hospital

Entering the Deadliest Phase

With the city’s core still fiercely contested, Operation Phantom Fury was entering its deadliest and most complex phase. The battle was no longer just about seizing ground; it was about grinding the insurgency into submission amid a maze of urban ruins, constant threat, and unforgiving terrain.

The Story Continues — Three More Parts to Come

This marks only the beginning of a multi-part series chronicling the full scale and intensity of the battle. There are three more parts to come, each diving deeper into the tactical struggles, heroism, and pivotal moments that defined the fight for Fallujah.