Battle of Diwaniya

The Battle of Diwaniya took place in Diwaniya (Diwaniyah?), 180 kilometers south of Baghdad, on August 28, 2006 between the Mahdi Army and the Iraqi Army.

The fighting erupted after coalition troops arrested a Sadr militia leader. The militia engaged in heavy street fighting with Iraqi soldiers which lasted late into the night. Militia fighters were entrenched in residential areas during the fighting. The Iraqi Army claims that most of its casualties occurred when Mahdi militiamen captured and executed a group of soldiers who had run out of ammunition. By next morning a ceasefire was in place with 23 Iraqi soldiers, 20 militiamen and 7 civilians killed.

About a month and a half later on October 9, 2006 another battle broke out in the city, this time between the militia and the U.S. Army. Thirty militiamen were killed and a U.S. military tank was severely damaged.