Battle of Karbala (2007)
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| Battle of Karbala (2007) | |||||||
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| Part of the Iraq War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Iraqi Security Forces |
Mahdi Army | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 52 killed (including 10 policemen)[1][2] | |||||||
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The Battle of Karbala began on the night of August 27, 2007 and involved fighting between the Mahdi Army, who provided security for the pilgrims[3], and police (who were largely members of the Badr Organization) in Karbala, Iraq.
Thousands of Shia pilgrims gathered in the city for the annual festival of Mid-Sha'ban. Security was high as pilgrims have been killed in previous years by suicide bombers.
[edit] Battle
Shooting first started on August 27. The government reacted by deploying more troops to the area.
The Al-Mahdi Army, a militia loyal to populist leader Muqtada al-Sadr, was accused by the interior ministry of attacking government forces in Karbala, the site of two shrines under the control of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC).[1]
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki imposed a curfew on the morning of August 29 as fighting continued. Soon after, he claimed that the situation was under control.[4] The curfew ordered pilgrims to leave their devotions early and ultimately failed to stop a third bout of shooting in the evening.
