The First Battle of Fallujah, also known as Operation Vigilant Resolve, was an unsuccessful attempt by the U.S. military to capture the city of Fallujah in April 2004.
The chief catalyst for the operation was the highly-publicized killing and mutilation of four Blackwater USA private military contractors, and the killings of five American soldiers in Habbaniyah a few days earlier.
The battle polarized public opinion within Iraq, and the failure of the operation to fully realize its tactical objectives would lead to a far more decisive engagement later in the year, the Second Battle of Fallujah.
Read more about First Battle Of Fallujah: Background, Blackwater Deaths, The Campaign, Legacy, Participating Units, In Popular Culture
Famous quotes containing the word battle:
“Any coward can fight a battle when he’s sure of winning, but give me the man who has pluck to fight when he’s sure of losing. That’s my way, sir; and there are many victories worse than a defeat.”
—George Eliot [Mary Ann (or Marian)