Haditha, Iraq—May 25, 2005: Marines lead an urban assault against an emerging insurgent stronghold near the Syrian border. Trapped in the city, the enemy turns Haditha into a war zone.

The helicopters arrive just before dawn, and the soft landing of the Marines dropped from the bellies of the beasts is unheard. In tune with the whoop-whoop-whoop of the massive propellers, waves of soldiers quickly penetrate the surrounding landscape.

They are on the east side of the Euphrates River. When the search of a nearby island produces no enemies, the Marines secure the bridge that leads to Haditha, Iraq. Once it becomes clear what’s going on in the city, it will be too late to use the bridge as an escape route. Firmly in control of the east side operations, a large portion of Haditha is quietly sealed off from the outside world. No one will leave; no one will enter. Except, of course, more Marines. And there are many more to come..

From the north, south and west, US soldiers and Iraqi security forces push through the city limits on foot and in armored vehicles in a massive, impenetrable net. Along the way, troops break off to form sporadic checkpoints, their forward positions quickly filled by more Marines. Soon, the streets of Haditha are thick with more than 1,000 soldiers that will flow into every crack and crevice of the city.

With the help of residents, the Marines transform numerous homes into observation and control centers. The urban assault is palpable to every local: a thunder of troops that pours into homes, shops, and schools in search of enemy fighters, their weapon caches, and operation centers. Warplanes circle overheard like vultures, giving US soldiers every angle of attack possible against insurgents that have a particularly nasty reputation.

Just last month, a suicide car bomber destroyed 60% of Haditha Hospital in a devastating attack that was followed by a quick infiltration of insurgents into the building. They fired at Marines and Navy Corpsmen from the shelled-out building, using terrified patients as human shields. Three American soldiers were killed in the ruthless plot.

Most recently, the roads in and around Haditha have become riddled with IEDs, and outlying areas have been used to launch mortars against Iraqi citizens, Coalition troops and the city’s utility infrastructures. Without interjection, Haditha is destined to become plagued with insurgents from areas already cleansed by US forces, or foreign fighters from the nearby Syrian border.

Operation New Market aims to cleanse the city of the plague it harbors, and free its residents of the paralyzing grip the insurgents have over the city. Urban assaults hard-fought and dangerous, but there is no other way to end the reign of terror in Haditha. And so it begins: fighting that rages from block to block, with a message that resonates across the country.