Operation Badlands was part of the Iraq War that began in 2003. Operation Badlands began on 12 April 2005, Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and United States Marines with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment

1st Battalion 6th Marines

The 1st Battalion, 6th Marines is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. It consists of approximately 1,100 Marines and Sailors...

, together with supporting mechanized elements from Regimental Combat Team

Regimental combat team

A regimental combat team was a provisional major infantry unit of the United States Army during the World War II and the Korean War, and of the U.S. Marine Corps to the present day...

-8, moved to secure the town of Saqlawiyah

Saqlawiyah

Aş Şaqlāwīyah is a city in Al Anbar Province, in central Iraq. It is located roughly 5 miles northwest of the city of Fallujah.Saqlawiyah is a rural city in between Habbaniyah and Fallujah that sits on the major freeway. Due to the canal network that runs through the area, agriculture is an...

, 5 miles northwest of the city of Fallujah

Fallujah

Fallujah is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries....

, and establish a base of operations there. As part of the operation, ISF personnel and Marines from Company A, conducted security and stability operations designed to root out insurgent activity and illegal weapons caches. The troops also worked with civil affairs Marines to help rebuild the community, determining what facilities, such as water pumps and power stations, need to be replaced or restored. No US or Iraqi casualties or deaths were reported during the operation.