Dora, Baghdad

Dora الدورة
Neighborhood of Baghdad
Power plant in Dora, Baghdad.
Country	Iraq
Governorate	Baghdad Governorate
City	Baghdad
City district	Rasheed

Dora (also al-Dura, or ad-Durah, Arabic,الدورة) is a neighborhood in Rasheed administrative district, southern Baghdad, Iraq. It is primarily Sunni, hundreds of Christian,Shia and Mandaic families have fled since late 2006 due to de facto Islamist control. It was a former al-Qaeda stronghold and was once labelled by the Americans as "the most dangerous place in Iraq" until they were driven out.

In the early morning of March 19, 2003, Dora became the first victim of the air assault by U.S. forces during the Invasion of Iraq. The attempted assassination of Saddam Hussein and his sons Uday and Qusay failed, but resulted in the death of one civilian and injuries to fourteen others, including one child. (see Dora Farms strike)

In April 2004 the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment , 1st Cavalry Division operating as motorized infantry was assigned the task of operations in the al-Dora neighborhood. It encountered al-Qaida and fought a pitced Battle immediately upon taking over control of this sector from 2-504 PIR, 82nd Airborne Division. The unit sustained four KIA during its ensuing counter insurgency operations there, but were able to stop al-Qaida control over the region until its departure in March 2005. In 2009 the Battalion was recently awarded the U.S. Army's Valorous Unit award for its actions in al-Dora.

In 2005, 1-184 IN Battalion(AA), California National Guard, took responsibility of Dora. The 184th was attached to 4th BCT, 3ID. The battalion sector also included such hot spots as Arab Jabour and Hora Jeb. The battalion struggled with such a large area of operations. The battalion commander was relieved of his command and replaced by LTC William Wood, an active LTC from 2 BCT, 3ID. COL Cardon, the 4th BCT commander also sent CPT Michael McKinnon to assume command of Alpha Company 184th. COL Cardon also sent CPT Dave Anderson along with his armor company (Charlie Co, 4-64 AR) to take responsibility of the Arab Jabour sector. Both LTC Wood and CPT McKinnon would be killed by IEDs several months after arriving. Charlie 4-64 suffered several KIAs including 1SG Alan Gifford. CPT Anderson and many of his soldiers were wounded in action in their fight to contain al-Qa'ida fighters and Iraqi insurgents. Charlie Company 4-64 moved from FOB Falcon to establish and occupy OP Thorn in the heart of Arab Jabour. There they fought daily battles for several months against direct and indirect insurgent attacks. The tank company held OP Thorn until relieved by the 2/506 IN, 101st Airborne in January 2006. The 506th could not cover the entire sector and it again fell into the hands of al-Qa'ida fighters.

Soldiers in Dora in July 2007

By May 2007 Dora was receiving mainstream media attention as hornet's nest of sectarian violence, particularly for its anti-Christian violence. Christians were seen as 'soft targets' who would either pay or leave Dora rather than retaliate.

In November 2007, Assyrian churches in Dora were re-opened when al-Qa'ida militias were kicked out of Dora by the soldiers of the Iraqi security forces and 2-12 Infantry Battalion.

In September 2008 a BBC Newsnight report revealed that the daily conditions in Dora had improved massively within the space of a year and the relationship between American soldiers on patrol there and the general public was no longer a hostile one. U.S. troops are expected to be completely taken out of Dora within a year, and the report revealed that both the U.S. army and the public showed concerns about what will happen once they leave and whether it will retain its current state of relative peace.

On May 21, 2009, three US soldiers were killed while on foot patrol by a suicide bomber in Dora.