The OIF GenerationA field guide to the Iraq War and the generation that fought it
Year by Year ยท 2008

2008: Iraqi Forces Take the Lead

Airmen unload a C-5 Galaxy at Joint Base Balad, August 3, 2008, then the busiest aerial port in the Defense Department.
Airmen unload a C-5 Galaxy at Joint Base Balad, August 3, 2008, then the busiest aerial port in the Defense Department. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jason Epley (public domain)

Basra

From March 25 to April 24, 2008, the Iraqi army and police, led by the Iraqi government, launched Operation Charge of the Knights against the Mahdi Army in Basra, supported by U.S. and British air power, advisers, and intelligence. The militia withdrew from the city. See Basra and Sadr City.

Sadr City

At the same time, militia fighters fired rockets from Baghdad's Sadr City at the Green Zone. U.S. and Iraqi forces fought in Sadr City through the spring and built a concrete barrier along al-Quds Street, beginning April 15. A ceasefire took effect on May 11, followed by an agreement allowing Iraqi forces to enter the district.

The agreements

In November 2008 the United States and Iraq signed the Status of Forces Agreement, which set deadlines for U.S. forces to leave Iraqi cities and then the country. The Iraqi Surge campaign ended on December 31, 2008.