The OIF GenerationA field guide to the Iraq War and the generation that fought it
Bases / U.S. installation in Iraq

International Zone

An officer of Joint Area Support Group-Central surveys Baghdad from a UH-60 Black Hawk over the International Zone, with the Monument to the Unknown Soldier in the background, 30 April 2009.
An officer of Joint Area Support Group-Central surveys Baghdad from a UH-60 Black Hawk over the International Zone, with the Monument to the Unknown Soldier in the background, 30 April 2009. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Robert Stephenson (public domain)

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Also known asGreen Zone; Karradat Mariam; IZ; 'The bubble'
LocationKarkh district, central Baghdad, on the west bank of the Tigris
TypeFortified government and diplomatic enclave (coalition headquarters area)
CategoryU.S. installation in Iraq
OpenedApril 2003
Closed or transferred1 January 2009, full control handed to Iraqi security forces
Coordinates33.30758, 44.39026  (33°18′27.3″N 44°23′24.9″E)
International ZoneBaghdad area
Gold star: International Zone. Small dots: other U.S. and NATO bases on this site.
GlobalSecurity.org: U.S. military bases in Iraq, November 2003The contemporary map of coalition bases compiled by GlobalSecurity.org, with its full index of Iraq facilities. View the November 2003 bases map · All GlobalSecurity Iraq maps

Overview

The International Zone, widely known as the Green Zone and formally Karradat Mariam, is a 10-square-kilometer area in the Karkh district of central Baghdad. Before 2003 it held military bases, ministries and presidential palaces used by Saddam Hussein and his family, the largest being the Republican Palace, his primary seat of power.

U.S. forces took the area in April 2003 in some of the heaviest fighting of the capture of Baghdad. Jay Garner, head of the reconstruction team, set up his headquarters in the Republican Palace, and the zone became the seat of the Coalition Provisional Authority, which ran Iraq from April 2003 until June 2004. Eventually about 5,000 officials and civilian contractors lived there, alongside roughly 5,000 Iraqis, many of them squatters, still living in the zone as of 2009.

Entry was controlled by a small U.S. garrison, typically a battalion based at FOB Prosperity under Multi-National Division-Baghdad, together with a battalion of soldiers from the Republic of Georgia. The zone was ringed by blast walls, T-walls and barbed wire, with access only through a few entry control points; the Tigris protected its southern and eastern sides, crossed by the 14 July Bridge.

Insurgents frequently shelled the zone with mortars and rockets, although most attacks caused few casualties. In October 2004 two suicide bombings destroyed the bazaar and the Green Zone Cafe. On 12 April 2007 a bomb in the Iraqi Parliament cafeteria killed a member of parliament and injured 22. From 23 March to 5 May 2008 the zone was shelled almost daily, much of the fire coming from Sadr City.

The zone became home to the U.S. Embassy, the largest in the world, built in its southern part overlooking the Tigris. Full control passed to Iraqi security forces on 1 January 2009. The area was opened to the public with restrictions in October 2015, and parts were opened without restrictions in December 2018.

Timeline

WhenWhat happened
2003U.S. forces captured the area in April; the Coalition Provisional Authority set up headquarters in the Republican Palace.
2004The CPA handed authority to the Iraqi Interim Government in June; two suicide bombings in October destroyed the bazaar and the Green Zone Cafe.
2007A bomb in the Iraqi Parliament cafeteria on 12 April killed a lawmaker and wounded 22.
2008Rocket and mortar fire hit the zone almost daily from 23 March to 5 May; an attack on 6 April killed two U.S. soldiers and wounded 17.
2009Full control of the International Zone was handed to Iraqi security forces on 1 January.
2010A rocket attack on 22 July killed three Triple Canopy security contractors and wounded 15.
2015-18The zone opened to the public with restrictions in October 2015 and partly without restrictions in December 2018.

Units stationed at International Zone

Units documented in public sources as based at or operating from International Zone. This list is not complete; units rotated frequently and many smaller elements were never reported. Veterans can add their unit on the message board below.

#UnitWhenRole at the baseSource
1Coalition Provisional AuthorityApril 2003 - June 2004Governing headquarters of the occupation, based in the zonelink
2U.S. battalion at FOB Prosperity, Multi-National Division-BaghdadNot specifiedManned checkpoints controlling entry to the zonelink
3Battalion of the Georgian armed forcesNot specifiedManned entry checkpoints alongside U.S. troopslink
42nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry DivisionFebruary 2007Soldiers based at FOB Prosperity / Al Salam Palacelink
528th Combat Support HospitalOctober 2007Treated wounded Iraqi security volunteers at its hospital in the International Zonelink
645th Infantry Brigade Combat Team / Joint Area Support Group (Oklahoma Army National Guard)2008Provided life support services and worked with local Iraqis in the zonelink
7Joint Area Support Group-Central (50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New Jersey National Guard)September 2008 - 2009Support and transportation staff for the zonelink
8U.S. Navy individual augmenteesAugust 2008More than 100 sailors stationed in the International Zonelink

Notable events and facts

Photographs

Soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division watch the 'Baghdad Bowl' flag football game between Team FOB Falcon and Team Prosperity and the International Zone at FOB Prosperity / Al Salam Palace, 3 February 2007.
Soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division watch the 'Baghdad Bowl' flag football game between Team FOB Falcon and Team Prosperity and the International Zone at FOB Prosperity / Al Salam Palace, 3 February 2007. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Sean A. Foley (public domain)
The bomb-damaged Ba'ath Party headquarters in the International Zone, central Baghdad, November 2003.
The bomb-damaged Ba'ath Party headquarters in the International Zone, central Baghdad, November 2003. Photo by Jim Gordon (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
An officer of the Oklahoma Army National Guard's 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team visits an Iraqi firefighter in the International Zone, March 2008.
An officer of the Oklahoma Army National Guard's 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team visits an Iraqi firefighter in the International Zone, March 2008. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Shawn Riley (public domain)

The Crossed Swords

The Victory Arch in central Baghdad, the crossed swords over Ceremony Square, is the photograph nearly every Baghdad veteran brought home. See the full Crossed Swords page →

The crossed swords of the Victory Arch over the parade ground in Baghdad, September 8, 2004.
The crossed swords of the Victory Arch over the parade ground in Baghdad, September 8, 2004. Photo by aka4ajax, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
An M1A1 Abrams and soldiers of Task Force 1-35 Armor, 1st Armored Division, under the Victory Arch in Ceremony Square, November 13, 2003.
An M1A1 Abrams and soldiers of Task Force 1-35 Armor, 1st Armored Division, under the Victory Arch in Ceremony Square, November 13, 2003. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. John L. Houghton Jr. (public domain)
Paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division take the oath of enlistment at the crossed saber monument in the International Zone, April 23, 2009.
Paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division take the oath of enlistment at the crossed saber monument in the International Zone, April 23, 2009. U.S. Army photo (public domain)

Roll call: who served at International Zone

No names have been added yet. This roll call is built from the people who served here, one post at a time.

Add your name. Post on the message board below with your name (and rank, if you like), your unit, and the dates you were here, and check the box Add me to this base’s roll call. Each entry is reviewed before it is added. Posting with that box checked is your consent to be listed; ask on the board at any time to be removed or corrected.

Message board: International Zone

Served here? Share a memory, name your unit, or send a correction. Posts are reviewed before they appear. The full community board is on the Message Board page.

Sources

  1. Green Zone - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Zone
  2. Wikimedia Commons: Flight Over Baghdad DVIDS169190. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flight_Over_Baghdad_DVIDS169190.jpg
  3. Wikimedia Commons: Al Salam Palace (Baghdad, Iraq) 2007. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Al_Salam_Palace_(Baghdad,_Iraq)_2007.jpg
  4. Wikimedia Commons: Baath Party Headquarters, Baghdad (3147761407). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baath_Party_Headquarters,_Baghdad_(3147761407).jpg
  5. Wikimedia Commons: 45th IBCT Activities in Baghdad DVIDS81083. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:45th_IBCT_Activities_in_Baghdad_DVIDS81083.jpg
  6. Wikimedia Commons: 45th IBCT Activities in Baghdad (DVIDS81087). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:45th_IBCT_Activities_in_Baghdad_DVIDS81087.jpg
  7. Wikimedia Commons: Paratroopers aid volunteers wounded fighting insurgents (DVIDS62198). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paratroopers_aid_volunteers_wounded_fighting_insur
  8. Wikimedia Commons: MCPON, CNO visit Baghdad (DVIDS108622). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MCPON,_CNO_visit_Baghdad_DVIDS108622.jpg