Unlike the central parts of the country, southern Iraq has largely been spared by the violence that has plagued Iraq since the invasion in 2003. The Sunni insurgency never gained any traction in southern Iraq, largely because the area is populated almost entirely by Shi’a Arabs, in the major cities of Amarah, Nasariyah, and Basra, as well as in the rural marshlands. As a result, al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) has never been able to access these areas to conduct spectacular sectarian attacks against Shi’a civilians. The violence in Basra has been linked, instead, to the political conflicts between feuding Shi’a factions, including the Islamic Supreme Council in Iraq (ISCI/SCIRI), the Sadrist Trend, and the Fadhila Party, the smaller Shi’a faction of the Basra provincial governor. A considerable portion of the violence in Basra may also be related to criminal activity, as well as the activity of Iranian-backed militias and Special Groups.

Multi-National Division – Southeast (MND-SE), led by the British 1st Mechanized Brigade at Contingency Operating Base (COB) Basra, has responsibility for most of southern Iraq, in conjunction with the 10th Iraqi Army Division stationed in the city. This division falls under the control of the Basra Operational Command, one of three operational commands set up to streamline the chain of command within the Ministry of Defense.