The chief catalyst for the operation was the highly publicized killing and mutilation of four Blackwater USA private military contractors, and the killings of five American soldiers in Habbaniyah a few days earlier.
Hovedårsagen til operationen var irakiske oprøreres drab på- og lemlæstelse af fire private sikkerhedsfolk fra firmaet Blackwater, og tabet af fem amerikanske soldater i Habbaniya få dage før.