Operation Larchwood 4

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Operation Larchwood 4 was a British SAS raid, supported by US forces, on an Al-Qaeda–held farmhouse near Yusufiyah in Baghdad Governorate, Iraq. It took place on 16 April 2006 and aimed to capture a mid-level AQI leader known to the coalition as Abu Atiya.

The plan, developed from earlier SAS and Delta Force raids on AQI targets around Baghdad, involved an assault team brought in by Puma helicopters to a landing zone north-east of the target. Four SAS teams would move through an orchard to the farmhouse, with two teams attacking from the east and the other two from the south. Iraqi interpreters attached to the SAS aided in Sensitive Site Exploitation, while SAS snipers watched from Lynx helicopters. Paratroopers from Task Force Maroon were dropped in to cordon the area, and a quick reaction force from Charlie Company 2-502 was on stand-by as a reserve. Two American C-130 aircraft provided additional support.

When the operators arrived, they came under heavy fire. In the ensuing firefight, five SAS operators were wounded, five insurgents were killed, and two insurgents were captured. A civilian woman was killed and four other civilians were wounded. Abu Atiya and another insurgent were detained and evacuated by helicopter. Inside the building, the SAS found civilians, including women and children, and conducted a room-by-room clearance with casualties on both sides. The assault also saw a suicide bomber and another insurgent with a suicide vest die during the battle.

The operation generated valuable intelligence. The captured insurgents were taken to a JSOC facility for interrogation, and the SAS’s work yielded Islamic State–affiliated materials, weapons, and a clearer picture of AQI’s network around Baghdad. Importantly, the raid helped produce intelligence that led to locating Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who would be killed in a separate U.S. operation on 7 June 2006 in Hibhib, when two F-16s dropped bombs on a farmhouse and Zarqawi’s body was recovered.

Overall, Larchwood 4 was a notable success for the coalition: it disrupted AQI activity in the Baghdad area, produced significant intelligence, and contributed to the eventual killing of Zarqawi, while showcasing the effectiveness of SAS-led operations in cooperation with American forces within the Triangle of Death.