Cultist fighters started attacking members of the security forces in the two cities on January 18 and heavy fighting ensued.

Initially the rebels had the upper hand and even took control of a police station in Nasiriyah and set up a command center in a mosque in the city.

Fighting raged late in the evening, and burned out police vehicles were seen on the streets of Basra.

Rebels captured an oil facilities building and a hospital in Basra and at one point there was fighting in 75 percent of the city.

The next morning a coalition air strike destroyed the police station which was taken over, and late in the afternoon an Iraqi Army raid on the mosque ended the fighting.