The city had been bypassed during the advance on Baghdad, leaving the task of clearing it to American paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division with mechanized infantry and armor provided by units of the 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, and 2-70th Armor Battalions, along with 3rd platoon 59th Chemical Company tasked with finding and removing any potential chemical or biological weapons.

As the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division advanced northwards to Baghdad, they avoided getting bogged down in urban combat by bypassing heavily defended Iraqi towns.

Lacking smoke shells for their mortars in order to screen their movements, American forces were unable to advance and pulled back to the east.

The purpose was to draw the attention of Iraqi Republican Guard forces on the other side of the river, preventing them from attacking the 3rd ID's rear areas and fixing their positions so they could be destroyed by American air power.

[1] Snipers and recon forward observers from the 82nd Airborne's 2/319 COLT team located approximately 17 armed combatants staging along the outskirts of Samawah.

At 7:00 PM on 2 April, Bco 1st Battalion of the 325th Infantry Regiment launched an attack on the cement factory with the support of an AC-130 gunship,[4] and an M1 Abrams Tank.

Over the next two days, 2nd Brigade cleared the rest of the city, securing the south side of the bridges, followed by an assault on the headquarters of an Iraqi paramilitary group on 4 April.