[1] The operation was launched on the night of 12 November 2003[1] by elements of the US Army's 1st Armored Division who performed cordon-and-search actions in several Baghdad neighborhoods.

The operation's first salvo came when 1st Armored Division soldiers saw mortar rounds being fired from a van and gave chase,[2] noting stops it made.

At the conclusion of Operation Iron Hammer Coalition forces has conducted 609 patrols in and around Baghdad capturing 33 enemy personnel.

Combat actions included two cordon-and-search operations in Baghdad, detaining six people with suspected ties to the Fedayeen Saddam paramilitary organization and other anti-coalition elements.

Another cordon-and-search operation in Baghdad's Azamiyah section netted 25 enemy personnel, including a former Republican Guard general, and significant quantities of weapons and ammunition.