After the handover of sovereignty, Operation Squeeze Play was a combined U.S./Iraqi sweep of the western suburbs of Baghdad launched on 22 May 2005. Almost 300 suspects were detained in the first day of the operation.

The Battle of Al-Qa'im was a military offensive conducted by the United States Marine Corps, against insurgent positions in Iraq's northwestern Anbar province, which ran from 8 May 2005 to 19 May 2005. It was focused on eliminating insurgents and foreign fighters in a region known as a smuggling route and a sanctuary for foreign fighters.