Ash Shatrah is a town in the Dhi Qar Governorate, Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

, located on the Gharraf Canal at the intersection with Highway 7

Highway 7 (Iraq)

Highway 7 is an Iraqi highway which extends from Al Kut, through Ash Shatrah, to Nasiriyah....

. It is 22.35 km west of the ancient city of Lagash

Lagash

Lagash is located northwest of the junction of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers and east of Uruk, about east of the modern town of Ash Shatrah. Lagash was one of the oldest cities of the Ancient Near East...

. It has a 2009 population estimated between 65 and 90 thousand.

History

During the 2003 invasion of Iraq by U.S. troops

2003 invasion of Iraq

The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...

, Ash Shatrah was infamous for having the body of a U.S. Marine

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

dragged through the streets and hung up in the town square.