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Battle of Najaf (2003)
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Najaf was a major battle in the 2003 invasion of Iraq
. The first stage of the battle was fought when the US 3rd Infantry Division fought to surround the town. The second stage was fought when soldiers from the U.S. 101st Airborne Division fought to clear and secure the city.
sits astride important highways leading north to Karbala
and Baghdad
. Rather than simply bypassing the town as had been done with Nasiriyah
and Samawah
, the 3rd ID decided to isolate the town to prevent it from being used to stage attacks on American supply lines. The plan was to seize the major bridges in Al Kifl, a town north of Najaf, and Abu Sukhayr, a town south of Najaf. The northern bridge at Al Kifl was codenamed Objective Jenkins and the southern bridge in Abu Sukhayr was codenamed Objective Floyd.
Before the attack started, heavy sand storms in the area grounded all the Army's helicopters, denying air support to the American forces.
's Medina Division which was positioned outside Najaf. Rather than provide close air support near the front lines, the helicopters were going to be used in a manner similar to strike aircraft.
It is believed that Iraqi observers had the 11th AvR's forward assembly areas under observation. Regardless, when the helicopter force approached Najaf that night, the city's power grid was shut down for several seconds as a signal that the helicopters were approaching. Heavy antiaircraft and small arms fire targeted the helicopters. Every single helicopter on the mission was hit and one even survived a direct hit from a rocket-propelled grenade. The flight turned back towards base, with some of the helicopters on fire and others running on one engine or shot full of holes. One Apache was brought down and crash-landed in a marsh. Combat search-and-rescue aircraft were unable to reach the crash site due to the heavy antiaircraft fire. The two crew, CWO
Ronald Young Jr. and CWO
David Williams, attempted to evade Iraqi forces by swimming down a canal. After swimming a quarter mile, they left the canal and tried to make a break across open ground towards a treeline. However, they were spotted in the bright moonlight by armed civilians and surrendered after being fired upon. They were handed over to Iraqi forces and would eventually be rescued in mid-April near Tikrit. The Iraqi government would show the helicopter on TV and claim that the helicopter had been shot down by a farmer with a bolt-action rifle, however due to the high volume of anti-aircraft fire and the armor of the Apache it is unlike that a single rifle could bring down an Apache. The downed helicopter was later destroyed by firing two MGM-140 ATACMS surface-to-surface missiles at it from long range to prevent its equipment being used by the Iraqis.
The failed attack would cause much controversy, with some arguing that the mission showed the Apache was ineffective at long range strikes due to lack of stealth and high vulnerability to ground fire, and that it should be limited to close air support missions. Others argued that the failure of the March 24 mission was due to poor planning and breaches of operational security rather than any defect in the Apache itself. On March 26, the Apaches attempted another long range strike, however this strike was co-ordinated with a pre-mission artillery barrage as well as co-operation with F/A-18 Hornet
strike aircraft. Also, Apaches never stopped to hover and instead fired on the move. These tactics led to the destruction of 7 anti-aircraft guns, 5 radars, 3 artillery pieces and 25 other vehicles versus no Apaches lost.
and Najaf
. The only available unit to attack Objective Jenkins was the brigade's air defense battery, equipped with M6 Bradley Linebacker armored vehicles, along with a reconnaissance unit and forward air controllers. At 1:00 AM on March 25, the air defense unit attacked towards the bridge and ran into heavy fighting against entrenched Iraqi paramilitary forces
. Fighting throughout the night, the men made slow progress, calling in artillery strikes on the entrenched Iraqis. Before dawn, the air defense troops called for reinforcements and Col. Grimsley sent in Bravo Company 3rd battalion 7th Infantry Regiment. Upon linking up at 8:30 AM, the air defense troops were sent to guard the flanks while B co. 3/7 Inf continued the attack towards the bridge, fighting with numerous Iraqi foot soldiers and using infantry to clear buildings along the road.
At 11:00 AM, B Co. 3/7 Inf attacked the bridge. After 3 tanks had driven on to the bridge, Iraqi sappers detonated explosives that had been wired onto the bridge. The bridge failed to collapse, but it was damaged, trapping three M1 Abrams
tanks on the far side of the bridge. After inspecting the bridge and deciding it could hold a tank, the Battalion Commander of Task Force 3/69 AR drove his personal tank across the bridge. The bridge held, and the rest of the American armored force crossed the bridge, engaging Iraqi troops on the other side in vicious close quarters fighting. The troops came under fire from Iraqi mortars and were under near-suicidal attack from Iraqi forces who would charge their positions in pickup trucks, cars, dump trucks. 3 Bradley Fighting vehicles were hit by RPGs. These attacks continued all day on March 26, but they failed to dislodge the American forces from the bridge. Bravo Company 3/7 INF stayed at Object Jenkins until relieved by 3/7 cav on the night of March 26. Bravo Company 3/7 Infantry was engaged in ground combat with Iraqi forces from a total of 36 hours and faced up to 1200 Iraqi paramilitary forces
.
The capture of Objective Jenkins isolated Najaf from the north.
At the same time, Troop C securing the bridge around Objective Floyd came under heavy attack by Iraqi forces charging their positions in civilian vehicles, even going so far as to ram an M3 Bradley
with a city bus and crashing a loaded fuel tanker through the American lines. Although helicopters were still grounded due to the sand storm, aircraft could fly above the sand and deliver GPS-guided munitions
. Several airstrikes by B-1B Lancer bombers destroyed two Iraqi T-72
tanks.
While Troop B was moving northwards it was ambushed by Iraqi forces at close range. During this engagement, two M1 Abrams
tanks and one M3 Bradley
AFV were knocked out and their ammunition ignited. However the blast panels worked as they were designed and no crewmen were killed. Initial reports indicated that the tanks had been hit by Russian-made 9M133 Kornet
antitank missiles, however, no evidence that the Iraqis possessed Kornets was ever found, and it is now thought that the tanks were disabled by hits from a Rocket-propelled grenade at a vulnerable point in their armor or possibly by friendly fire in the low visibility conditions of the sand storm.
Troop B abandoned the tanks and reached their blocking positions as nightfall put an end to the Iraqi attacks.
Inside Najaf, the situation was becoming increasingly desperate. Civilians who had made their way to American lines reported that the Saddam Fedayeen militia were forcing members of the Al-Quds Militia to fight by threatening to kill their entire families. They also reported that the local Ba'ath Party leader had been executing civilians before being killed in an airstrike. An Iraqi Army colonel reported that of the 1,200 men under his command, only 200 were left.
On March 29, four American soldiers from the 7th Infantry Regiment
, 3rd Infantry Division were killed when a suicide bomber attacked their checkpoint outside Najaf.
. On March 28, the 101st Airborne Division
, supported by a battalion from the 1st Armored Division
relieved the 3rd ID units around Najaf.
On March 29, the 101st attacked Iraqi forces positioned in an agricultural college in the southern part of the city.They also captured Najaf's airfield. On March 31, the 101st launched a reconnaissance-in-force into Najaf, in the area of the Imam Ali Mosque
. The men came under attack by infantry, RPGs and howitzers being fired at point-blank range. In a four hour fight, heavy air support was used against the Iraqi forces, however the mosque was spared damage.
On April 1, the 101st commanders deliberately did not attack a single road leading out of Najaf towards Hillah. When Iraqi forces tried to flee along this road, they were ambushed by OH-58 Kiowa
helicopter gunships and were targeted by snipers.
Also on April 1, elements of the 70th Armored Regiment
launched a "Thunder Run", an armored thrust through Najaf's city center. M1 Abrams tanks were used and the attack met heavy resistance but was successful.
On April 2, the 101st launched several coordinated attacks into Najaf, seizing Saddam Fedayeen strong points and capturing much equipment. By April 4, the entire city was in American hands.
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...
. The first stage of the battle was fought when the US 3rd Infantry Division fought to surround the town. The second stage was fought when soldiers from the U.S. 101st Airborne Division fought to clear and secure the city.
Outside Najaf
The city of NajafNajaf
Najaf is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2008 is 560,000 people. It is the capital of Najaf Governorate...
sits astride important highways leading north to Karbala
Karbala
Karbala is a city in Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorate, and has an estimated population of 572,300 people ....
and Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. Rather than simply bypassing the town as had been done with Nasiriyah
Nasiriyah
Nasiriyah is a city in Iraq. It is on the Euphrates about 225 miles southeast of Baghdad, near the ruins of the ancient city of Ur. It is the capital of the province of Dhi Qar...
and Samawah
Samawah
Samawah or As Samawah is a city in Iraq, 280 kilometres southeast of Baghdad. .The city of Samawah is the modern capital of the Al Muthanna Governorate. The city is located midway between Baghdad and Basra, at the northern edge of the governorate...
, the 3rd ID decided to isolate the town to prevent it from being used to stage attacks on American supply lines. The plan was to seize the major bridges in Al Kifl, a town north of Najaf, and Abu Sukhayr, a town south of Najaf. The northern bridge at Al Kifl was codenamed Objective Jenkins and the southern bridge in Abu Sukhayr was codenamed Objective Floyd.
Before the attack started, heavy sand storms in the area grounded all the Army's helicopters, denying air support to the American forces.
Apache attack on March 24
On March 24, 32 AH-64D Longbow Apache attack helicopters of the 11th Aviation Regiment were tasked with carrying out a long range penetration mission against armored forces belonging to the Iraqi Republican GuardIraqi Republican Guard
The Iraqi Republican Guard was a branch of the Iraqi military during the presidency of Saddam Hussein. It later became the Republican Guard Corps, and then the Republican Guard Forces Command with its expansion into two corps....
's Medina Division which was positioned outside Najaf. Rather than provide close air support near the front lines, the helicopters were going to be used in a manner similar to strike aircraft.
It is believed that Iraqi observers had the 11th AvR's forward assembly areas under observation. Regardless, when the helicopter force approached Najaf that night, the city's power grid was shut down for several seconds as a signal that the helicopters were approaching. Heavy antiaircraft and small arms fire targeted the helicopters. Every single helicopter on the mission was hit and one even survived a direct hit from a rocket-propelled grenade. The flight turned back towards base, with some of the helicopters on fire and others running on one engine or shot full of holes. One Apache was brought down and crash-landed in a marsh. Combat search-and-rescue aircraft were unable to reach the crash site due to the heavy antiaircraft fire. The two crew, CWO
Chief Warrant Officer
Chief warrant officer is a military rank used by the Canadian Forces and the Israel Defence Forces.-Canada:In the Canadian Forces, a chief warrant officer or CWO is the most senior non-commissioned member rank in the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force...
Ronald Young Jr. and CWO
Chief Warrant Officer
Chief warrant officer is a military rank used by the Canadian Forces and the Israel Defence Forces.-Canada:In the Canadian Forces, a chief warrant officer or CWO is the most senior non-commissioned member rank in the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force...
David Williams, attempted to evade Iraqi forces by swimming down a canal. After swimming a quarter mile, they left the canal and tried to make a break across open ground towards a treeline. However, they were spotted in the bright moonlight by armed civilians and surrendered after being fired upon. They were handed over to Iraqi forces and would eventually be rescued in mid-April near Tikrit. The Iraqi government would show the helicopter on TV and claim that the helicopter had been shot down by a farmer with a bolt-action rifle, however due to the high volume of anti-aircraft fire and the armor of the Apache it is unlike that a single rifle could bring down an Apache. The downed helicopter was later destroyed by firing two MGM-140 ATACMS surface-to-surface missiles at it from long range to prevent its equipment being used by the Iraqis.
The failed attack would cause much controversy, with some arguing that the mission showed the Apache was ineffective at long range strikes due to lack of stealth and high vulnerability to ground fire, and that it should be limited to close air support missions. Others argued that the failure of the March 24 mission was due to poor planning and breaches of operational security rather than any defect in the Apache itself. On March 26, the Apaches attempted another long range strike, however this strike was co-ordinated with a pre-mission artillery barrage as well as co-operation with F/A-18 Hornet
F/A-18 Hornet
The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to dogfight and attack ground targets . Designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and...
strike aircraft. Also, Apaches never stopped to hover and instead fired on the move. These tactics led to the destruction of 7 anti-aircraft guns, 5 radars, 3 artillery pieces and 25 other vehicles versus no Apaches lost.
Objective Jenkins
The job of capturing Objective Jenkins in Al Kifl was given to the 1st Brigade Combat Team headed by Col. Will Grimsley. However, at the time of the order 1st BCT was strung out between NasiriyahNasiriyah
Nasiriyah is a city in Iraq. It is on the Euphrates about 225 miles southeast of Baghdad, near the ruins of the ancient city of Ur. It is the capital of the province of Dhi Qar...
and Najaf
Najaf
Najaf is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2008 is 560,000 people. It is the capital of Najaf Governorate...
. The only available unit to attack Objective Jenkins was the brigade's air defense battery, equipped with M6 Bradley Linebacker armored vehicles, along with a reconnaissance unit and forward air controllers. At 1:00 AM on March 25, the air defense unit attacked towards the bridge and ran into heavy fighting against entrenched Iraqi paramilitary forces
Fedayeen Saddam
Fedayeen Saddam was a paramilitary organization loyal to the former Ba'athist government of Saddam Hussein. The name was chosen to mean "Saddam's Men of Sacrifice". At its height, the group had 30,000-40,000 members.-Irregular forces:...
. Fighting throughout the night, the men made slow progress, calling in artillery strikes on the entrenched Iraqis. Before dawn, the air defense troops called for reinforcements and Col. Grimsley sent in Bravo Company 3rd battalion 7th Infantry Regiment. Upon linking up at 8:30 AM, the air defense troops were sent to guard the flanks while B co. 3/7 Inf continued the attack towards the bridge, fighting with numerous Iraqi foot soldiers and using infantry to clear buildings along the road.
At 11:00 AM, B Co. 3/7 Inf attacked the bridge. After 3 tanks had driven on to the bridge, Iraqi sappers detonated explosives that had been wired onto the bridge. The bridge failed to collapse, but it was damaged, trapping three M1 Abrams
M1 Abrams
The M1 Abrams is a third-generation main battle tank produced in the United States. It is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. The M1 is a well armed, heavily armored, and highly mobile tank designed for...
tanks on the far side of the bridge. After inspecting the bridge and deciding it could hold a tank, the Battalion Commander of Task Force 3/69 AR drove his personal tank across the bridge. The bridge held, and the rest of the American armored force crossed the bridge, engaging Iraqi troops on the other side in vicious close quarters fighting. The troops came under fire from Iraqi mortars and were under near-suicidal attack from Iraqi forces who would charge their positions in pickup trucks, cars, dump trucks. 3 Bradley Fighting vehicles were hit by RPGs. These attacks continued all day on March 26, but they failed to dislodge the American forces from the bridge. Bravo Company 3/7 INF stayed at Object Jenkins until relieved by 3/7 cav on the night of March 26. Bravo Company 3/7 Infantry was engaged in ground combat with Iraqi forces from a total of 36 hours and faced up to 1200 Iraqi paramilitary forces
Fedayeen Saddam
Fedayeen Saddam was a paramilitary organization loyal to the former Ba'athist government of Saddam Hussein. The name was chosen to mean "Saddam's Men of Sacrifice". At its height, the group had 30,000-40,000 members.-Irregular forces:...
.
The capture of Objective Jenkins isolated Najaf from the north.
Objective Floyd
At 6:00 AM on March 25, the 3rd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment attacked Objective Floyd. Fighting took place in a sandstorm which reduced visibility to 25 meters, causing the Americans to rely on thermal imaging to target Iraqi troops. At 10:43 AM the bridge was reached and was found to not be wired for detonation. After crossing the bridge, the 7th Cavalry sent Troops A and B north to secure a dam and bridge and set up blocking positions to further isolate Najaf. This group came under attack by hundreds of Iraqi paramilitaries who snuck up at close quarters during the sandstorm.At the same time, Troop C securing the bridge around Objective Floyd came under heavy attack by Iraqi forces charging their positions in civilian vehicles, even going so far as to ram an M3 Bradley
M3 Bradley
The M3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle is an American tracked armored reconnaissance vehicle manufactured by BAE Systems Land and Armaments based on the Bradley Fighting Vehicle family. The M3 CFV is used by heavy armored cavalry units in the U.S. Army.-History:The M3 Bradley was originally...
with a city bus and crashing a loaded fuel tanker through the American lines. Although helicopters were still grounded due to the sand storm, aircraft could fly above the sand and deliver GPS-guided munitions
Joint Direct Attack Munition
The Joint Direct Attack Munition is a guidance kit that converts unguided bombs, or "dumb bombs" into all-weather "smart" munitions. JDAM-equipped bombs are guided by an integrated inertial guidance system coupled to a Global Positioning System receiver, giving them a published range of up to...
. Several airstrikes by B-1B Lancer bombers destroyed two Iraqi T-72
T-72
The T-72 is a Soviet-designed main battle tank that entered production in 1970. It is developed directly from Obyekt-172, and shares parallel features with the T-64A...
tanks.
While Troop B was moving northwards it was ambushed by Iraqi forces at close range. During this engagement, two M1 Abrams
M1 Abrams
The M1 Abrams is a third-generation main battle tank produced in the United States. It is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. The M1 is a well armed, heavily armored, and highly mobile tank designed for...
tanks and one M3 Bradley
M3 Bradley
The M3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle is an American tracked armored reconnaissance vehicle manufactured by BAE Systems Land and Armaments based on the Bradley Fighting Vehicle family. The M3 CFV is used by heavy armored cavalry units in the U.S. Army.-History:The M3 Bradley was originally...
AFV were knocked out and their ammunition ignited. However the blast panels worked as they were designed and no crewmen were killed. Initial reports indicated that the tanks had been hit by Russian-made 9M133 Kornet
9M133 Kornet
The Kornet is a Russian anti-tank missile . It is a second generation ATGM intended to deal with main battle tanks and to engage slow and low flying helicopters, but is not intended to fully replace previous systems, due to the cost...
antitank missiles, however, no evidence that the Iraqis possessed Kornets was ever found, and it is now thought that the tanks were disabled by hits from a Rocket-propelled grenade at a vulnerable point in their armor or possibly by friendly fire in the low visibility conditions of the sand storm.
Troop B abandoned the tanks and reached their blocking positions as nightfall put an end to the Iraqi attacks.
Surrounding Najaf
After nightfall on March 26, 2nd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment attacked south from Objective Jenkins in an attempt to link up with the 7th Cavalry Regiment at Objective Floyd and thereby complete the encirclement of Najaf. That night they successfully linked up with the 7th Cavalry. On March 27, 7th Cavalry withdrew after 120 hours of continuous combat.Inside Najaf, the situation was becoming increasingly desperate. Civilians who had made their way to American lines reported that the Saddam Fedayeen militia were forcing members of the Al-Quds Militia to fight by threatening to kill their entire families. They also reported that the local Ba'ath Party leader had been executing civilians before being killed in an airstrike. An Iraqi Army colonel reported that of the 1,200 men under his command, only 200 were left.
On March 29, four American soldiers from the 7th Infantry Regiment
7th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The United States Army's 7th Infantry Regiment, known as "The Cottenbalers" from an incident that occurred during the Battle of New Orleans, while under the command of Andrew Jackson, when soldiers of the 7th Infantry Regiment held positions behind a breastwork of bales of cotton during the...
, 3rd Infantry Division were killed when a suicide bomber attacked their checkpoint outside Najaf.
Taking Najaf
Due to continued attacks on supply lines by Iraqi forces operating out of bypassed cities, American forces slowed their advance for several days in order to secure their supply areas for the final push on Baghdad. During this time, the 82nd Airborne Division was attacking SamawahBattle of Samawah (2003)
The Battle of Samawah took place during the 2003 invasion of Iraq as American troops fought to clear the city of Iraqi forces. The city had been bypassed during the advance on Baghdad, leaving the task of clearing it to American paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division.-Before the battle:As the U.S...
. On March 28, the 101st Airborne Division
101st Airborne Division
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
, supported by a battalion from the 1st Armored Division
1st Armored Division (United States)
The 1st Armored Division—nicknamed "Old Ironsides"—is a standing armored division of the United States Army with base of operations in Fort Bliss, Texas. It was the first armored division of the U.S...
relieved the 3rd ID units around Najaf.
On March 29, the 101st attacked Iraqi forces positioned in an agricultural college in the southern part of the city.They also captured Najaf's airfield. On March 31, the 101st launched a reconnaissance-in-force into Najaf, in the area of the Imam Ali Mosque
Imam Ali Mosque
The Imām ‘Alī Holy Shrine , also known as Masjid Ali or the Mosque of ‘Alī, located in Najaf, Iraq, is the third holiest site for some of the estimated 200 million followers of the Shia branch of Islam. ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib, the cousin of Muhammad, the fourth caliph , the first Imam is buried here...
. The men came under attack by infantry, RPGs and howitzers being fired at point-blank range. In a four hour fight, heavy air support was used against the Iraqi forces, however the mosque was spared damage.
On April 1, the 101st commanders deliberately did not attack a single road leading out of Najaf towards Hillah. When Iraqi forces tried to flee along this road, they were ambushed by OH-58 Kiowa
OH-58 Kiowa
The Bell OH-58 Kiowa is a family of single-engine, single-rotor, military helicopters used for observation, utility, and direct fire support. Bell Helicopter manufactured the OH-58 for the United States Army based on the 206A JetRanger helicopter. The OH-58 has been in continuous use by the U.S...
helicopter gunships and were targeted by snipers.
Also on April 1, elements of the 70th Armored Regiment
70th Armor Regiment (United States)
The 70th Armor is an armored regiment of the United States Army. The regiment exists only as separate battalions with no regimental headquarters. 2nd Battalion is part of the 1st Armored Division out of Fort Riley, Kansas...
launched a "Thunder Run", an armored thrust through Najaf's city center. M1 Abrams tanks were used and the attack met heavy resistance but was successful.
On April 2, the 101st launched several coordinated attacks into Najaf, seizing Saddam Fedayeen strong points and capturing much equipment. By April 4, the entire city was in American hands.