Battle of Al Kut (2003)

Battle of Al Kut (2003)
	Part of the Al Kut, Iraq
Result	U.S. victory

Belligerents

United States

IraqCommanders and leaders

Col. Joe W. Dowdy

Saleh Hammadi Salmani

Mohammad Ibrahim SulaimanUnits involved Part of the 1st Marine Division Numerous elements of the

Medina division

and the Baghdad DivisionStrength Unspecified 2,500-3,000 menCasualties and losses 1 Marine killed
~12 wounded
At least 1 ACE truck destroyed Many T-62 tanks, APC's, and Mk83's destroyed
At least 150–250 killed and nearly a thousand wounded
2,000–2,500 captured

The Battle of Al Kut was an armed confrontation between elements of the United States military and Iraqi forces during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Before the 2003 invasion,

Al Kut was home to an Iraqi airfield and suspected chemical weapons plant,^[1] thus making it an important target during the invasion. Al Kut lay in the way of the planned Coalition advance to Baghdad

.

Battle of Al Kut

On April 3, 2003, the

GMT

. The deadline passed with no response, and the US launched their assault on Al Kut.

On April 3, several US military units advanced into Al Kut, meeting little resistance until they closed in within 1,000 yards of their objectives. At that point, Iraqi soldiers and irregulars opened fire with small arms and

GBU-16 bombs were dropped from US warplanes, destroying many Iraqi T-62 tanks, BMPs

, and support vehicles.

On the ground, American soldiers were briefly pinned down by gunfire from an Iraqi bunker, where numerous Iraqi infantry had gathered. The gunfire was answered by numerous tank rounds and heavy machine gun fire, and after four hours the bunker's defenders had been killed, injured, or captured. One US Marine, Corporal Mark Evnin, was killed during the battle when he was mortally wounded by Iraqi machine gun fire.

In a last attempt to drive off the attackers, Iraqi soldiers attempted to charge the American tanks with small arms and machine guns, but were cut down by American tank fire, and the 1st Marine Division advanced into Al Kut. After capturing the city and its bridges, Al Kut was effectively under US control. Several militants of the Fedayeen Saddam continued to hold out within isolated pockets in the city, but no major Iraqi forces now opposed the American drive into Baghdad.

American losses during the battle numbered at least 1 dead, about a dozen wounded, and 1

ACE truck destroyed. Iraqi losses are unclear, but were described as "heavy", with at least 150–250 killed and nearly a thousand wounded.^[2]

References

^ "U.S. Forces Prepare for Battle Against Iraq's Medina Division". Wall Street Journal. March 25, 2003. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
^ Groen, Michael S (2006). With the 1st Marine Division in Iraq, 2003 (PDF). Quantico, Virginia: Marine Corps University. pp. 237–255. Retrieved December 27, 2021.

[1] "U.S. Forces Prepare for Battle Against Iraq's Medina Division". Wall Street Journal. March 25, 2003. Retrieved December 27, 2021.

[2] Groen, Michael S (2006). With the 1st Marine Division in Iraq, 2003 (PDF). Quantico, Virginia: Marine Corps University. pp. 237–255. Retrieved December 27, 2021.

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