2003 Attack on Karbala

2003 attack on Karbala
Part of 2003 invasion of Iraq
From top: Lion of Babylon tank; AH-64 Apache
Date March 24, 2003 Location Karbala, Iraq 32°37′00″N 44°02′00″E / 32.616667°N 44.033333°E / 32.616667; 44.033333 Result Iraqi victory
Belligerents
Iraq 2nd Armored Brigade, Medina Division, Republican Guard	United States 11th Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division
Commanders and leaders
Saddam Hussein Ali Hassan al-Majid Ra'ad al-Hamdani	Tommy Franks
Strength
90 tanks Several hundred vehicles	31 AH-64 Apaches
Casualties and losses
12 tanks 6 S-60 AA guns	1 Apache crashed 1 Apache shot down 29 Apaches damaged (2 beyond repair) 2 pilots captured
Location of Karbala within Iraq.

Iraq

 United States

The 2003 attack on Karbala was an unsuccessful strike on the Iraqi Republican Guard Medina Division by the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The Medina Division was mostly deployed along the Karbala gap, west of the city of Karbala itself. The Iraqi Division was targeted as it was the best equipped Iraqi unit, and its destruction would negatively affect Iraqi military morale. The Medina Division sustained only limited damage during the engagement, and it is considered Iraq's only victory of the invasion.

The defeat for the Americans resulted in one AH-64 Apache being shot down intact. The two pilots were captured and shown on television along with the helicopter.Pentagon officials stated the captured Apache was destroyed via airstrike the following day, while Iraqi officials claimed a farmer with a Brno rifle shot down the Apache; the farmer denied any involvement after the invasion.