Battle of Karbala (2003)

Battle of Karbala
Part of 2003 Invasion of Iraq
Date 23 March – 6 April 2003 Location Karbala, Iraq Result American victory
Belligerents
Iraq	United States
Commanders and leaders
Ra'ad al-Hamdani Riyadh Hussein Nayeri Faiq Abdullah Mikbas Colonel Hassani	David Petraeus
Units involved
Fedayeen Saddam Syrian mercenaries	3rd Infantry Division 1st Armored Division 101st Airborne Division Charlie Company,1-41st Infantry Regiment 70th Armor Regiment
Casualties and losses
170–260 killed	13–21 killed 1 M1 Abrams tank disabled 1 M2A2 Bradley destroyed 1 US Navy FA-18 shot down 1 UH-60 Black Hawk shot down

The Battle of Karbala 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 American units to clear it in two days of street fighting against Iraqi irregular forces.

On 29 March, a suicide bomber (identified as Ali Jaafar al-Noamani, a noncommissioned officer), killed 4 US servicemen (Sergeant Eugene Williams, Corporal Michael Curtin and Privates 1st Class Michael Weldon and Diego Rincon), on Highway 9 on the outskirts of Karbala.

Lead elements of the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division had reached the Karbala area on 31 March. After fighting through Republican Guard forces southeast of the city, these forces bypassed the city and attacked through the Karbala Gap towards Baghdad. The task of clearing the city was left to the 101st Airborne Division, supported by the 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division. On 2 April, a U.S. Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter was shot down by small arms fire near Karbala, killing 7 soldiers. Four other soldiers on board were wounded.

The 101st planned to use helicopter-borne forces to seize three landing zones on the outskirts of the city (codenamed Sparrow, Finch and Robin) and then use an armored force of M1 Abrams tanks and M2 Bradley fighting vehicles to link up with these forces.

At 11:00 a.m. on 5 April, the 101st Airborne began its push to clear Karbala when airstrikes hit several targets around the city. This was followed by a helicopter assault in which 23 UH-60 Blackhawk and 5 CH-47 Chinook helicopters ferried three battalions of infantry from the 502nd Infantry Regiment to their designated landing zones.

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