Battle of Husaybah
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Husybah was fought in the spring of 2004 at the same time as the First Battle of Fallujah. In April 2004, Fallujah
was under siege by United States Marines, and insurgents were looking to relieve pressure on the city by attempting an offensive of their own. Ten days before, the highway connecting Al Anbar to Baghdad was cut and the insurgents attacked
the capital of the province, Ramadi
. The attack was repulsed by the Marines and the battle resulted in heavy casualties on both sides. Now the insurgents were ready for another attack, on the city of Husaybah
on the Syria
n border.
s strafed insurgent positions near a soccer stadium downtown.
Fallujah
Fallujah is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries....
was under siege by United States Marines, and insurgents were looking to relieve pressure on the city by attempting an offensive of their own. Ten days before, the highway connecting Al Anbar to Baghdad was cut and the insurgents attacked
Battle of Ramadi
The Battle of Ramadi was fought in central Iraq late in September 1917 between the British and the Ottomans; it was part of the Mesopotamian Campaign in World War I....
the capital of the province, Ramadi
Ramadi
Ramadi is a city in central Iraq, about west of Baghdad. It is the capital of Al Anbar Governorate.-History:Ramadi is located in a fertile, irrigated, alluvial plain.The Ottoman Empire founded Ramadi in 1869...
. The attack was repulsed by the Marines and the battle resulted in heavy casualties on both sides. Now the insurgents were ready for another attack, on the city of Husaybah
Husaybah
Husaybah is an Iraqi city on the Euphrates river in Al-Anbar province, close to the Syrian border....
on the Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n border.
The battle
An estimated 300 Iraqis from Fallujah and Ramadi launched an assault against the Americans in Husaybah. The insurgents lured the Americans from their base on the outskirts of the city first with a roadside bombing and then with a mortar attack. When the Marines responded they walked into an ambush where they were hit with small-arms and machine-gun fire near a former Ba'ath Party headquarters. More reinforcements were soon called in to help the ambushed Marines. That force was also hit as they were entering the city. Very soon heavy street fighting ensued which lasted the whole day. The Marines had to clear two-story buildings block by block. Most of the fighting was centered along a street in the northern part of the town which the Marines called "East End Street". Insurgents were on both sides of the street and were constantly laying down fire at the Marines. The fighting slowed down a bit after the Marines cleared a house used by the insurgents as a stronghold which they later nicknamed "The Crack House", but fighting continued late into the night. During the night Cobra helicopter gunshipAH-1 SuperCobra
The Bell AH-1 SuperCobra is a twin-engine attack helicopter based on the US Army's AH-1 Cobra. The twin Cobra family includes the AH-1J SeaCobra, the AH-1T Improved SeaCobra, and the AH-1W SuperCobra...
s strafed insurgent positions near a soccer stadium downtown.
Aftermath
Five Marines were killed along with 150 alleged insurgents in the fierce battle that lasted 14 hours. Another 9 Marines were wounded and 20 insurgents captured.External links
- http://marinecorpsmoms.com/archives/2004/04/37_marines_battle_in_husaybah.html
- http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/lookupstoryref/20049209463