Task Force Tripoli
Encyclopedia
Task Force Tripoli was a United States Marine Corps
air ground task force
formed after the fall of Baghdad
during the 2003 invasion of Iraq
. They were commanded by Brigadier General John F. Kelly, then Assistant Division Commander of the 1st Marine Division, and its mission was to continue the attack north and secure the city of Tikrit
. The unit was task organized on April 12, 2003 in a staging area
east of Baghdad and had secured Tikrit by April 15. It is the first time that the Marine Corps had ever employed an entire LAV
regiment and marked the farthest inland that Marine Forces had ever pushed.
, 2nd
& 3rd
Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalions, the 1st Marine Division jump Headquarters, Golf Company and a CAAT section from Weapons Company 2/23
, 5/11
,the DASC (Fwd)
that had been supporting the Division, and a detachment from Combat Service Support Battalion-10. On April 13, Task Force Marines rescued seven American Prisoners of War in Samarra
. Five of the POWs were members of the 507th Maintenance Company
that had been ambushed early in the war in An Nasiriyah
and the other two were captured Apache pilots.
Before securing the city, the Task Force destroyed five Iraqi tanks and killed at least 15 Iraqi soldiers on the outskirts of the town. The Marines of TFT began actively patrolling throughout the city of Tikrit and were relieved about a week later by the 4th Infantry Division.
On May 2, 2003 the task force was reestablished and began preparations to move down to the Iraqi-Saudi border
and set into a screen line to prevent Wahabi infiltrators from moving north into Iraq. On May 3, each LAR battalion independently left the 1st Marine Division's assembly area in Al Diwaniyah
and moved out to their individual staging areas. On May 4, the task force occupied the screen line just north of the border. On May 5, the task force was recalled due to a lack of activity on the border and proceeded to return to Al Diwaniyah
.
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
air ground task force
Marine Air-Ground Task Force
The Marine Air-Ground Task Force is a term used by the United States Marine Corps to describe the principal organization for all missions across the range of military operations. MAGTFs are a balanced air-ground, combined arms task organization of Marine Corps forces under a single commander that...
formed after the fall of 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...
during the 2003 invasion of Iraq
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...
. They were commanded by Brigadier General John F. Kelly, then Assistant Division Commander of the 1st Marine Division, and its mission was to continue the attack north and secure the city of Tikrit
Tikrit
Tikrit is a town in Iraq, located 140 km northwest of Baghdad on the Tigris river . The town, with an estimated population in 2002 of about 260,000 is the administrative center of the Salah ad Din Governorate.-Ancient times:...
. The unit was task organized on April 12, 2003 in a staging area
Staging area
A staging area is a location where organisms, people, vehicles, equipment or material are assembled before use.- In construction :...
east of Baghdad and had secured Tikrit by April 15. It is the first time that the Marine Corps had ever employed an entire LAV
LAV 25
The LAV-25 is an eight-wheeled amphibious reconnaissance vehicle used by the United States Marine Corps. It was built by General Dynamics Land Systems Canada and is based on the Swiss MOWAG Piranha I 8x8 family of armored fighting vehicles....
regiment and marked the farthest inland that Marine Forces had ever pushed.
History
The task force was made up of units from the 1st1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion is a mechanized infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Nicknamed the "Highlanders," their primary weapon system is the LAV-25 and they fall under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force...
, 2nd
2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion is a mechanized infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Their primary weapon system is the LAV-25 and they fall under the command of the 2nd Marine Division and II Marine Expeditionary Force. The unit is based out of the Marine Corps Base...
& 3rd
3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion ' is a mechanized infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Their primary weapon system is the LAV-25 and they are part of the 1st Marine Division and I Marine Expeditionary Force...
Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalions, the 1st Marine Division jump Headquarters, Golf Company and a CAAT section from Weapons Company 2/23
2nd Battalion 23rd Marines
2nd Battalion, 23rd Marines is a reserve infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps located throughout the Western United States consisting of approximately 1000 Marines and Sailors...
, 5/11
5th Battalion 11th Marines
5th Battalion 11th Marines is an High Mobility Artillery Rocket System HIMARS battalion of three Firing Batteries and a Headquarters Battery. The battalion is stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the first active duty HIMARS Unit in the Marine Corps. They fall under...
,the DASC (Fwd)
Direct Air Support Center
The Direct Air Support Center is the principal United States Marine Corps aviation command and control system and the air control agency responsible for the direction of air operations directly supporting ground forces...
that had been supporting the Division, and a detachment from Combat Service Support Battalion-10. On April 13, Task Force Marines rescued seven American Prisoners of War in Samarra
Samarra
Sāmarrā is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Salah ad-Din Governorate, north of Baghdad and, in 2003, had an estimated population of 348,700....
. Five of the POWs were members of the 507th Maintenance Company
507th Maintenance Company
The 507th Maintenance Company was a unit of the U.S. Army which provided maintenance support to 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery , based at Fort Bliss, Texas...
that had been ambushed early in the war in An 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 the other two were captured Apache pilots.
Before securing the city, the Task Force destroyed five Iraqi tanks and killed at least 15 Iraqi soldiers on the outskirts of the town. The Marines of TFT began actively patrolling throughout the city of Tikrit and were relieved about a week later by the 4th Infantry Division.
On May 2, 2003 the task force was reestablished and began preparations to move down to the Iraqi-Saudi border
Saudi-Iraqi neutral zone
The Saudi–Iraqi neutral zone was an area of 7,044 km² on the border between Saudi Arabia and Iraq within which the border between the two countries had not been settled...
and set into a screen line to prevent Wahabi infiltrators from moving north into Iraq. On May 3, each LAR battalion independently left the 1st Marine Division's assembly area in Al Diwaniyah
Al Diwaniyah
Al Diwaniyah is the capital city of Iraq's Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate. In 2002, its population was estimated at 440,927. The area around Al Diwaniyah, which is well irrigated from the nearby Euphrates river, is often considered to be one on the most fertile parts of Iraq, and is heavily cultivated...
and moved out to their individual staging areas. On May 4, the task force occupied the screen line just north of the border. On May 5, the task force was recalled due to a lack of activity on the border and proceeded to return to Al Diwaniyah
Al Diwaniyah
Al Diwaniyah is the capital city of Iraq's Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate. In 2002, its population was estimated at 440,927. The area around Al Diwaniyah, which is well irrigated from the nearby Euphrates river, is often considered to be one on the most fertile parts of Iraq, and is heavily cultivated...
.
See also
- List of United States Marine Corps battalions
- History of the United States Marine CorpsHistory of the United States Marine CorpsThe history of the United States Marine Corps began with the founding of the Continental Marines on November 10, 1775 to conduct ship-to-ship fighting, provide shipboard security and discipline enforcement, and assist in landing forces. Its mission evolved with changing military doctrine and...
Books
- Reynolds, Nicholas E. Basrah, Baghdad and Beyond: The U.S. Marine Corps in the Second Iraq War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2005. ISBN 1-59114-717-4.