Battle for Najaf

After the conquest of Najaf, the US army supplied the civilian population

date	March 24 to April 4, 2003
place	Najaf ( Iraq )
output	United States victory
consequences	Securing the hinterland in preparation for the attack on Baghdad

Parties to the conflict
Iraq 1991 Iraq	United States United States
Commander
Saddam Hussein	Tommy Franks (Commander U.S. Central Command ), Victor E. Renuart, Jr. (Director of Operations, U.S. Central Command ), James N. Mattis (Commander 1st Marine Division ), David H. Petraeus (Commander 101st Airborne Division )
losses
590–780 dead 100 vehicles destroyed	4 dead, 2 prisoners, 2 M1 Abrams tanks destroyed 1 M2 Bradley destroyed 1 AH-64 Apache shot down 31 AH-64 Apaches damaged

The battle for Najaf took place during the Iraq war in 2003. The city was first surrounded by the 3rd US Infantry Division and then captured by soldiers from the 101st US Airborne Division .

Outskirts of Najaf

The city of Najaf is close to several major highways heading north, including to Baghdad and Karbala . In the course of the invasion so far, several cities such as B. Nasiriya and Samarra have simply been bypassed. However, in order to prevent attacks on your supply lines, the leadership of the 3rd US Infantry Division decided to conquer Najaf. In order to encircle the city first, two strategically important bridges in the north (Bei Al Kifl, Objective Jenkins) and south (Bei Abu Sukhayr, Objective Floyd) of the city should be occupied.

Shortly before the start of the attack, a strong sandstorm occurred in the region , which prevented the use of air support.

Helicopter attack

On March 24th, 32 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters of the 11th Aviation Regiment were scheduled to attack armored targets assigned to the Republican Guard . The Medina Division of the Republican Guard had dug itself into the outskirts of Najaf. Presumably the assembly points of the American helicopters were observed, because when the helicopters approached the city, the power supply to the city was briefly interrupted as a warning signal, and then strong anti-aircraft fire began . Each of the attacking helicopters was hit by defensive fire, and one even survived a direct hit by an anti-tank missile . The attack was stopped immediately and the helicopters returned to their landing sites.

A helicopter was shot down on the way back and had to make an emergency landing in a swamp area. The two pilots first tried to escape by swimming through a canal. After a while they decided to leave the canal and flee over open terrain. They were caught and captured by armed civilians. They were handed over to Iraqi soldiers and were only released in Tikrit in mid-April . The Iraqi government at the time published television images of the Apache that had been shot down, claiming that a farmer had shot him down with a hunting rifle. However, given the strong anti-aircraft fire and armor of the Apache, this seems unlikely. The remains of the crashed attack helicopter were destroyed a short time later by two American surface-to-surface missiles so that no valuable technical equipment could fall into the hands of the Iraqis.

The failed attack led to heated discussions within the American military leadership. The Apache is not suitable for ranged attacks in heavily defended areas. It would have been better to use the attack helicopters for close air support for advancing ground troops. However, it was also argued that the failure was more likely due to poor planning and lack of coordination with other units and the United States Air Force .

On March 26, the units of the Republican Guard were again attacked by helicopters. This time, however, the attack was preceded by strong artillery fire, and F-18 Hornet fighter aircraft supported the attack. Also, this time the Apache pilots used a different tactic. They kept moving and avoided hovering, making them an easy target for the air defense. Several anti-aircraft guns, radar systems, artillery pieces and vehicles were destroyed in this attack. None of the American helicopters were lost.

Objective Jenkins

The 1st Brigade Combat Team under Col. Will Grimsley was tasked with taking the bridge at Al Kifl. However, this was largely tied between Najaf and Nasiriya. Only the air defense elements of the brigade were available, equipped with anti-aircraft tanks of the type M6 Linebacker and some reconnaissance units. At 2 a.m. on March 25, the units approached the bridge. In doing so, they encountered strong resistance from buried paramilitary groups. The attack stalled and the Americans made very slow progress, despite artillery support. Requested reinforcements arrived around 8:30 a.m. These took over the attack, while the air defense units took over the flank protection.

The American units arrived at the bridge around 11 a.m. and began to cross. When the first three M1 Abrams battle tanks on the bridge were lit Iraqi pioneers explosives. However, these were not strong enough to bring the bridge to collapse. However, three American tanks were now trapped on the other side of the bridge and it was unclear whether the bridge still offered enough stability for the other armored vehicles. Only after the commander had crossed the bridge with his own tank and this withstood the load, could the other units also cross the bridge. Shortly afterwards, heavy fighting broke out on the other bridge, the Iraqi troops used mortars and attacked in pickups, trucks and even commandeered garbage trucks regardless of losses. The attacks continued until the next day, but could the Americans from their more bridgehead to push back.

It was not until March 27 that the American units were replaced by further reinforcements; they were in uninterrupted fighting against around 1200 Iraqi paramilitaries for over 36 hours. By taking the bridge, Najaf was now cut off from the north.

Objective Floyd

On March 25, troops from the 7th Cavalry Regiment attacked Objective Floyd in the south of the city. The fighting took place during a sand storm and visibility was less than 25 meters. The Americans were able to use their technical advantage here and use thermal imaging cameras to fight the Iraqi units. At 10:43 am the bridge was secured and the Americans moved into defensive positions to further isolate Najaf. Protected by the sandstorm, several hundred Iraqi soldiers dared to attack the positions, but were repulsed.

The bridge itself was also the target of several attacks, the Iraqis even rammed a Bradley armored personnel carrier with a bus and drove a tanker between the American positions. Despite the sandstorm, the Americans were able to use aircraft that intervened in the fighting from great heights with GPS-guided ammunition . Among other things, two attacking T-72 battle tanks were destroyed.

Several American tanks were ambushed near the bridge, two M1 Abrams were hit and caught fire. Protective devices inside the tanks prevented the ammunition from exploding, however, so that the crews could escape from their vehicles. At first it was suspected that the tanks had been knocked out by guided missiles of Russian design. In retrospect, however, no evidence could be found that Iraq had had weapons of this type at all. Today it is assumed that normal anti-tank missiles (RPGs) on weak points in the armor or self-fire destroyed the M1 Abrams.

Inclusion of Najaf

On the night of March 26th, the Americans began to connect to the units at Objective Floyd from the north, thus enclosing the city. This succeeded that same night, so that the 7th Cavalry Regiment could be withdrawn from the fighting after 120 hours in action. In the enclosed city, the situation was spiraling out of control. According to civilian reports, fedayeen militias forced al-Quds units to fight or their families would be killed. Local leaders of the Ba'ath Party began executing civilians until they were killed in an air strike. One of captured officers of the Iraqi forces reported that his former soldiers in 1200, only about 200 were left.

On March 29, four American soldiers died in a suicide attack on their checkpoint outside the city.

Conquest of Najaf

Iraqi civilians celebrate their liberation from Saddam Hussein's rule

Since there were now increasing attacks on the supply units of the Americans throughout Iraq, they stopped their advance for a few days in order to pacify the hinterland and to rally for the attack on Baghdad. During this time, among other things, Samarra was attacked by the 82nd US Airborne Division . On March 28, the 101st Airborne Division and parts of the 1st Armored Division replaced the 3rd Infantry Division.

On April 29, the 101st Airborne Division began its attacks in the south of Najaf, including the capture of the city's airport . The soldiers encountered heavy resistance and were only able to break it with heavy air support.

On April 1, the Americans opened an escape route out of the city. The retreating Iraqi units were attacked on this road by OH-58 Kiowa helicopters and by snipers. On the same day, armored units carried out a "Thunder Run" into the city center and were able to record some successes despite considerable resistance.

On April 2, the 101st Airborne Division began its attacks on the city center and was able to capture several defensive positions of the militia. As of April 4th, the city was completely under American control.