| Battle of Al Hillah (2003) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of 2003 Invasion of Iraq | |||||||
&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:Babylon_Ruins_Marines.jpeg) US Marines in Al Hillah | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States United Kingdom Poland |
 Iraq | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Joseph Anderson Brian Burridge |
Unknown | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
|
JW GROM |
&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:Insignia_of_the_2nd_Al_Medina_Armoured_Division.svg){kind=small} 2nd Al Medina Armored Division | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Tens of thousands | ≈10,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
1 killed wounded unknown 8 attack helicopters damaged |
1,200+ killed & wounded 2 field artillery batteries destroyed 1 AA battery destroyed 1 armoured company destroyed 1 infantry battalion destroyed | ||||||
| 551 Iraqi civilian casualties (19 killed, 515 wounded, 17 unspecified) | |||||||
| Civilian casualties resulted from heavy barrage by the 2nd Al Medina Armored Division on densely populated urban areas (Coalition forces were attempting to move through the area at the time of the attack) | |||||||
The Battle of Al Hillah was an armed military confrontation between military elements of the United States and Iraq during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. Prior to the Iraq War, the ancient city of Al Hillah was home to numerous bases for the Iraqi Medina division of the Iraqi Republican Guard. As a main objective of the invasion of Iraq was to disable the Republican Guard, this made Al Hillah an important target for Coalition forces, as well as the fact that Al Hillah lay in the path of the planned Coalition advance Najaf.[1]