Battle of Umm Qasr

Battle of Umm Qasr
Part of the 2003 Invasion of Iraq

A U.S. Marine M1 Abrams tank fires its 120mm cannon at Iraqi forces during fighting near Umm Qasr, 23 March 2003.
Date21–25 March 2003
Location
Umm Qasr, Iraq
Result Coalition victory
Belligerents
 United Kingdom
 United States
 Poland		 Iraq Iraq
Commanders and leaders
Jim Dutton[1]
Roman Polko		 Ali Ibrahim
Haitham Badran
Khalid Kasar
Units involved
3 Commando Brigade
15th MEU
Navy SEALs
Navy SWCC
JW GROM		 Iraqi Republican Guard
Casualties and losses
14 killed[2] 30–40 killed
450 captured[3]

The Battle of Umm Qasr was the first military confrontation in the Iraq War. At the start of the war, one of the first objectives was the port of Umm Qasr. On 21 March 2003, as allied forces advanced across Southern Iraq, an amphibious landing force captured the new port area of Umm Qasr. The assault was spearheaded by Royal Marines of the British 3 Commando Brigade, augmented by U.S. Marines of the American 15th MEU and Polish JW GROM troops. Iraqi forces in the old town of Umm Qasr put up unexpectedly strong resistance, requiring several days' fighting before the area was cleared of defenders.[4] The port was finally declared safe and reopened on 25 March 2003.

  1. ^ "Operation Telic: British Forces Deployed". Archived from the original on 20 August 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  2. ^ "Period Details". Archived from the original on 9 January 2007. Retrieved 29 January 2007.
  3. ^ "Wages of War -- Appendix 1. Survey of reported Iraqi combatant fatalities in the 2003 war - Commonwealth Institute of Cambridge". Comw.org. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  4. ^ "Fierce battle around port," The Guardian, 24 March 2003