The Battle of Karbala took place during the 2003 invasion of Iraq as American troops fought to clear the city of Iraqi forces. The city had been bypassed during the advance on Baghdad, leaving American units to clear it in two days of street fighting against Iraqi irregular forces.
Lead elements of the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division had reached the Karbala area on March 31. After fighting through Republican Guard forces southeast of the city, these f...
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The Battle of Karbala took place during the 2003 invasion of Iraq as American troops fought to clear the city of Iraqi forces. The city had been bypassed during the advance on Baghdad, leaving American units to clear it in two days of street fighting against Iraqi irregular forces.
Lead elements of the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division had reached the Karbala area on March 31. After fighting through Republican Guard forces southeast of the city, these forces bypassed the city and attacked through the Karbala Gap towards Baghdad. The task of clearing the city was left to the 101st Airborne Division, supported by the 2nd Battalion, 70th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Division.
On April 2, a U.S. Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter was shot down by small arms fire near Karbala, killing 7 soldiers. Four other soldiers onboard were wounded.
The 101st planned to use helicopter-borne forces to seize three landing zones on the outskirts of the city(codenamed Sparrow, Finch and Robin) and then use an...
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