2003 attack on Karbala

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2003 attack on Karbala
Part of the invasion phase of the Iraq War
Date March 24, 2003 Location Karbala, Iraq 32°37′00″N 44°02′00″E / 32.616667°N 44.033333°E / 32.616667; 44.033333 Result Iraqi victory
Belligerents
United States 11th Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division  United Kingdom Air support provided by British Royal Air Force[1]	Iraq 2nd Armored Brigade, Medina Division, Republican Guard[2]
Commanders and leaders
Tommy Franks	Saddam Hussein Ali Hassan al-Majid Ra'ad al-Hamdani
Strength
31 AH-64 Apaches	90 tanks[2] Several hundred vehicles
Casualties and losses
1 Apache crashed after takeoff 1 Apache shot down 29 Apaches damaged At least 1 wounded 2 pilots captured[3]	12 tanks 6 S-60 AA guns[4]
class=notpageimage| Location of Karbala within Iraq.

Lion of Babylon tank

AH-64 Apache

The 2003 attack on Karbala was an unsuccessful strike on the Iraqi Republican Guard's Medina Division by the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The Medina Division was mostly deployed along the Karbala gap, west of the city of Karbala itself. The Iraqi Division was targeted as it was the best equipped Iraqi unit, and its destruction would negatively affect Iraqi military morale. The Medina Division sustained only limited damage during the engagement.

The defeat for the Americans resulted in one AH-64 Apache being shot down intact. The two pilots were captured and shown on television along with the helicopter.^[5] Pentagon officials stated the captured Apache was destroyed via airstrike the following day,^[6][7] Iraqi officials claimed a farmer with a Brno rifle shot down the Apache. After the invasion, the farmer denied any involvement.^[8]