Battle of Haditha

Battle of Haditha
Part of the Iraq War

Scene of the AAV destroyed in the operation at Haditha
Date1 August – 4 August 2005
Location
Result U.S. victory
Territorial
changes
Occupation of Haditha[2]
Belligerents
 United States Al-Qaeda in Iraq[1]
Ansar al-Sunna[1]
Other Iraqi insurgents
Commanders and leaders
Col. Stephen W. Davis

Saeed Huwair (former army officer)

Hatim Muslim (Ansar al-Sunnah commander for western Anbar)
Strength
~1,000 marines Unknown
Casualties and losses
21 killed
1 wounded[3]
40 killed

The Battle of Haditha took place between U.S. forces and Ansar al-Sunna in early August 2005 on the outskirts of the town of Haditha, Iraq, which was one of the many towns that were under insurgent control in the Euphrates River valley during 2005.

The battle was initiated when a pair of three-man United States Marine Corps STA (Surveillance, Target, and Acquisition) teams in Haditha were surprised and overrun by a small insurgent force. All six men were found dead after the battle.

Two days after the killings, Marine forces launched Operation Quick Strike to disrupt insurgent presence in the Haditha area. On the second day of that operation, a Marine Amphibious Assault Vehicle hit a large roadside bomb, killing 15 out of the 16 on board.

  1. ^ a b "14 Marines Die in Huge Explosion in Western Iraq". Washington Post. 4 August 2005.
  2. ^ "Battalion that lost 48 members returns to cheers". [dead link]
  3. ^ Period DetailsArchived 11 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine

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