Battle of Al Kut (2003) | |||||||
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Part of the 2003 invasion of Iraq | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United States | Iraq | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Col. Joe W. Dowdy |
Saleh Hammadi Salmani Mohammad Ibrahim Sulaiman | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
Part of the 1st Marine Division | Numerous elements of the Medina division and the Baghdad Division | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Unspecified | 2,500-3,000 men | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
1 Marine killed ~12 wounded At least 1 ACE truck destroyed |
Many T-62 tanks, APC's, and Mk83's destroyed At least 150–250 killed and nearly a thousand wounded 2,000–2,500 captured |
The Battle of Al Kut was an armed confrontation between elements of the United States military and Iraqi forces during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Before the 2003 invasion, Al Kut was home to an Iraqi airfield and suspected chemical weapons plant,[1] thus making it an important target during the invasion. Al Kut lay in the way of the planned Coalition advance to Baghdad.