The Battle of Al-Qa'im (code-named Operation Matador) was a military offensive conducted by the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

, against

insurgent An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare against a larger authority. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irregular forces face a large, well ...

positions in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

's northwestern

Anbar province Al Anbar Governorate (; ''muḥāfaẓat al-’Anbār''), or Anbar Province, is the largest governorate in Iraq by area. Encompassing much of the country's western territory, it shares borders with Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. The population ...

, which ran from 8 May 2005 to 19 May 2005. It was focused on eliminating insurgents and foreign fighters in a region known as a smuggling route and a sanctuary for foreign fighters.Miles, 10 May 2005

Details

In mid-May 2005, Task Force 3/2 and elements of Task Force 3/25 ( 3rd Battalion/

2nd Marines The 2nd Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. They are based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and fall under the command of the 2nd Marine Division and the II Marine Expeditionary Force. Or ...

, 3rd Battalion/ 25th Marines, 4th Assault Amphibian Bn, 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Bn Bravo Company, B Co 4th Combat Engineer Bn, 2nd Platoon A Co 1st Tank Bn, and a detachment of H-1's from HMLA 269) supported by the 163rd Ordnance, conducted a sweep of an insurgent-held area near the

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

n border. Combat Engineers from 4th CEB breached the river banks followed by 814th Engineer Company (MRB) who built a floating bridge while conducting concurrent rafting. It lasted eleven days, The Marines suffered 9

killed in action Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...

and 40

wounded in action Wounded in action (WIA) describes combatants who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during wartime, but have not been killed. Typically, it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing ...

. Notable among these casualties was a squad from 1st Platoon, Lima Company of the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, which had all of its members killed or wounded, mostly while embarked in an AAV that was struck by an IED. Many of the insurgents encountered were not wearing uniforms, and in some cases were wearing protective vests. Furthermore, coalition officials noted that the training, tactics and organization displayed by the insurgents battled in the Syrian desert exceeded that which had been seen in other engagements further east, with only the exception of the former members of the

Fedayeen Fedayeen ( ''fidāʻiyyūn'' "self-sacrificers") is an Arabic language, Arabic term used to refer to various military groups willing to sacrifice themselves for a larger campaign. Etymology "Fidayun" is the plural of "fidayi" ( ''fidāʻiyy'' ...

(that comprised a large portion of insurgents fought by the Coalition in

Operation Vigilant Resolve The First Battle of Fallujah, code-named Operation Vigilant Resolve, was an American-led operation of the Iraq War against militants in Fallujah as well as an attempt to apprehend or kill the perpetrators of the killing of four U.S. contracto ...

.) Thus it is plausible to believe that the Fedayeen made a large portion of the insurgents fought in Matador. Additionally, the Marines in Matador did not have sufficient numbers to set up a permanent garrison in Al-Qa'im and the other insurgent held towns and withdrew as a result. Consequently, as soon as they left guerilla fighters were back in the towns and reestablished control over the town. Insurgents' continued presence in the Syrian desert meant that the Syrian border would remain a viable route for smuggling military equipment used by the insurgency. The engagement could loosely be described as a running battle, with the heaviest fighting taking place in urban environments located in Ubaydi, Arabi, and Al-Qa'im, all are cities in the insurgent dominated

Al Anbar Governorate Al Anbar Governorate (; ''muḥāfaẓat al-’Anbār''), or Anbar Province, is the largest governorate in Iraq by area. Encompassing much of the country's western territory, it shares borders with Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. The population ...

. It was followed by

Operation Squeeze Play After the Politics of Iraq, handover of sovereignty, Operation Squeeze Play was a combined U.S./Iraqi sweep of the western suburbs of Baghdad launched on 22 May 2005. Almost 300 suspects were detained in the first day of the operation. It foll ...

Notes

:*Ellen Knickmeyer is the

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

bureau chief for the Washington Post and an embedded reporter in Iraq.

References

External links

*Knarr, William
Al-Sahawa: An Awakening in Al Qaim
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Al Qaim Battles of the Iraq War involving the United States Battles of the Iraq War in 2005 Urban warfare United States Marine Corps in the Iraq War May 2005 in Iraq Battles of the Anbar campaign (2003–2011) Al-Qaeda activities in Iraq Battles of the Iraq War involving Sunni insurgent groups

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See also

Notes

References

External links