During

Operation Iraqi Freedom The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with the invasion by a United States-led coalition, which resulted in the overthrow of the Ba'athist governm ...

, Operation Planet X was a

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

mechanized raid conducted on a village near

Ad-Dawr Ad-Dawr () is a small agricultural town in Saladin Governorate, Iraq, near Tikrit. It includes a great number of people from four tribes, al-Shuwaykhat, al-Mawashet, al-Bu Haydar and al-Bu Mdallal. Al-Mawashet tribe is famous for supporting Saddam ...

in Salah Al-Din province north of

Tikrit Tikrit ( ) is a city in Iraq, located northwest of Baghdad and southeast of Mosul on the Tigris River. It is the administrative center of the Saladin Governorate. In 2012, it had a population of approximately 160,000. Originally created as a f ...

on the night of 15 May 2003 by elements of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, U.S. 4th Infantry Division and Task Force Ironhorse in search of

Ba'ath Ba'athism, also spelled Baathism, is an Arab nationalist ideology which advocates the establishment of a unified Arab state through the rule of a Ba'athist vanguard party operating under a revolutionary socialist framework. The ideology is ...

party members and militants. The name of the operation may have been inspired by the cartoon Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century. As a result of this effort a key member of the former regime, Gen. Mahdi Al-Duri Al-Tikrit Adil Abdallah was captured along with 260 other prisoners. US fighting forces involved roughly 500 soldiers, 18 M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, 12

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

pieces, 30 HMMWVs, and 6 patrol boats.

Military Units Involved

;US forces reported to be involved were * 1st Brigade Combat Team, U.S. 4th Infantry Division * Task Force Ironhorse *1st Squadron,

11th Armored Cavalry Regiment The 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment ("Blackhorse Regiment") is a unit of the United States Army garrisoned at the Fort Irwin National Training Center in California. The regiment has served in the Philippine–American War, the Pancho Villa Expedi ...

;Iraqi Units involved *4th Battalion, 1st Iraqi Army *2nd Battalion, 3rd Iraqi Army

Casualties

No US, Coalition or Iraqi casualties or deaths were reported during the operation.

References

*Statistics source
GlobalSecurity.org: Operation Planet X
Military operations of the Iraq War involving the United States Military operations of the Iraq War involving Iraq Military operations of the Iraq War in 2003 Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011) May 2003 in Iraq Saladin Governorate in the Iraq War Military raids {{US-mil-operation-stub