Combat· Iraq War (Op IRAQI FREEDOM)
Battle of Al Qaim
The Battle of Al Qaim was the campaign to clear and hold the insurgent-ridden district along the Syrian border in the far west of Anbar Province, the smuggling and infiltration corridor through which foreign fighters and weapons flowed into Iraq.
Over a series of operations, the Marines of Regimental Combat Team 2 fought to drive al-Qaeda in Iraq from the towns of the Euphrates valley near the border, culminating in a sustained clearing effort that established a permanent presence rather than the sweep-and-leave pattern of earlier operations. The campaign marked a turning point, one of the first times Coalition forces and local Anbar tribes united against al-Qaeda, foreshadowing the broader Awakening to come. The Marines combined hard fighting to clear the towns with the harder work of holding them and partnering with the tribes. Al Qaim became a model for the counterinsurgency operations that would help turn the war in Anbar.
Engagements in this conflict (9)
Record no. 33