Combat· Iraq War (Op IRAQI FREEDOM)
Battle of Umm Qasr
Umm Qasr was the southern Iraqi port that became one of the first objectives of the 2003 invasion, its capture essential to opening a maritime route for humanitarian aid and to securing the southern flank of the drive north.
The seizure of the port town and its approaches was a Coalition effort in which British forces took the leading role, with United States Marines involved in the opening operations in the south before the main Marine drive pushed north toward Nasiriyah and Baghdad. The fighting to clear Umm Qasr proved more stubborn than expected, with pockets of Iraqi resistance holding out in the port area longer than anticipated. Securing the port and the nearby Rumaylah oil fields was an early priority of the campaign, protecting the southern oil infrastructure and opening the logistical gateway. Umm Qasr was among the first ground secured in the invasion, at the very start of the march to Baghdad.
Record no. 38