Combat· Iraq War (Op IRAQI FREEDOM)
Samarah
Samarra, a city on the Tigris north of Baghdad, lay along the route of Task Force Tripoli's drive north in the closing phase of the 2003 invasion.
Marine elements, including units of Regimental Combat Team 5, moved through the Samarra area in support of the task force's push toward Tikrit, passing through and securing ground as part of the rapid exploitation that followed the fall of Baghdad. The Marine presence around Samarra was a transient one, part of the swift northward movement to extend control and pursue the remnants of the collapsing regime rather than a deliberate battle for the city. The action there reflected the fluid, fast-moving character of the invasion's final days, when Marine columns ranged far north of the capital. Samarra was one of the waypoints on Task Force Tripoli's advance, a place the Marines passed through and helped secure before responsibility for the area shifted to other forces.
Record no. 749