Battle of Husaybah (2004)

Battles and operations of the Iraq War in Anbar Province
Fallujah killings Desert Scorpion Ramadan 2003 Spring 2004 Blackwater Ambush 1st Fallujah 1st Ramadi Husaybah 2nd Fallujah Abu Ghraib Sayeed Matador Hit Quick Strike Steel Curtain Haditha killings Desert Shield Ramadi Bombing 2nd Ramadi Ramadan 2006 Al Majid Alljah Donkey Island 2008 AQI Offensive Karmah Bombing Abu Kamal 2009 AQI Offensive

The Battle of Husybah was fought in the spring of 2004 at the same time as the First Battle of Fallujah. In April 2004, Fallujah was under siege by United States Marines, and insurgents were looking to relieve pressure on the city by attempting an offensive of their own. Ten days before, the highway connecting Al Anbar to Baghdad was cut and the insurgents attacked the capital of the province, Ramadi. The attack was repulsed by the Marines and the battle resulted in heavy casualties on both sides. Now the insurgents were ready for another attack, on the city of Husaybah on the Syrian border.

The battle

An estimated 300 Iraqis from Fallujah and Ramadi launched an assault against the Americans in Husaybah. The insurgents lured the Americans from their base on the outskirts of the city first with a roadside bombing and then with a mortar attack. When the Marines responded they walked into an ambush where they were hit with small-arms and machine-gun fire near a former Ba'ath Party headquarters. More reinforcements were soon called in to help the ambushed Marines. That force was also hit as they were entering the city. Very soon heavy street fighting ensued which lasted the whole day. The Marines had to clear two-story buildings block by block. Most of the fighting was centered along a street in the northern part of the town which the Marines called "East End Street". Insurgents were on both sides of the street and were constantly laying down fire at the Marines. The fighting slowed down a bit after the Marines cleared a house used by the insurgents as a stronghold which they later nicknamed "The Crack House", but fighting continued late into the night. During the night Cobra helicopter gunships strafed insurgent positions near a soccer stadium downtown.^[1]

Aftermath

Five Marines were killed along with 150 insurgents in the fierce battle that lasted 14 hours. Another 9 Marines were wounded and 20 insurgents captured.^[2] Capt. Richard J. Gannon II, 31, of Escondido, Calif. (Posthumously awarded the rank of Major). The Marine base in Husaybah was renamed Camp Gannon in his honor.

Cpl. Christopher A. Gibson, 23, of Simi Valley, CA

Lance Cpl. Michael J. Smith Jr., 21, of Jefferson, Ohio.

Lance Cpl. Ruben Valdez Jr., 21, of San Diego, Texas.

Lance Cpl. Gary F. VanLeuven, 20, of Klamath Falls, Ore.

External links

References

↑ "Marines Recount Fierce Battle". Archived from the original on 2007-09-30.
↑ "Five Marines killed in battle near Syria".

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