Kara Soar Base was an American
fire support base
A fire support base (FSB, firebase or FB) is a temporary military encampment to provide artillery fire support to infantry operating in areas beyond the normal range of fire support from their own base camps. FSBs follow a number of plans, their ...
in northern Iraq.
History
In early 2016 in support of a planned Iraqi offensive against ISIS-held
Mosul
Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second large ...
, US forces established a
firebase
Firebase is a set of hosting services for any type of application (Android, iOS, Javascript, Node.js, Java, Unity, PHP, C++ ...). It offers NoSQL and real-time hosting of databases, content, social authentication (Google, Facebook, Twitter an ...
called Bell, approximately 15 miles from ISIS lines. 200 US Marines and 8 US Army Soldiers emplaced and manned at least 4
M777A2 howitzers.
One Marine was killed in a rocket attack on March 19, 2016, only two days after the battery arrived. A couple of days later on March 21, the base was attacked by ISIS suicide bombers armed with small arms. Several Iraqi soldiers were killed during this attack, and the enemy force was attritted by self-detonation of their suicide vests and suppression from Iraqi soldiers and US Marines.
The Marine howitzers fired every day in support of Iraqi maneuvers, using high-explosive, smoke, and illumination rounds.
By March 30, 2016, the Pentagon renamed the base to "Kara Soar Counter Fire Complex" to reinforce the notion that the firebase was conducting "defensive missions."
However some point after the base was renamed to Kara Soar Base.
Units
* Battery E and Company E,
Battalion Landing Team 2/6,
26th Marine Expeditionary Unit
The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (26th MEU) is one of seven such units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. It is an air-ground task force with a strength of about 2,400 personnel when at full strength during a deployment ...
(Task Force Spartan) between at least March and May 2016.
* Battery A, 1-182nd Field Artillery Regiment (HIMARS) (Task Force Sudden Death) Detroit, MI. May 2016-August 2016
* Battery B, 3-321st Field Artillery Regiment(HiMARS) (Task Force ODIN) Fort Bragg, North Carolina. July 2016-September 2016
* Battery HHB,
7th Field Artillery Regiment
The 7th Field Artillery Regiment is a United States Army field artillery regiment, whose lineage traces back to the early 20th century.
Note that the lineage of the "7th Regiment of Artillery" constituted 8 March 1898 is carried by the 7th Ai ...
, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Between at least March and June 2016.
* Battery C,
1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) (Task Force Strike) between at least June and August 2016.
*Troop A, 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) (Task Force Strike) between at least June and August 2016.
* Battery C, 2d Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade between April 2016 and August 2016.
* ADAM Cell, HHC, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) (Task Force Strike) between at least May and August 2016.
See also
*
Camp Speicher
References
{{coord missing, Iraq
Installations of the United States Army in Iraq
Installations of the United States Marine Corps in Iraq