Task Force Tripoli (TFT) was a
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
air-ground task force formed after the fall of
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
during the
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...
. This ad-hoc formation was tasked with continuing the attack north to secure the city of
Tikrit
Tikrit ( ar, تِكْرِيت ''Tikrīt'' , Syriac language, Syriac: ܬܲܓܪܝܼܬܼ ''Tagrīṯ'') is a city in Iraq, located northwest of Baghdad and southeast of Mosul on the Tigris River. It is the administrative center of the Saladin Gover ...
. It was commanded by Brigadier General
John F. Kelly, then Assistant Division Commander of the
1st Marine Division
The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF).
It is the ...
. Within 12 hours of tasking, the Marines were able to put together a convoy of 600 vehicles and 4,000 troops for the mission. The unit was composited on April 12, 2003, in a
staging area
A staging area (otherwise staging point, staging base, or staging post) is a location in which organisms, people, vehicles, equipment, or material are assembled before use. It may refer to:
* In construction, a designated area in which vehicles, ...
east of Baghdad and had secured Tikrit by April 15. It is the first time that the Marine Corps ever employed an entire
LAV regiment and marked the farthest inland that Marine Forces had ever advanced.
Order of Battle
Task Force units included:
*
1st Marine Division
The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF).
It is the ...
Jump Headquarters
*
1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion is a fast and mobilized armored terrestrial reconnaissance battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Nicknamed the "Highlanders," their primary weapon system is the LAV-25 Li ...
*
2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion is a fast and mobilized armored terrestrial reconnaissance battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Their primary weapon system is the 8-wheeled LAV-25 and they fall under the command of the 2nd Ma ...
*
3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion,
*
2nd Battalion 23rd Marines - G Company and a CAAT section from Weapons Company
*
5th Battalion 11th Marines
*
Direct Air Support Center (Fwd) from
Marine Air Support Squadron 3
Marine Air Support Squadron 3 (MASS-3), is a United States Marine Corps aviation command and control unit that provides the Direct Air Support Center (DASC) for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. They are based out of the 32 Area on Marine Corp ...
*Detachment from Combat Service Support Battalion-10.
*Detachment of
United States Navy SEALs
The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sma ...
Background
After the
fall of Baghdad on April 10, US political leaders still wanted to locate
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...
who they believed had fled to his hometown. There was also a desire to tamp down the Kurds from aggressively seizing Iraqi Lands. The
4th Infantry Division was not due to arrive in Tikrit for another 7–10 days but US leaders wanted a presence their as soon as possible. I MEF leadership was asked if the Marines could take on the mission and responded yes. At the time it was believed that there were approximately 2000 Iraqi Army troops from the
Republican Guard
A republican guard, sometimes called a national guard, is a state organization of a country (often a republic, hence the name ''Republican'') which typically serves to protect the head of state and the government, and thus is often synonymous wit ...
's Adnan Division in Tikrit.
The Task Force's name was in honor of the Marines that fought in the
Battle of Derna (1805)
The Battle of Derna at Derna, Libya, Derna, Cyrenaica, was the decisive victory in April–May 1805 of a mercenary army recruited and led by United States Marines under the command of United States Army, U.S. Army Lieutenant William Eaton (sold ...
. These Marines, led by
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment.
The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...
Presley O'Bannon
Presley O'Bannon (1776 – September 12, 1850) was a first lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, famous for his exploits in the First Barbary War (1801-1805). In recognition of his bravery, he was presented a sword for his part in ...
, conducted a 521-mile (839-km) forced march through the
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
n desert from
Alexandria, Egypt
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
, to the eastern port city of
Derna, Libya
Derna (; ar, درنة ') is a port city in eastern Libya. It has a population of 85,000–90,000. It was the seat of one of the wealthiest provinces in the Barbary States, and remains the capital of the Derna District, with a much smaller area. ...
, and defeated a much larger force of
Ottoman troops during the
First Barbary War
The First Barbary War (1801–1805), also known as the Tripolitan War and the Barbary Coast War, was a conflict during the Barbary Wars, in which the United States and Sweden fought against Tripolitania. Tripolitania had declared war against Sw ...
.
History
Initial invasion
The Marines set out on the evening of 12 April and did not make an effort to secure their
lines of communication
A line of communication (or communications) is the route that connects an operating military unit with its supply base. Supplies and reinforcements are transported along the line of communication. Therefore, a secure and open line of communicati ...
. The task force was going to depend on the
3d Marine Aircraft Wing
The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (abbreviated as 3rd MAW) is the major west coast aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps. It is headquartered at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, in San Diego, California and provides the aviation combat el ...
(3d MAW) and follow on forces from
1st Force Service Support Group
The 1st Marine Logistics Group (1st MLG) is a logistics unit of the United States Marine Corps and is headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, with several subordinate elements also located at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma a ...
to keep it resupplied. One of the trickiest parts of the movement north was having to get the entire column of vehicles across the
Tigris River
The Tigris () is the easternmost of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and empties into the P ...
over a single decrepit bridge in the town of Al Swash. The bridge had only recently been secured by Marines from Gold Company,
2nd Battalion, 5th Marines
2d Battalion 5th Marines (2/5 or "Two Five") is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps consisting of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors. They are based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and fall under the comm ...
and could only hold one vehicle at a time. After the entire convoy had made its way across the river, the decision was made to continue attacking north and keep the advance going through the night.
On April 13, Marines from 3d LAR were tipped off by Iraqi Police about the presence of American
prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold priso ...
(POW) in the area. A lieutenant from the unit handed a commercial
GPS receiver
A satellite navigation device (satnav device) is a user equipment that uses one or more of several global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) to calculate the device's geographical position and provide navigational advice.
Depending on the s ...
to an Iraqi Policeman who used it to acquire an accurate location of the prisoners. The Marines quickly made their way to the location and rescued seven American in
Samarra
Samarra ( ar, سَامَرَّاء, ') is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Saladin Governorate, north of Baghdad. The city of Samarra was founded by Abbasid Caliph Al-Mutasim for his Turkish professional army ...
. Five of the POWs were members of the
507th Maintenance Company
The 507th Maintenance Company was a United States Army unit which was ambushed during the Battle of Nasiriyah in the rapid advance towards Baghdad during 2003 invasion of Iraq on 23 March 2003. The most well known member of the unit was Private ...
that had been ambushed early in the war in
An Nasiriyah
Nasiriyah ( ar, ٱلنَّاصِرِيَّة; BGN: ''An Nāşirīyah''; also spelled ''Nassiriya'' or ''Nasiriya'') is a city in Iraq. It is on the lower Euphrates, about south-southeast of Baghdad, near the ruins of the ancient city of Ur. ...
and the other two were captured
Apache pilots. The POWs were immediately flown south by
CH-46 Sea Knights from
HMM-165
Marine Medium Tilt Rotor Squadron 165 (VMM-165) is a United States Marine Corps Tilt-rotor squadron consisting of MV-22B Osprey transport aircraft. The squadron, known as the "White Knights", is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Californi ...
to
An Numaniyah
An-Nu'mānīyah ( ar, النعمانية, an-Nuʿmānīyah) is a city on the Tigris river in Iraq, located roughly southeast of Baghdad in the Wasit Province. It is the site of one of four national training centers for the Iraqi Army.
It is a ...
where they were transferred to a waiting
KC-130 Hercules from
VMGR-452
Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 452 (VMGR-452) was a reserve United States Marine Corps cargo squadron that previously flew the Lockheed Martin KC-130J. The squadron fell under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 49 (MAG-49) and the 4 ...
which then flew them to
Kuwait International Airport
Kuwait International Airport ( ar, مطار الكويت الدولي, ) is an international airport located in the Farwaniya Governorate, Kuwait, south of the centre of Kuwait City, spread over an area of . It serves as the primary hub for Kuw ...
.
As 3d LAR was rescuing Americans in Samarra, 2d LAR was pushing north of Tikrit to seize
Al Sahra Airfield and establish a blocking position while 1st LAR pushed up the highway from the south into the city. Approximately 1 km before entering the city, task force Marines destroyed five Iraqi tanks and killed at least 15 Iraqi soldiers while fighting through a fedayeen ambush.
As the Marine ground forces prepared to enter the city, Marines from
Marine Wing Support Group 37
Marine Wing Support Group 37 (MWSG-37) was a United States Marine Corps aviation combat service support unit based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar that was composed of 4 squadrons, that provided the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and I Marine Expe ...
and
Marine Air Control Group 38
Marine Air Control Group 38 (MACG-38) is a United States Marine Corps aviation command and control unit based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar that is currently composed of four squadrons and one battalion that provide the 3rd Marine Aircraf ...
established a
(FARP) at Tikrit South Air Base">mage 6 of 6 is a NATO term for an area where aircraft (typically helicopters) can be refuelled and re-armed at a dist ...
(FARP) at Tikrit South Air Base. Once established, this FARP supported Marine Corps aircraft from Marine Aircraft Group 29 (MAG-29) in support of the task force.
Upon entering Tikrit, Task Force Tripoli headquarters was established at Saddam's palace compound overlooking the
. The Marines began actively patrolling throughout Tikrit. On April 15, Gen Kelly met with local
s from the surrounding area for the first time where he stated that Marines would provide local security in return for assistance in helping to find any foreign fighters or regime loyalists still in the area. This was the first of many meetings between the two sides. One of the outcomes from these meetings was the Marines being able to secure the city of
about 25 miles north of Tikrit. From April 19–21 the task force conducted a
. On April 21, the Task Force drove south to link up with the rest of the 1st Marine Division at
.
On May 2, the task force was reestablished and began preparations to move south to the
infiltrators from moving north into Iraq. On May 3, each LAR battalion independently left the 1st Marine Division's assembly area in
and moved out to their individual staging areas. On May 4, the task force occupied the screen line just north of the border. On May 5, the task force was recalled due to a lack of activity on the border and proceeded to return to
.