Battle of Al Faw (2003)
~3,500 men
1,000+ men
History & Significance
The Battle of Al Faw began on 20 March 2003 and continued for four days, as part of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
One of the initial objectives of the Coalition was to capture every GOPLAT (gas and oil platform) in the Al-Faw Peninsula before they could be sabotaged or destroyed by the Iraqi military. Doing so would also deny Iraq the ability to cause another ecological disaster, as it had done with the Kuwait oil fires and the Persian Gulf oil spill in 1991. By seizing the country's coast, the Coalition would also ensure a quicker takeover of Iraqi oil production.
The 3 Commando Brigade of the British Armed Forces would also capture Umm Qasr at the same time, so that Umm Qasr Port—the only deep water port in Iraq—could be used to bring in heavy military supplies once Khawr Abd Allah was cleared by the Mine Counter Measures Task Group. The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit of the United States Marine Corps was placed under the command of the 3 Commando Brigade in order to provide the necessary force for capturing both targets.
The following list details the strength of the Coalition (the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and Poland) during this operation.
The main objective for the coalition was to capture the Khawr Abd Allah waterway on the al-Faw peninsula, allowing relief vessels to deliver emergency aid and equipment. During the Gulf War, the Iraqis had mined the waterway and the northern Gulf. Coalition commanders suspected they would do the same again, so the coalition dispatched minesweepers to clear the areas of mines. The eastern side of the waterway was part of the al-Faw peninsula and Iraqi-occupied, the mine-sweepers were not heavily armed or armoured and would be vulnerable to the Iraqi defenses on both the bank and from the rest of the al-Faw peninsula, the waterway was shallow and its canals were dry so large warships could not provide an effective defence for the mine-sweepers. So it became necessary for the coalition commanders that the eastern bank of the Khawr Abd Allah waterway and the al-Faw peninsula had to be secured; additionally, the docks at Umm Qasr could only be used safely if the al-Faw peninsula was secured.
Another important objective on the al-Faw peninsula was the Iraqi oil infrastructure, coalition analysis of the major Iraqi southern oilfields, the routes of the pipelines and locations of the pumping-stations revealed that they all culminated in the al-Faw peninsula where 90% of Iraq's oil was exported through the peninsula via two gas and oil platforms just a few miles off the al-faw coast.
The plan for the assault and eventual capture of the al-Faw peninsula was that US Navy SEALs from SEAL Team 3 would make the initial assault on the MMS (monitoring and metering station) and the pipelines that allowed Iraq to export its oil from the southern fields to the Gulf, landing via 8 MH-53 helicopters. After 30 minutes, the Royal Marines would take over whilst the SEALs would depart. The main objective for 800 marines from 40 Commando as part of the brigades objective was to secure the MMS, B and C company and the MSG (Maneuver Support Group) would land by helicopters (that had previously taken in the SEALs), on the eastern bank of the Khawr Abd Allah waterway to secure it and then set up a defensive perimeter around the MMS. An hour later, A and D company would be flown in by Chinook and Sea King helicopters and the rest of 40 commando would then move out and capture the rest of the peninsula and the town of Al-Faw. 3 ships from the Royal Navy and 1 from the Royal Australian Navy were assigned to provide fire support, as well as an AC-130.
The ground they fought on
The site of Battle of Al Faw (2003) lies on Llandovery Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Llandovery. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.
- 19 killed (15 British, 4 U.S.)
- 150+ killed; 440 captured
Frequently Asked Questions
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