The Battle of Al Qaim (code-named Operation Matador) was a military offensive conducted by the United States Marine Corps, against insurgent positions in Iraq's northwestern Anbar province, which ran from 8 May 2005 to 19 May 2005. It was focused on eliminating insurgents and foreign fighters in a region known as a smuggling route and a sanctuary for foreign fighters ^[2]. The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the United States military responsible for providing power projection from the sea,[1] utilizing the mobility of the U.S. Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces. ... An insurgency, or insurrection, is an armed uprising, or revolt against an established civil or political authority. ... May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (129th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 19 is the 139th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (140th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Details

In mid-May 2005, elements of the 2nd Marine Division conducted a sweep of an insurgent-held area near the Syrian border. It lasted eleven days, during which the U.S. troops killed more than 125 suspected insurgents and captured 39 others. The Marines captured few weapons caches and suffered 9 killed in action and 40 wounded in action. Notable among these casualties was a squad from 1st Platoon, Lima Company 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines which had all of its members killed or wounded ^[3]. 2005 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Wikimedia Commons has media related to: May 2005 Deaths in May May 26: Eddie Albert May 25: Ismail Merchant May 25: Sunil Dutt May 25: Graham Kennedy May 22: Thurl Ravenscroft May 21: Howard Morris May 21... The U.S. 2nd Marine Division is a division of the United States Marine Corps, which forms the ground-force component of the II Marine Expeditionary Force. ... Temporary grave of an American machine-gunner during the Battle of Normandy. ... WIA is a three letter abbreviation meaning Wounded in action. ... 3rd Battalion 25th Marines (3/25) is a reserve infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps headquartered in Brookpark, Ohio with units throughout Ohio, New York and West Virginia. ...

Many of the insurgents encountered were wearing uniforms, and in some cases were wearing protective vests. Further more coalition officials noted that the training, tactics and organization displayed by the insurgents battled in the Syrian desert exceeded that which had been seen in other engagements further east, with only the exception of the former members of the Fedayeen (that comprised a large portion of insurgents fought by the Coalition in Operation Vigilant Resolve.) Thus it is plausible to believe that the Fedayeen made a large portion of the insurgents fought in Matador. Fedayeen Saddam (فدائيي صدام) was a paramilitary organization loyal to the former Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein. ... Combatants United States Iraqi insurgents Commanders James T. Conway Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Strength 1,200[1] 3,000 - 6,000 Casualties 83 KIA , WIA 90+ (U.S) [1] 615 military and civilian KIA Operation Vigilant Resolve, sometimes referred to as the First Battle of/for Fallujah was an abortive...

Additionally, the Marines in Matador did not have sufficient numbers to setup a permanent garrison in Al-Qa'im and the other insurgent held towns and withdrew as a result. Consequently as soon as they left guerilla fighters were back in the towns and reestablished control over the town. ^[4],Insurgents' continued presence in the Syrian desert meant that the Syrian border would remain a viable route for smuggling military equipment used by the insurgency .The engagement could loosely be described as a running battle, with the heaviest fighting taking place in urban environments located in Ubaydi, Arabi, and Al-Qa'im, all are cities in the insurgent dominated Al Anbar Governorate^[5]. It was followed by Operation Squeeze Play. This article or section needs to be updated. ... Al Anbar (Arabic: ‎ ) is an overwhelmingly Sunni Arab province of Iraq. ... During the American-led occupation of Iraq, Operation Squeeze Play was a combined US/Iraqi sweep of the western suburbs of Baghdad launched on 22 May, 2005. ...

See also

• 2005 in Iraq
• Post-invasion Iraq, 2003–2006
• Iraqi insurgency
• Al Anbar Governorate
• Syrian Desert

Image File history File links USMC_logo. ... Occupation zones in Iraq as of September 2003 The post-invasion period in Iraq followed the 2003 invasion of Iraq by a multinational coalition led by the United States, which overthrew the Baath Party government of Saddam Hussein. ... The Iraq resistance movement is the armed resistance by diverse groups to the coalition occupation of Iraq. ... Al Anbar (Arabic: ‎ ) is an overwhelmingly Sunni Arab province of Iraq. ... The Syrian Desert is a combination of steppe and true desert that is located in parts of the nations of Syria, Jordan, and Iraq. ...

Notes

1. ^ http://www.icasualties.org/oif/prdDetails.aspx?hndRef=5-2005
2. ^ Miles, May 10, 2005
3. ^ Knickmeyer, Ellen* (May 11, 2005). "Demise of a hard-fighting squad: Marines who survived ambush are killed, wounded in blast". Washington Post. Retrieved on 2006-07-06.
4. ^ Knickmeyer, Ellen (May 16, 2005). "Military Offensive in Iraq"Iraq. The Newshour. PBS. Retrieved on 2006-07-06.
5. ^ Knickmeyer, Ellen (May 15, 2005). "Looking for Battle, Marines Find That Foes Have Fled-Hunt for Foreign Insurgents Proves Frustrating but Deadly". The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2006-07-06.

* Ellen Knickmeyer is the Bagdad bureau chief for the Washington Post and an embedded reporter in Iraq.

May 10 is the 130th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (131st in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (132nd in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Washington Post is the largest newspaper in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... May 16 is the 136th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (137th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Not to be confused with Public Broadcasting Services in Malta. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (136th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... Bagdad can refer to several places. ...

References

• Miles, Donna (May 10, 2005). Operation Matador Helping Flush Insurgents From Western Iraq. DefenseLINK News. U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved on 2006-07-17.

May 10 is the 130th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (131st in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... July 17 is the 198th day (199th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 167 days remaining. ...

External links

• Flower, Kevin; Dulami, Enes; and Kianne Sadeq (May 14, 2005). Hunt for insurgents near Syria ends, More than 125 insurgents, nine Marines dead. CNN. Retrieved on 2006-07-17.