- Operation Iron Hammer (Iraq 2003)
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Operation Iron Hammer Part of The War on Terrorism,
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Members 1st Armored Division wait to begin a cordon and search of a Baghdad neighborhood as part of Operation Iron Hammer.Date November 12–18, 2003 Location Baghdad, Iraq Result Capture of anti-coalition forces weapons;
failure to suppress expanding InsurgencyBelligerents 
United States
Iraqi InsurgencyCasualties and losses None Reported 2 Killed
3 woundedNone Reported Operation Iron Hammer was a joint operation between the US Army, US Air Force and Iraqi Civil Defense Corps with the objective of preventing the staging of weapons by anti-coalition forces, and preemptively destroy enemy operating bases and fighters in Baghdad.
The operation was launched on the night of November 12, 2003 by elements of the US Army’s 1st Armored Division who performed cordon-and-search actions in several Baghdad neighborhoods. The operation’s first salvo came when 1st Armored Division soldiers saw mortar rounds being fired from a van and gave chase, noting stops it made. An AH-64 Apache helicopter followed the van and attacked it, killing two suspected anti-coalition fighters and wounding three others. Five others were captured. Soldiers found an 82 mm mortar launch tube at one of the van's stops.
In Operation Iron Hammer the military began preemptively destroying buildings suspected to be bases of operations for anti-coalition forces. The buildings included the former Republican Guard building, in the western part of the capital near Baghdad International Airport, and a warehouse in southern Baghdad. Both buildings had been used to conduct attacks on U.S. troops and were destroyed by AC-130 Spectre gunships and M2 Bradley fighting vehicles. U.S. forces also fired artillery rounds at two suspected mortar and rocket launch sites, one in western Baghdad and one in eastern Baghdad.
At the conclusion of Operation Iron Hammer Coalition forces has conducted 609 patrols in and around Baghdad capturing 33 enemy personnel. Combat actions included two cordon-and-search operations in Baghdad, detaining six people with suspected ties to the Fedayeen Saddam paramilitary organization and other anti-coalition elements. Another cordon-and-search operation in Baghdad's Azamiyah section netted 25 enemy personnel, including a former Republican Guard general, and significant quantities of weapons and ammunition. A joint cordon-and-search operation was also conducted in the Abu Ghuraib area with the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps.
Military Units Involved
- US forces reported to be involved were
- 1st Armored Division
- Iraqi forces reported to be involved were
- Iraqi Civil Defense Corps
Casualties
No casualty figures are available. Please see Wikipage "Casualties of Iraq War" for information on casualty figures for the war in general.
Followed Operation OK Corral, followed by Operation Eagle Curtain.
2003 Iraq war Operations2003 Operations Iraqi Freedom • Abiline • Airborne Dragon • All American Tiger • Antica Babilonia (Ancient Babylon) • Arrowhead Blizzard • Bayonet Lightning • Boothill • Bulldog Mammoth • Catalyst • Chamberlain • Choke Hold • Clear Area • Desert Scorpion • Desert Snowplough • Desert Thrust • Devil Siphon • Eagle Curtain • Falconer • Gratitude • Industrial Sweep • Iron Bullet • Iron Force • Iron Grip • Iron Hammer • Iron Justice • Ivy Blizzard • Ivy Cyclone • Ivy Cyclone II • Ivy Lightning • Ivy Needle • Ivy Serpent • Longstreet • Mandarin Squeeze • Northern Delay • OK Corral • Option North • Overcoat • Panther Backroads • Panther Squeeze • Peninsula Strike • Planet X • Red Dawn • Rifles Blitz • Rifles Fury • Rifle Sweep • Salm • Santa Strike • Scorpion Sting • Sidewinder • Silverado • Soda Mountain • Spartan Scorpian • Sweeny • Telic • Tiger Clean Sweep • Tyr • WhitehouseSee also Iraq • Invasion • Post Invasion • Iraq Operations - Chronological • Timeline • Insurgent attacks • CasualtiesPrior events Disarmament crisis · WMD claims · Rationale · Popular opinion · Public relations · February interview · Biological weapons
Invasion Multi-National Force · Timeline · Battle of Nasiriyah · Invasion of Baghdad · Debecka Pass · Firdos Square statue · Mission Accomplished Speech
Occupation Military operations Coalition Provisional Authority · Iraq Interim Governing Council · Insurgency · Human rights · Civil war · Execution of Saddam Hussein · U.S. troop withdrawal · Insurgent attacks · Aircraft losses
Opinions Opposition · Protests · Criticism · Legitimacy · United Nations · International community · Associated people
Controversy Mahmudiyah killings · Blackwater Baghdad shootings · Haditha killings · Ishaqi incident · Mukaradeeb wedding party massacre · Baghdad airstrike · Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse · Iraq War documents leak · Baghdad Museum looting
Aftermath Refugees · Duelfer Report · Damage to Baghdad · Aid and Investment · Economic reform · Financial cost · Casualties · Chilcot Inquiry
Timeline Iraq War at Wikinews · Commons Categories:- Military operations of the Iraq War involving the United States
- Military operations of the Iraq War in 2003
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