Published 14 December 2011. [207], ODA 563 worked in support of the US Marines around Al Diwaniyah with local Sheikhs and their militias supported by AV-8Bs and F/A-18s; managing to capture the city of Qwam al Hamza. Viking Hammer was set to begin on 21 March, however, the ground component of the operation was set back several days owing to the issues around infiltrating most of the 3rd Battalion 10th SFG into Iraq. However, the wells were quickly capped and the fires put out, preventing the ecological damage and loss of oil production capacity that had occurred at the end of the Gulf War. U.S. General Tommy Franks assumed control of Iraq as the supreme commander of the coalition occupation forces. On 1 May President George W. Bush declared an end to major combat operations: this ended the invasion period and began the period of military occupation. Coalition troops launched an air and amphibious assault on the Al-Faw peninsula during the closing hours of 19 March to secure the oil fields there; the amphibious assault was supported by warships of the Royal Navy, Polish Navy, and Royal Australian Navy. About 130,000 arrived from the U.S. alone, with about 45,000 British soldiers, 2,000 Australian soldiers, and 194 Polish soldiers. "War in Iraq: Not a Humanitarian Intervention", "107th Congress-2nd Session 455th Roll Call Vote of by members of the House of Representatives", "107th Congress-2nd Session 237th Roll Call Vote by members of the Senate", "Links to Opinions of Legality of War Against Iraq", "Invasion right but 'illegal', says US hawk", "War critics astonished as US hawk admits invasion was illegal", "Iraq Invasion Violated International Law, Dutch Inquiry Finds: Investigation into the Netherlands' Support for 2003 War Finds Military Action was Not Justified under UN Resolutions", "International court hears anti-war claims", "WESTON: Canada offered to aid Iraq invasion: WikiLeaks", "Governor General announces awarding of Meritorious Service Decorations", "A weak northern front could lengthen Iraq War", "Saddam counts on Republican Guard as last chance for defending Baghdad", "CDI Primer: Iraqi Military Effectiveness", "Most loyal soldiers in Iraq belong to Fedayeen Saddam", "Labour claims its actions are lawful while it bombs Iraq, starves its people and sells arms to corrupt states, John Pilger", "RAF bombing raids tried to goad Saddam into war", "British bombing raids were illegal, says Foreign Office – Times Online", "Bush 'plotted to lure Saddam into war with fake UN plane, "A chronology of the six-week invasion of Iraq", "Iraqi Leader, in Frantic Flight, Eluded U.S. The following day, crowds gathered in the centre of the city to welcome coalition forces and destroy symbols of the old regime. [204], After Sargat was taken, Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 10th SFG and CIA paramilitary officers along with their Kurdish allies pushed south towards Tikrit and the surrounding towns of Northern Iraq. In keeping with the rapid advance plan, the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division moved westward and then northward through the western desert toward Baghdad, while the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force moved along Highway 1 through the center of the country, and 1 (UK) Armoured Division moved northward through the eastern marshland. Nasiriyah was declared secure, but attacks by Iraqi Fedayeen continued. [67] On 5 February 2003, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell addressed the United Nations General Assembly, continuing U.S. efforts to gain UN authorization for an invasion. Bogdanos notes that the Ministry of Oil building was bombed, but the museum complex, which took some fire, was not bombed. [177], On 1 April, C squadron, Delta Force and 3/75th Ranger Regiment conducted a night-time ground assault in their Pinzgauers and GMVs against the Haditha Dam complex. The Iraqi army suffered from poor morale, even amongst the elite Republican Guard. Lieutenant-Colonel Tim Collins addresses the Royal Irish Regiment on the eve of the invasion, March 2003, Soldiers dig in during the journey north into Iraq, March 2003. Six members have no military, meaning that they withheld troops completely. This battle was for control of the territory that was occupied by Ansar al-Islam. Iraqi military helicopters and planes regularly contested the no-fly zones. Air cover as provided by an AC-130 Spectre and a Marine EA-6 Prowler to jam any enemy SAM systems that might be present. They managed to keep the northern divisions in place rather than allowing them to aid their colleagues against the U.S.-led coalition force coming from the south. As Staff Sergeant Brian Plesich reported in On Point: The United States Army in Operation Iraqi Freedom, The Marine Corps colonel in the area saw the Saddam statue as a target of opportunity and decided that the statue must come down.