On Point: the United States Army in Operation Iraqi ... - Boekje Pienter

At 1430 on 23 March, 3rd BCT took control of the fight at As Samawah from 3-7 CAV. Thedivision resumed control of the cavalry and ordered it north toward An Najaf, the next majorcity on the route to Baghdad. The 3-7 CAV would seize the bridge on Objective FLOYD andisolate An Najaf from the east and north. 81 This mission would also serve as a second feintagainst the Medina Division, presenting the Iraqis with the prospect of the main effort crossingeast of the Euphrates River in An Najaf. After briefly refitting, the squadron moved north alongHighway 9, which amounted to running a gauntlet that the soldiers dubbed “Ambush Alley.” 82The 3-7 CAV’s fight on Highway 9 is discussed in the next chapter.Better IntelligenceThe intelligence picture in As Samawah improved as the 3rd BCT’s fight evolved. Naturally,as soldiers gain and maintain contact with the enemy, they develop a better understanding ofthe environment and the threat. Captured Iraqis revealed that paramilitary forces were forcingcivilians to fight, executing those who refused. They also stated that every school had beentaken over and was being used as a command post or staging base. The pattern in As Samawahappeared to mirror that in An Nasiriyah, where a captured Iraqi captain claimed the Fedayeenassassinated 50 Iraqi soldiers because they were not fighting hard enough. 83Figure 71. 3rd BCT assumes control of As Samawah133