633:), along with Qusay's son and a bodyguard, were hiding in the informer's home in Mosul. The 101st passed this information to their divisional special forces liaison, who passed it on to TF 20. Platoons from the 101st Airborne set up an outer cordon around the target house; a Delta assault team prepared to breach and clear the building from the entrance, whilst a Delta interpreter called upon the occupants to surrender. The informer and his two sons left the building as previously agreed. Delta operators breached and entered, upon which they were immediately engaged by small arms fire, which wounded one Delta operator. As they withdrew from the house, the occupants threw grenades from the second floor on them, and several Delta operators were lightly wounded by the grenade fragments; the stairs had also been blocked to impede any rapid assault. Another group of assaulters fast-roped from a MH-6 Little Bird onto the roof of the building to examine the possibility of entering the building through the roof, but this wasn't possible. The decision was taken to soften up the target with heavy weapons before another entry. After soldiers of the 101st Airborne engaged the building with .50 cal HMGs and M136 anti tank rockets, a third entry attempt was made, but was again driven back by intense gunfire. The 101st fired 10 TOW missiles from HMMWV-mounted
571:
54:
70:
284:
billets, the 3-Star DCOM for Fleet and Joint
Operations (DCOM-FJO) and the 2-Star DCOM for Fleet Management/Chief of Staff (DCOM-FM/COS). These two individuals will report directly to me for their respective portfolios. Recognizing the significant increase in direct report subordinate commands, I will also dual-hat the DCOM-FJO as Commander, Task Force 20 (CTF 20), with delegated command responsibilities for SECOND Fleet's subordinate commands (
28:
617:
and/or his sons; other reports claimed the convoy was composed of oil smugglers. Once the convoy was destroyed by the AC-130s, TF 20 conducted a heliborne assault into a nearby compound that proved to be a Ba'athist safehouse for ferrying FREs (Former Regime
Elements) across the border. The operators
641:
firing 2.75 rockets and .50 cal machine guns. Delta subsequently made a successful entry and moved up onto the second floor, finding Qusay and the bodyguard dead. Qusay's son was hiding under a bed and opened fired on the operators, leaving them no choice but to kill him. Uday was discovered wounded
283:
In effect, the tasks of the Second Fleet commander and staff were reassigned to
Commander, Task Force 20 until Fleet Forces Command was reorganized on 14 September 2012. The Commander, Fleet Forces Command said on his blog that "It was for these reasons that I approved the establishment of two DCOM
413:
In the evening of 19 March 2003, Task Force 20, led by B squadron Delta Force (accompanied by several Air Force
Special Tactics teams, a Delta intelligence and targeting cell, several military working dog teams and two Iraqi-American interpreters), was the first US SOF unit to enter western Iraq as
531:
On 9 April 2003, the combined team seized an airfield near Tikrit during a night attack, one tank drove into a 40 ft deep hole and flipped, injuring one of the crew and disabling the tank, which was later destroyed by another tank to deny it to the enemy. By mid-April, Delta had advanced into
514:
that had previously fought Task Force 7. Two Delta operators were wounded and the squadron requested aero medical evacuation and close-air support as a company of truck-borne Iraqi reinforcements arrived to bolster the
Fedayeen assault. Two MH-60K Blackhawks carrying a para jumper medical team and
382:
Pete Blaber wanted to deploy his operators out into western Iraq and conduct strikes against enemy concentrations, tying up enemy forces that could otherwise be sent to reinforce against the Army and Marine advance from the south, such operation would also effectively deceive the Iraqis as to the
527:
George
Fernandez died of his wounds. The DAPs stayed on station and continued to engage the Iraqis, destroying a truck carrying a mortar and several infantry squads, whilst Delta snipers killed Iraqi infantryman firing on the DAPs. A pair of A-10As arrived and dropped 500 lb airburst bombs
194:
the designator was reserved for the Second Fleet's Battle Force, and the commander of that force was to be
Commander, Second Fleet. This was the documented case from 1978 to 1987, and from probably much earlier. The task force was probably intended primarily at that time to undertake attacks on
231:. She was off the port side firing 5-inch star shells for illumination, to spot icebergs, when there was a misfire. According to standard procedure the gunner began to point the barrel toward the water to wait out a hangfire. However, the round cooked off halfway down. The round hit the
276:'s position who also concurrently serves as the deputy commander of Fleet & Joint Operations, the deputy commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command and the director of Combined Joint Operations From The Sea, Centre of Excellence. Task Force 20 was commanded by Vice Admiral
606:, who had been Saddam Hussein's personal secretary and had been ranked the fourth most important HVT. He was captured in a joint helicopter and ground assault on a safehouse in Tikrit without resistance or casualties, in what was considered a highly successful operation.
347:; Able Co. 1β15 Inf. 3rd Infantry Division 3rd Brigade (Audie Murphy Battalion) were the first unit to assist in QRF and HVT for the TF 20 at BIAP and as 3rd ID's mission was to return home after completing the Invasion of Iraq. Then a battalion strength element of the
598:
in May 2003, 80% of SOF assets were rotated out of the theatre at the conclusion of major combat operations, elements of Task Force 20 remained and continued to hunting HVT former Ba'athists under direct JSOC command and had several successes in its early operations.
445:, securing the site as a staging area for operations in western Iraq. Delta's reconnaissance of the dam indicated that a much larger force was needed to capture it, so C squadron Delta squadron was dispatched from
422:, Rangers were later flown in to garrison the base; unofficially, Task Force 20 had been in Iraq, along with British SOF Task Force 7 and 14, and the Australian SOF Task Force 64. Delta Force then proceeded to the
224:. Between 27 November and 4 December, she participated in cold-weather exercises in Davis Strait, between Greenland and East Baffin Island, as part of Task Group 20.2. An incident during that cruise involving the
167:. In its Second Fleet role, TF-20 served as that fleet's Battle Force. In its subsequent role in the Fleet Forces Command, TF-20 served in a training role for U.S. naval units preparing to deploy to the
528:
within 20m of Delta positions and killed a large number of Iraqi infantry who had been gathering in a wadi. The DAPs spotted several Iraqi units and engaged them until they were dangerously low on fuel.
510:, Team Tank convinced Iraqi generals that the coalition main effort might be coming from the west. On 2 April 2003, they were engaged by half a dozen armed technicals from the same anti-special forces
383:
true intentions of the coalition forces and precisely where the main effort would be concentrated. However, Dailey wanted the Delta squadron to stay at Ar'Ar Air Base and only launch against suspected
235:
on the signal bridge, killing
Coxswain Robert Fountain and starting a fire involving an acetylene tank which was lashed to the railing. One or two officers' cabins were destroyed as well.
519:
responded and engaged the Iraqis, which allowed the Delta operators to move their casualties to an emergency HLZ, after which they were medevaced to H-1 Air Base, escorted by a pair of
437:, marking targets for Coalition airstrikes, the subsequent bombings resulted in the destruction of a large number of Iraqi armoured vehicles and antiaircraft systems. Also that day,
1106:
618:
then came under fire from Syrian border guards, leading to a firefight that left several of the border guards dead with 17 more captured who were immediately released.
272:
The post of
Commander, Task Force 20, which was an additional post for the fleet's commander during the fleet's existence, has been maintained as a three-star
613:
gunships guided in by TF 20 operators destroyed a convoy of Ba'ath Party members escaping to Syria. Intelligence indicated that the convoy may have included
410:, two full-scale rehearsals were carried out but the operation was never carried out and the airport was eventually captured by conventional units.
317:
136:
in the
Atlantic from after the Second World War. This was part of the formal United States Military Communications-Electronic Board system.
729:
540:
457:
to H-1 Air Base and then to MSS (Mission Support Site) Grizzly β a desert strip established by Delta Force which was located between
398:
who went with Blaber's plan. TF 20 was tasked with seizing airfields deep in Iraq and capturing HVTs along with providing long-range
776:
697:
285:
1101:
602:
On 16 June 2003, operators from G Squadron, SAS (part of Task force 14) and B squadron, Delta Force, captured Lieutenant-General
503:
449:, with a further Ranger battalion, along with M1A1 Abrams tanks from C Company, 2nd Battalion 70th Armor (known as "Team Tank").
520:
746:
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321:
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On 22 July 2003, a former Ba'athist regime member used an informer to pass intelligence to the 101st Airborne Division that
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128:
is a temporary combat force designation that has been used several times and may still be used by separate parts of the
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379:
183:
164:
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Throughout April, TF 20 continued to raid suspected WMD sites, sometimes only hours ahead of the official Army WMD
496:
336:
265:), assigned to the Second Fleet, became the core of Task Group 20.5, the carrier task group that would support the
140:
492:
277:
415:
506:, tying up Iraqi forces in the region and attempting to capture fleeing high-value targets trying to escape to
148:
480:, north of Haditha, they engaged numerous gunmen but there was no chemical or biological weapons at the site.
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484:
403:
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269:. On 25 October 1983, aircraft from Independence's embarked air wing flew missions supporting the invasion.
273:
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187:
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133:
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103:
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255:
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143:, one of the designations used by the JSOC high value targets task force which began its life as
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deception operations to confuse the Iraqis as to the disposition of Coalition forces in the west
399:
348:
218:
552:
313:
113:
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Task Force 20 was disestablished effective 1 October 2012, and its functions transferred to
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team as major combat operations were winding down TF 20 transitioned to hunting HVT former
352:
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207:
8:
364:
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244:
213:
was en route to Davis Strait as part of Task Group 20.2, which also included the cruiser
704:
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On 1 April 2003, DEVGRU along with Para Rescue Jumpers and Combat Controllers from the
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262:
75:
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in the Atlantic, and was previously one of the task force designators assigned to the
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1012:
Task Force Black: The Explosive True Story of the Secret Special Forces War in Iraq
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On 24 March 2003, Delta Force recce operators drove through Iraqi lines around the
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240:
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495:; also that day C squadron Delta Force and 3rd battalion 75th Ranger Regiment
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before the main invasion. They later assisted coalition SOF in the capture
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and 2nd battalion 75th Ranger Regiment and other forces took part in the
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340:
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On 26 March 2003, the DEVGRU component in TF 20 supported by B company
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179:
85:
670:
Polmar, Ships and Aircraft of the US Fleet, Fourteenth Edition, 1987,
559:
402:; one of its primary pre-invasion targets was the planned seizure of
360:
280:
from 30 September 2011 until its disestablishment on 24 August 2012.
292:, ESG-2) and Second Fleetβs existing Task Forces and Task Groups."
324:
and were assigned to western Iraq, the TF (Task Force) was led by
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407:
171:
in the East Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, as well as the
139:
The other iteration was a much more temporary task force of the
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356:
239:
did not get back to Norfolk until 13 December 1946. Commander
777:"USFF Commanders Guidance Brief to Senior Staff 17 Sep_FINAL"
591:
507:
465:; C Squadron, Delta Force was flown directly to MSS Grizzly.
454:
27:
476:β a suspected chemical and biological weapons site at the
497:
captured the Haditha Dam and held it for a further 5 days
243:
served as CTG 20.2 for a Mediterranean deployment aboard
159:
Task Force 20 was a task force for the now-deactivated
1075:
Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military)
1054:
Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military)
1033:
Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military)
991:
Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military)
970:
Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military)
949:
Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military)
928:
Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military)
907:
Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military)
886:
Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military)
865:
Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military)
844:
Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military)
823:
Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military)
802:
Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military)
532:
Baghdad and "Team Tank" returned to its parent unit.
132:. The longer-established iteration was a part of the
1107:
Military units and formations disestablished in 2012
637:into the house, followed by repeated gun runs from
441:75th Ranger Regiment conducted a combat drop onto
147:(also doubling a U.S. Navy designation) after the
642:and armed, a Delta operator shot and killed him.
551:terrorist group. On 25 April, captured the Iraqi
1093:
562:helicopter for later use in covert operations.
504:conduct ambushes along the highway above Tikrit
163:, as well as a now-inactive task force for the
378:; the commander of the Delta Force squadron
574:Delta Force Operators of Task Force 20 and
175:in the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf.
609:On 18 June 2003, near the Syrian border,
543:. On 19 April 2003, the TF captured HVTs
502:Delta units headed north from Haditha to
190:. According to Norman Polmar, writing in
569:
472:75th Ranger Regiment conducted the raid
286:Commander Strike Force Training Atlantic
1094:
762:Commander, Fleet Forces Command blog,
728:: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
302:
192:Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet,
154:
426:complex; it also conducted numerous
363:tanks from C Company, 2nd Battalion
316:, Task Force 20 was formed based on
307:
13:
515:two MH-60L Black Hawk DAPs of the
391:, the disagreement was decided by
184:United States Fleet Forces Command
165:United States Fleet Forces Command
26:
14:
1118:
565:
337:Joint Special Operations Command
141:Joint Special Operations Command
68:
52:
1067:
1046:
1025:
1004:
983:
962:
941:
920:
899:
878:
857:
779:. Scribd.com. 17 September 2012
635:TOW II antitank guided missiles
331:. TF 20 was composed of mainly
203:in the event of a general war.
1102:United States Navy task forces
1014:, St. Martin's Griffin, 2012,
896:, p. 97, pp. 133β134
854:, p. 97, pp. 127β128
836:
815:
794:
769:
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736:
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681:
664:
149:September 11 terrorist attacks
1:
657:
485:24th Special Tactics Squadron
206:From 21 to 27 November 1946,
178:Task Force 20 was one of the
1064:,p.167-168, pp. 190β191
604:Abid Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti
404:Saddam International Airport
370:TF 20 was covertly based at
343:and all 3 Battalions of the
322:2001 invasion of Afghanistan
182:designators assigned to the
7:
645:
493:rescue of PFC Jessica Lynch
10:
1123:
1077:, Osprey Publishing, 2015
1056:, Osprey Publishing, 2015
1035:, Osprey Publishing, 2015
993:, Osprey Publishing, 2015
980:, pp. 167β168, p. 190
972:, Osprey Publishing, 2015
951:, Osprey Publishing, 2015
930:, Osprey Publishing, 2015
909:, Osprey Publishing, 2015
888:, Osprey Publishing, 2015
867:, Osprey Publishing, 2015
846:, Osprey Publishing, 2015
825:, Osprey Publishing, 2015
804:, Osprey Publishing, 2015
355:and reinforcements; and a
188:United States Second Fleet
161:United States Second Fleet
134:United States Second Fleet
130:United States armed forces
104:United States Second Fleet
558:. TF 20 also recovered a
173:United States Fifth Fleet
169:United States Sixth Fleet
109:
99:
91:
81:
63:
47:
39:
25:
20:
749:28 November 2011 at the
687:USS Missouri Association
367:were attached to TF 20.
359:; later in the invasion
766:, accessed October 2011
753:, accessed October 2011
576:101st Airborne Division
312:In preparation for the
629:(who had $ 15 million
595:
478:al Qadisiyah reservoir
453:flew the company from
400:Special Reconnaissance
349:82nd Airborne Division
254:In late October 1983,
31:
764:1 May 2011 blog entry
573:
553:deputy Prime Minister
314:2003 invasion of Iraq
114:Naval Station Norfolk
30:
21:Task Force 20 (TF-20)
578:soldiers during the
547:, the leader of the
416:initial infiltration
345:75th Ranger Regiment
833:, p. 93, p. 96
318:Task Force 11/Sword
267:Invasion of Grenada
1001:, pp. 190β191
596:
380:Lieutenant colonel
303:JSOC Task Force 20
263:Carrier Group Four
155:United States Navy
76:United States Navy
32:
1083:978-1-4728-0790-8
1062:978-1-4728-0790-8
1041:978-1-4728-0790-8
999:978-1-4728-0790-8
978:978-1-4728-0790-8
957:978-1-4728-0790-8
936:978-1-4728-0790-8
915:978-1-4728-0790-8
894:978-1-4728-0790-8
873:978-1-4728-0790-8
852:978-1-4728-0790-8
831:978-1-4728-0790-8
810:978-1-4728-0790-8
789:Slides 21, 45, 46
676:978-0-87021-649-7
487:and Rangers from
261:'s battle group (
120:
119:
1114:
1086:
1073:Neville, Leigh,
1071:
1065:
1052:Neville, Leigh,
1050:
1044:
1031:Neville, Leigh,
1029:
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1008:
1002:
989:Neville, Leigh,
987:
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968:Neville, Leigh,
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905:Neville, Leigh,
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884:Neville, Leigh,
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863:Neville, Leigh,
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842:Neville, Leigh,
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821:Neville, Leigh,
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800:Neville, Leigh,
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703:. Archived from
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582:to capture/kill
474:Objective Beaver
308:Invasion of Iraq
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751:Wayback Machine
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698:"Archived copy"
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594:, 22 July 2003.
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525:Master sergeant
351:, serving as a
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251:in April 1984.
241:Carrier Group 6
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123:
69:
67:
53:
51:
35:
34:CTF-20 insignia
12:
11:
5:
1120:
1110:
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1104:
1088:
1087:
1085:, pp. 193β195.
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1020:978-1250006967
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982:
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710:on 1 June 2013
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615:Saddam Hussein
611:AC-130 Spectre
567:
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545:Mohammed Abbas
309:
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278:David H. Buss)
217:and destroyer
201:Kola Peninsula
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339:: B squadron
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781:. Retrieved
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712:. Retrieved
705:the original
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639:OH-58 Kiowas
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443:H-1 Air Base
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420:H-3 Air Base
414:part of the
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396:Tommy Franks
376:Saudi Arabia
374:Air Base in
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100:Part of
95:Battle Force
15:
742:U.S. Navy,
523:. However,
435:Haditha Dam
424:Haditha Dam
361:M1A1 Abrams
357:M142 HIMARS
341:Delta Force
335:units from
329:Dell Dailey
320:during the
228:Little Rock
215:Little Rock
197:Soviet Navy
110:Garrison/HQ
1096:Categories
938:,p.129-130
917:,p.128-129
875:,p.128-129
658:References
556:Tariq Aziz
541:Ba'athists
517:160th SOAR
447:Fort Bragg
365:70th Armor
180:task force
116:, Virginia
86:Task Force
48:Allegiance
560:Mi-17 Hip
288:(CSFTL),
256:USS
245:USS
226:USS
221:Fechteler
208:USS
43:1946β2012
1022:, p. 17.
783:15 April
747:Archived
724:cite web
646:See also
512:Fedayeen
237:Missouri
233:Missouri
210:Missouri
812:, p. 93
714:6 April
580:mission
459:Haditha
408:Baghdad
393:General
290:4 x CSG
247:America
1081:
1060:
1043:,p.191
1039:
1018:
997:
976:
955:
934:
913:
892:
871:
850:
829:
808:
674:
631:bounty
521:A-10As
463:Tikrit
73:
64:Branch
57:
40:Active
708:(PDF)
701:(PDF)
678:, 18.
592:Mosul
508:Syria
455:Talil
451:C-17s
372:Ar'Ar
1079:ISBN
1058:ISBN
1037:ISBN
1016:ISBN
995:ISBN
974:ISBN
953:ISBN
932:ISBN
911:ISBN
890:ISBN
869:ISBN
848:ISBN
827:ISBN
806:ISBN
785:2012
730:link
716:2013
672:ISBN
625:and
623:Uday
586:and
584:Uday
461:and
219:USS
92:Role
82:Type
590:in
549:PLF
537:SSE
489:1st
406:in
389:HVT
385:WMD
353:QRF
333:SOF
1098::
787:.
726:}}
722:{{
499:.
430:.
299:.
151:.
732:)
718:.
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