Mission 1 - Chronology Tuesday, July 22, 2003 9:00 a.m. - Elite soldiers of Task Force 20, including the Army's Delta Force operatives move into assault positions; the 101st Airborne division sets up a cordon around the villa. 10:00 a.m. - Antitank platoons and weapon squads surround the home; the suspects are instructed to surrender. Receiving no response, Task Force 20 uses C-4 explosives to break through the front gates. 10:10 a.m. - US soldiers are fired upon when entering the home. Three coalition soldiers are wounded on the stairs and one outside, forcing a withdrawal. 10:45 a.m. - US soldiers fire MK-19 grenade launchers and two anti-tank rockets at the house; soldiers in armed Humvees spray the house with .50-caliber machine gun fire. 11:22 a.m. - The 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division begins moving additional forces including a ground quick reaction force that consists of one antitank platoon. 11:45 a.m. - Soldiers in Kiowa helicopters fire rockets at the house and 350 rounds from .50-caliber machine guns. 11:50 a.m. - More troops are added to secure the site including an antitank platoon and a psychological operations team on the ground. 11:55 a.m. - Kiowa helicopters finish pummeling the house with rockets and machine gunfire. 12:00 p.m. - US soldiers enter the home, but are fired upon from the second floor. Ground forces retreat. 12:30 p.m. - US forces realize there the subjects are fairly well barricaded on the reinforced second floor and firing continues at the house from the outside. 1:00 p.m. - Soldiers fire Humvee-mounted .50-caliber machine guns, MK-19 grenade launchers and 10 TOW anti-tank, guided missiles at the house. 1:21 p.m. - Soldiers enter the home, killing the last living suspect. They find the bodies of the three other individuals on the second floor. 2:02 p.m. - The soldiers have cleared and secured the entire house. They recover the four bodies of Iraqis killed in the assault and remove them for identification. 3:00 p.m. - The 101st Airborne begins cleaning up and repairing the area where the house is located. |
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