Today in History: The Battle of Fallujah Begins

12 years ago today, the Iraq War's bloodiest battle began in Fallujah.Known as Operation Al Fajr and Operation Phantom Fury, the battle spanned from November 7th to Christmas Eve, 2004. As Marines and Army soldiers hunkered down, they watched the air-assault of the city during the day, knowing that the next morning it was their turn to run in.Once the ground assault began, squads of Infantry members went building by building, block by block, clearing the city. 82 troops were killed over the course of the battle, of the 12,000 that were involved. An additional 600 were wounded. U.S. officials estimate that 2,000 insurgents were killed, and an additional 1,200 were captured alive.Fallujah was eventually turned over to the Iraqi government, but was retaken in January of 2014 by Islamic Militants as they resurfaced and swept across the region.Below are videos featuring combat footage from the battle:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWXpiVcCsOAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL4fUTGk3kghttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX-DbuzWZCw