The Battle of Al-Faw: Securing Iraq’s Southern Gateway

Introduction: The Strategic Importance of Al-Faw

In the early hours of March 20, 2003, the skies above southern Iraq were black, save for the thudding blades of helicopters slicing through the air over the Persian Gulf. Below, the narrow strip of land known as the Al-Faw Peninsula waited—silent, dark, and primed for destruction. Intelligence warned of explosives rigged to Iraq’s vital southern oil infrastructure, potentially triggering a catastrophic environmental and economic disaster.

As Operation Iraqi Freedom began, the very first boots on the ground weren’t storming Baghdad—they were dropping onto the beaches, oil platforms, and refineries of Al-Faw. British Royal Marines, backed by elite U.S. Navy SEAL teams and supported by coalition naval assets, launched a coordinated amphibious and airborne assault to secure the gateway to Iraq’s only deep-water port and prevent Saddam Hussein from sabotaging the region’s most critical assets.

This was no symbolic seizure—it was a high-risk operation with immediate, tangible stakes. Within hours, the world would know whether the coalition had pulled off one of the most important opening maneuvers of the war… or watched a peninsula go up in flames.

US aircraft fly over burning oil rigs during the Gulf War

Prelude to the Battle

To understand the significance of the Battle of Al-Faw, one must look back to 1991, when Saddam Hussein’s forces unleashed an environmental catastrophe during the Gulf War. As they retreated from Kuwait, Iraqi troops ignited hundreds of oil wells and dumped millions of barrels of crude into the Persian Gulf. The result: the largest oil spill in history and a stark warning of what Saddam might do again if cornered.

The Al-Faw Peninsula, a 30-mile-long strip of marshland flanked by the Shatt al-Arab waterway and the Persian Gulf, was home to Iraq’s most vital southern oil terminals—including the key offshore GOPLATs (Gas and Oil Platforms) and land-based pumping stations. It also guarded access to the port of Umm Qasr, Iraq’s only deep-water shipping hub. If these assets were destroyed or left in enemy hands, it would not only cripple Iraq’s postwar recovery but trigger a new wave of environmental devastation.

Coalition planners knew that if war came, Al-Faw had to be seized—and fast. British commanders tasked 3 Commando Brigade with executing what would become the largest amphibious assault by the UK military since the Falklands War. The goal: capture the peninsula intact, neutralize Iraqi defenders before they could sabotage the infrastructure, and open the route to Umm Qasr for humanitarian aid.

Supporting this bold move were U.S. Navy SEALs, charged with raiding the offshore GOPLATs just before the main assault. Polish special operations units stood ready to assist, while American hovercraft, naval gunfire, and logistics assets ensured rapid deployment and fire support. It was a high-stakes gamble, relying on surprise, speed, and surgical precision.

Naval Special Warfare operators look for weapons and explosives at Iraq’s Mina Al Bakr Oil Terminal during the operation

Planning and Preparation

The mission to seize Al-Faw was audacious—and dangerously complex. Weeks before the opening salvo of Operation Iraqi Freedom, coalition planners worked in tight secrecy to choreograph a simultaneous strike by air, sea, and special operations. The British 3 Commando Brigade, with its decades of amphibious warfare expertise, was placed at the operation’s tip.

Royal Marines rehearsed beach assaults under live fire, studied satellite imagery of Iraqi defenses, and trained alongside U.S. Navy and Marine Corps elements. Key objectives were mapped: oil terminals, pumping stations, key road junctions, and suspected command posts. Timing was everything—if Iraqi forces were given even minutes to react, they could blow the peninsula’s infrastructure sky-high.

The operation would open with a stealth insertion: U.S. Navy SEALs striking offshore to seize the GOPLATs, followed minutes later by Royal Marine commandos airlifted directly onto land-based targets inland. Within hours, naval hovercraft would deliver armored support and heavy weapons to consolidate gains. Failure wasn’t an option—success meant denying Saddam his leverage; failure could mean an ecological catastrophe on a scale the world hadn’t seen in a decade.

Naval Special Warfare operators inspect a shipping container at Mina Al Bakr during the operation to secure the oil platform

The Assault Begins: Nighttime Insertion

Coalition Forces Mobilize

At 2200 hours on March 20, the night exploded into motion. Off the coast, U.S. Navy SEAL Teams 3 and 8, riding RHIBs (rigid-hull inflatable boats), launched toward the oil platforms perched in the Gulf. Intelligence suggested they were rigged to blow. The SEALs boarded and cleared the structures with surgical precision, neutralizing Iraqi guards and confirming that demolition charges had, indeed, been laid. But they were too late—the SEALs had beaten them to the trigger.

Meanwhile, in the skies above the coastline, CH-46 Sea Knight and CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters roared toward their drop zones. Inside were dozens of Royal Marines from 40 Commando and 42 Commando, strapped in and silent, rehearsing the sequence of movements they’d drilled for weeks. As the helicopters dropped to near sea level to avoid radar, an incident reminded everyone how real the danger was: one CH-46 crashed during the approach, killing all onboard—eight British commandos and four American crew.

Initial Engagements

The rest pressed on. Touching down at pre-dawn, the Marines stormed key targets across the peninsula. Resistance was lighter than expected—most Iraqi forces were poorly equipped conscripts—but the danger came not from enemy fire, but from hidden explosives, potential traps, and the race against the clock to secure oil infrastructure intact.

Securing the Oil Infrastructure and GOPLATs

By dawn, British forces had reached every primary objective on the peninsula. Iraqi positions crumbled quickly under the shock and speed of the assault. Royal Engineers moved in immediately to search for and disarm explosives around the pumping stations and refineries. In coordination with naval forces offshore, they cleared paths to bring in light armor and supplies from the sea.

Capture of Oil Terminals

Back on the platforms, the SEALs held their positions until relieved. The GOPLATs, with their critical role in Iraq’s oil export network, had been secured with zero environmental damage—one of the coalition’s top strategic goals on night one of the war.

Support and Reinforcements

Within hours of the initial landings, a constant stream of U.S. Navy LCACs (Landing Craft Air Cushion) began arriving on the beaches. These massive hovercraft delivered light armored vehicles, artillery, and logistics supplies needed to hold the peninsula and push further inland toward Umm Qasr.

Meanwhile, 148 (Meiktila) Battery Royal Artillery coordinated with coalition air power and naval gunfire, providing precision fire support to root out remaining Iraqi positions and interdict reinforcements moving south. Helicopters flew resupply and medevac sorties, even as enemy artillery sporadically targeted landing zones.

Though the battle for Al-Faw wrapped up quickly on the ground, the logistical tail—clearing mines, restoring facilities, and securing port operations—would take days. But the mission had been accomplished: the peninsula was intact, the oil was flowing, and the gateway to southern Iraq was open.

Coalition Cohesion: A Multinational Assault

The Battle of Al-Faw wasn’t won by any one nation alone. It was a combined arms, multinational assault—carefully synchronized across military cultures and capabilities. Each coalition partner brought specific strengths to the operation, and their coordination became a case study in joint warfare.

United Kingdom: The Spearhead

Leading the assault were the British Royal Marines of 3 Commando Brigade, a unit with a legacy forged in cold water and hard landings. Their three primary combat units—40, 42, and 45 Commando—executed helicopter assaults and amphibious landings, securing the peninsula with speed and discipline. Royal Engineers followed closely, disarming charges around oil infrastructure, while 148 Battery Royal Artillery provided fire coordination between air and sea assets.

Support came from the Royal Navy, which maintained offshore dominance with destroyers and amphibious support vessels, ready to bring in reinforcements or call in naval gunfire if needed.

United States: Strategic Backbone and Special Operations

The U.S. Navy SEALs of Teams 3 and 8 conducted the opening strike on the offshore GOPLATs—arguably the most sensitive and hazardous portion of the operation. Their success in securing the platforms intact prevented an environmental and economic disaster.

Behind the scenes, U.S. Navy LCACs from Assault Craft Unit 4, operating off the USS Rushmore (LSD-47) and other vessels of Amphibious Task Force West, delivered light armor, engineering equipment, and critical logistics to the beaches of Al-Faw. These assets enabled the Royal Marines to rapidly consolidate their positions and prepare for further operations inland.

Overhead, A-10 Thunderbolt IIs and Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers from the 15th and 26th Marine Expeditionary Units provided close air support, suppressing remaining resistance and ensuring the assault’s momentum never faltered.

Even the U.S. Coast Guard played a critical role. Port Security Units (PSUs) were among the first American forces to operate in Umm Qasr, safeguarding the flow of humanitarian aid and maritime logistics.

Poland and Other Allies: Quiet Professionals

Though not in the spotlight, Polish special operations forces worked alongside coalition units in reconnaissance and target interdiction roles. Their presence reinforced NATO unity and marked Poland’s emergence as a credible contributor to multinational operations.

Polish special forces guard harbor in AL-Faw

Interoperability in Action

The Battle of Al-Faw proved more than a tactical victory—it was a demonstration of modern coalition warfare. Units from different nations, operating under different command structures, executed a complex mission with shared intent and minimal friction. That cohesion would be tested again in the weeks to follow—but on the first night of the war, it delivered.

Legacy of the Al-Faw Operation

The capture of Al-Faw was one of the most important—and least widely recognized—victories of the Iraq War’s opening phase. In just over 24 hours, coalition forces seized Iraq’s southern energy infrastructure, prevented an ecological disaster, and opened the door for humanitarian operations in the port of Umm Qasr.

It was a campaign of firsts:

• First amphibious assault of the war
• First coalition boots on Iraqi soil
• First oil infrastructure secured intact
• First major test of joint warfare since the Gulf War

There were costs. The CH-46 crash during insertion underscored the danger of low-level night operations. And in the days that followed, engineers uncovered additional mines and traps—proof Saddam intended mass destruction, but was beaten to the punch.

Strategically, the impact was massive. With oil terminals intact and Umm Qasr operational, Iraq’s economy had a lifeline. And the coalition sent a message: they had come not just to destroy—but to protect what mattered most from a regime that once lit it all on fire.

Conclusion

The Battle of Al-Faw rarely makes headlines in retrospectives of the Iraq War. There were no tanks thundering down highways, no dramatic footage of statues falling. But in terms of strategic effect, it was one of the most decisive operations of the war’s opening hours.

Strategic Outcomes

It achieved what modern warfare often struggles with: speed, precision, and minimal collateral damage. In under 36 hours, coalition forces secured vital energy infrastructure, enabled humanitarian logistics, and delivered a clean tactical victory with global ramifications. Oil didn't burn. Ports weren’t choked. And southern Iraq’s lifeline to the sea remained open.

Lessons Learned

For the Royal Marines, SEALs, Coast Guard port security teams, and all who took part, Al-Faw is more than a footnote—it’s a benchmark of what joint, disciplined, and well-led forces can accomplish when everything has to go right the first time.

It’s no surprise then that the date of the assault—March 20th—is now officially recognized as a "Corps Memorable Date" by the Royal Marines. For those who landed on the dark, oil-soaked coastline of Iraq that night, the battle may have been brief—but its impact was permanent.