- In March 2003, US and allied forces invaded Iraq.
- US special-operations forces wanted to infiltrate northern Iraq to tied down Iraqi forces there.
Special-operations forces often rely on surprise and violence of action to defeat larger forces. During the opening hours of the invasion of Iraq 20 years ago, the US special operators gambled that those traits could pave the way for the fall of Saddam Hussein.
As part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, US military planners decided to invade Iraq from the south and push north toward Baghdad. But US commanders also wanted to open a second front, and Iraq's vast northwestern border presented an enticing opportunity to US special operators.
US commandos decided to feint a strike in the north to keep Iraqi military units in the area from reorienting to meet the invasion force in the south.
In an ambitious effort reminiscent of the Allies' long-range commando raids during World War II, US special-operations troops launched Operation Ugly Baby, a daring attempt to outmaneuver Iraqi forces and pave the way to a US victory.
Operation Ugly Baby
As the US military was getting ready for Operation Iraqi Freedom, there was a question of whether Turkey would allow US forces to cross its territory to reach northern Iraq.
US special-operations forces intended to work with Kurdish Peshmerga fighters to keep 13 Iraqi divisions in the north. Although a NATO member, Turkey was wary of anything that could strengthen or embolden Kurdish forces. The Turkish military ultimately refused to allow US forces to fly through Turkish airspace for the invasion, which was launched on March 20, 2002.
"It was about three days of us trying to get into northern Iraq by flying over Turkish airspace, and each time they would deny our flight," Army Special Forces Chief Warrant Officer 5 Jefferey Elwell said of the initial operations on the 20th anniversary of the invasion.
During those operations, Turkish fighter jets even intercepted the MC-130 Combat Talon special-operations aircraft carrying US troops and forced them to fly back to base.
In the end, US special operators took off from Romania and flew through Jordan to reach Iraq, which forced them to cross over heavily defended Iraqi territory to reach their destination.
On the night of March 21, six MC-130s from the Air Force's 352nd Special Operations Squadron took off with about 300 Green Berets. Over Iraq, the MC-130 pilots flew 250 feet above the ground at speeds of almost 350 mph, relying on night-vision goggles and terrain-following radar to guide them. In conditions where a small mistake could be fatal, the pilots expertly flew the planes through Syria and Iraq.
The low altitude allowed the aircraft to evade air-defense radars and anti-aircraft missiles, but it increased the risk they faced from small-arms fire, which could be just as deadly.
When they finally encountered Iraqi troops, the aircraft were flying so low that the surprised Iraqis initially overshot their targets, but the staggered formation of the US aircraft gave the Iraqis time to adjust their fire. As the fire intensified, the pilots maneuvered their aircraft, which carried dozens of troops, sharply to evade.
"We passed over a small convoy, and they started firing everything from shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile systems to pistols and everything in between," Elwell, then an Operational Detachment Alpha team sergeant, recalled.
One of the MC-130 took so many hits from Iraqi ground fire that it had to abort, declaring an emergency and landing in Turkey. "As the ramp came down, everyone started running as they realized aviation fluid was spilling over the tarmac," Elwell said.
The rest of the aircraft continued and landed safely in the desert, completing the infiltration and allowing the Green Berets to link up with their Peshmerga partners. The detour extended the infiltration route to more than 1,000 miles, making it what the Air Force said was the longest low-level infiltration since World War II.
Task Force Viking
Two years after leading the US invasion of Afghanistan, US commandos had successfully returned to Iraq, but Operation Ugly Baby was only the beginning of the US special-operations campaign in northern Iraq.
In all, Task Force Viking numbered about 400 special operators, including elite Delta Force commandos, Green Berets from the 10th Special Forces Group, and frogmen from the UK's Special Boat Service. CIA officers also provided intelligence and specialized support to the commandos.
But what it lacked in numbers, it made up in partners. Task Force Viking led some 50,000 Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, conducting raids and other operations, including close-air-support coordination, that tied down about 150,000 Iraqi soldiers and elite Republication Guard troops, preventing them from putting up more resistance to the US-led invasion force in the south.
In Iraq, US special operators proved again that they were a reliable tool for US policymakers. The invasion lasted only a few weeks, but the insurgency that soon emerged dominated the Pentagon's attention for seven years.
US special operators led the years-long counterinsurgency and counterterrorism campaign that followed and played a key role in destroying Al Qaeda in Iraq.
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. He is working toward a master's degree in strategy and cybersecurity at Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies.