The raid on the Golden Mosque took place on October 1, 2004 as part of the Battle for Samarra, also known as Operation Baton Rouge. The 36th Iraqi Commando Battalion, led by US special forces troops (possibly 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group), breached the compound after an AH64 Apache eliminated a three-man RPG team in the mosque with Hellfire missiles.

Once inside the mosque, the elite troops came under small arms fire from more than two dozen armed insurgents. A US regular Army sniper from 1-14 Infantry, pulling cordon counter sniper operations, engaged and eliminated another armed insurgent.

The Iraqi and US commandos ended up capturing 26 enemy fighters in the Golden Mosque. One US service member, possibly Army Sgt. Michael A. Uvanni, of the National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment, was KIA during the operation as well.

About the Author

Josh Brooks

Josh is an American writer and former USMC machine gunner with eight years of experience in ground combat arms throughout the GWOT. He is currently based in Texas and specializes in combat footage analysis and digital marketing.Follow Josh at OfficialJoshBrooks.com