Battle of Al Kut (2003)
On April 3, 2003, the 1st Marine Division reached the outskirts of Al Kut, and broadcast a warning to the Iraqi defenders there, ordering them to surrender by 0700 GMT.Fearing a close-quartered urban battle, the US forces remained on the outskirts of the city, returning fire and killing many defenders.The gunfire was answered by numerous tank rounds and heavy machine gun fire, and after four hours the bunker's defenders had been killed, injured, or captured.One US Marine, Corporal Mark Evnin, was killed during the battle when he was mortally wounded by Iraqi machine gun fire.Several militants of the Fedayeen Saddam continued to hold out within isolated pockets in the city, but no major Iraqi forces now opposed the American drive into Baghdad.