Editing Task Force 20 (section)

===Invasion of Iraq===
In preparation for the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]], Task Force 20 was formed based on [[United States invasion of Afghanistan#Command structure|Task Force 11/Sword]] during the [[United States invasion of Afghanistan|2001 invasion of Afghanistan]] and were assigned to western Iraq, the TF (Task Force) was led by [[Major general (United States)|Major General]] [[Dell L. Dailey|Dell Dailey]]. TF 20 was composed of mainly [[Special forces|SOF]] units from [[Joint Special Operations Command]]: B squadron [[Delta Force]] and all 3 Battalions of the [[75th Ranger Regiment (United States)|75th Ranger Regiment]]; Able Co. 1–15 Inf. 3rd Infantry Division 3rd Brigade (Audie Murphy Battalion) were the first unit to assist in QRF and HVT for the TF 20 at BIAP and as 3rd ID's mission was to return home after completing the Invasion of Iraq. Then a battalion strength element of the [[82nd Airborne Division]], serving as a [[Quick reaction force|QRF]] and reinforcements; and a [[HIMARS|M142 HIMARS]]; later in the invasion [[M1 Abrams|M1A1 Abrams]] tanks from C Company, 2nd Battalion [[70th Armor Regiment|70th Armor]] were attached to TF 20.<ref>Neville, Leigh, '' Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military)'', Osprey Publishing, 2015 {{ISBN|978-1-4728-0790-8}}, p. 93</ref>

TF 20 was covertly based at [[Arar, Saudi Arabia|Ar'Ar]] Air Base in [[Saudi Arabia]]; the commander of the Delta Force squadron [[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|Lieutenant colonel]] Pete Blaber wanted to deploy his operators out into western Iraq and conduct strikes against enemy concentrations, tying up enemy forces that could otherwise be sent to reinforce against the Army and Marine advance from the south, such operation would also effectively deceive the Iraqis as to the true intentions of the coalition forces and precisely where the main effort would be concentrated. However, Dailey wanted the Delta squadron to stay at Ar'Ar Air Base and only launch against suspected [[Weapon of mass destruction|WMD]] sites and/or [[High-value target|HVT]], the disagreement was decided by [[General (United States)|General]] [[Tommy Franks]] who went with Blaber's plan. TF 20 was tasked with seizing airfields deep in Iraq and capturing HVTs along with providing long-range [[Special Reconnaissance]]; one of its primary pre-invasion targets was the planned seizure of [[Baghdad International Airport|Saddam International Airport]] in [[Baghdad]], two full-scale rehearsals were carried out but the operation was never carried out and the airport was eventually captured by conventional units.<ref>Neville, Leigh, '' Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military)'', Osprey Publishing, 2015 {{ISBN|978-1-4728-0790-8}}, p. 93, p.&nbsp;96</ref>

In the evening of 19 March 2003, Task Force 20, led by B squadron Delta Force (accompanied by several Air Force Special Tactics teams, a Delta intelligence and targeting cell, several military working dog teams and two Iraqi-American interpreters), was the first US SOF unit to enter western Iraq as part of the [[2003 invasion of Iraq#Special operations|initial infiltration]] before the main invasion. They later assisted coalition SOF in the capture [[H-3 Air Base]], Rangers were later flown in to garrison the base; unofficially, Task Force 20 had been in Iraq, along with British SOF Task Force 7 and 14, and the Australian SOF Task Force 64. Delta Force then proceeded to the [[Haditha Dam]] complex; it also conducted numerous [[2003 invasion of Iraq#Operations in western Iraq|deception operations to confuse the Iraqis as to the disposition of Coalition forces in the west]].<ref>Neville, Leigh, '' Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military)'', Osprey Publishing, 2015 {{ISBN|978-1-4728-0790-8}}, p.&nbsp;97, pp.&nbsp;127–128</ref>

On 24 March 2003, Delta Force recce operators drove through Iraqi lines around the [[Haditha Dam]], marking targets for Coalition airstrikes, the subsequent bombings resulted in the destruction of a large number of Iraqi armoured vehicles and antiaircraft systems. Also that day, [[3rd Ranger Battalion (United States)|3rd Battalion]] 75th Ranger Regiment conducted a combat drop onto [[H-1 Air Base]], securing the site as a staging area for operations in western Iraq. Delta's reconnaissance of the dam indicated that a much larger force was needed to capture it, so C squadron Delta squadron was dispatched from [[Fort Bragg]], with a further Ranger battalion, along with M1A1 Abrams tanks from C Company, 2nd Battalion 70th Armor (known as "Team Tank"). [[Boeing C-17 Globemaster III|C-17]]s flew the company from [[Talil]] to H-1 Air Base and then to MSS (Mission Support Site) Grizzly – a desert strip established by Delta Force which was located between [[Haditha]] and [[Tikrit]]; C Squadron, Delta Force was flown directly to MSS Grizzly.<ref>Neville, Leigh, '' Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military)'', Osprey Publishing, 2015 {{ISBN|978-1-4728-0790-8}},p.128-129</ref>

On 26 March 2003, the DEVGRU component in TF 20 supported by B company [[2nd Ranger Battalion (United States)|2nd Battalion]] 75th Ranger Regiment conducted the raid [[2003 invasion of Iraq#Objective Beaver|Objective Beaver]] – a suspected chemical and biological weapons site at the [[Lake Qadisiyah|al Qadisiyah reservoir]], north of Haditha, they engaged numerous gunmen but there was no chemical or biological weapons at the site.<ref>Neville, Leigh, '' Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military)'', Osprey Publishing, 2015 {{ISBN|978-1-4728-0790-8}}, p.&nbsp;97, pp.&nbsp;133–134</ref>

On 1 April 2003, DEVGRU along with Para Rescue Jumpers and Combat Controllers from the [[24th Special Tactics Squadron]] and Rangers from [[1st Ranger Battalion (United States)|1st]] and 2nd battalion 75th Ranger Regiment and other forces took part in the [[2003 invasion of Iraq#Jessica Lynch rescue|rescue of PFC Jessica Lynch]]; also that day C squadron Delta Force and 3rd battalion 75th Ranger Regiment [[2003 invasion of Iraq#Battle of Haditha Dam|captured the Haditha Dam and held it for a further 5 days]].<ref>Neville, Leigh, '' Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military)'', Osprey Publishing, 2015 {{ISBN|978-1-4728-0790-8}},p.128-129</ref>

Delta units headed north from Haditha to [[2003 invasion of Iraq#Special operations in northern Iraq|conduct ambushes along the highway above Tikrit]], tying up Iraqi forces in the region and attempting to capture fleeing high-value targets trying to escape to [[Syria]], Team Tank convinced Iraqi generals that the coalition main effort might be coming from the west. On 2 April 2003, they were engaged by half a dozen armed technicals from the same anti-special forces [[Fedayeen Saddam|Fedayeen]] that had previously fought Task Force 7. Two Delta operators were wounded and the squadron requested aero medical evacuation and close-air support as a company of truck-borne Iraqi reinforcements arrived to bolster the Fedayeen assault. Two MH-60K Blackhawks carrying a para jumper medical team and two MH-60L Black Hawk DAPs of the [[160th SOAR]] responded and engaged the Iraqis, which allowed the Delta operators to move their casualties to an emergency HLZ, after which they were medevaced to H-1 Air Base, escorted by a pair of [[Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II|A-10A]]s. However, [[Master sergeant]] George Fernandez died of his wounds. The DAPs stayed on station and continued to engage the Iraqis, destroying a truck carrying a mortar and several infantry squads, whilst Delta snipers killed Iraqi infantryman firing on the DAPs. A pair of A-10As arrived and dropped 500&nbsp;lb airburst bombs within 20m of Delta positions and killed a large number of Iraqi infantry who had been gathering in a wadi. The DAPs spotted several Iraqi units and engaged them until they were dangerously low on fuel.<ref>Neville, Leigh, '' Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military)'', Osprey Publishing, 2015 {{ISBN|978-1-4728-0790-8}},p.129-130</ref>

On 9 April 2003, the combined team seized an airfield near Tikrit during a night attack, one tank drove into a 40&nbsp;ft deep hole and flipped, injuring one of the crew and disabling the tank, which was later destroyed by another tank to deny it to the enemy. By mid-April, Delta had advanced into Baghdad and "Team Tank" returned to its parent unit.<ref>Neville, Leigh, '' Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military)'', Osprey Publishing, 2015 {{ISBN|978-1-4728-0790-8}}, p.&nbsp;131</ref>

Throughout April, TF 20 continued to raid suspected WMD sites, sometimes only hours ahead of the official Army WMD [[Site Exploitation|SSE]] team as major combat operations were winding down TF 20 transitioned to hunting HVT former [[Ba'ath Party (Iraqi-dominated faction)|Ba'athists]]. On 19 April 2003, the TF captured HVTs [[Muhammad Zaidan|Mohammed Abbas]], the leader of the [[Palestine Liberation Front|PLF]] terrorist group. On 25 April, captured the Iraqi [[deputy Prime Minister]] [[Tariq Aziz]]. TF 20 also recovered a [[Mil Mi-17|Mi-17 Hip]] helicopter for later use in covert operations.<ref>Neville, Leigh, '' Special Forces in the War on Terror (General Military)'', Osprey Publishing, 2015 {{ISBN|978-1-4728-0790-8}}, pp. 167–168, p.&nbsp;190</ref>