U.S. Marines, Fallujah, Iraq, 2004

Photo by Franco Pagetti / VII. U.S. Marines, Fallujah, Iraq, 2004.

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U.S. Marines of 3rd Platoon, Lima Company, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) patrol the area from a rooftop during an evening confrontation with insurgents on the south bank of the Euphrates river in Fallujah, Al Anbar governorate, Iraq on Nov. 15, 2004. Located some 40 miles west of the Iraqi capital, Fallujah has been the epicenter of a resistance that has dogged U.S. and Iraqi forces for over a year. On the eve of November 8th, in an attempt to recapture the city, Operation Phantom Fury commenced and coalition troops pushed into the area from the west and south. Soon, combat engulfed the forces’ advance, as insurgents engaged them with sniper fire and RPGs in one of the fiercest battles yet.