Operation Northern Delay

Operation Northern Delay
Part of the 2003 invasion of Iraq
U.S. Army paratroopers preparing to board a C-17 Globemaster III to jump into Northern Iraq
Date 26 March 2003 Location Harir Air Base, Erbil Governorate, Iraq 36°31′59″N 44°20′25″E / 36.5331°N 44.3404°E / 36.5331; 44.3404 Result U.S. victory
Belligerents
United States  United Kingdom	Ba'athist Iraq
Units involved
173rd Airborne Brigade	Iraqi Army (Unknown)
Strength
1,000+ U.S. troops, <40 UK troops	Unknown
The operation involved dropping over 950 paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade into the Harir Air Base in Northern Iraq. The operation helped to relieve pressure on Coalition forces advancing toward Baghdad from the south. It was the last large-scale combat parachute operation conducted by the U.S. military since Operation Just Cause.
Bashur class=notpageimage| Location of Bashur Airfield in Iraq

Operation Northern Delay occurred on 26 March 2003 as part of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. It involved dropping paratroopers into Northern Iraq. It was the last large-scale combat parachute operation conducted by the U.S. military since Operation Just Cause.^[1]