In March 2003 , Nasiriyah was one of the first major battles of the 2003 invasion of Iraq . Phillip Mitchell of the International Institute for Strategic Studies so described the town 's strategic importance to The Guardian : On March 23 , the U.S. invasion force was ambushed near the city : 11 US Soldiers were killed and Army Private Jessica Lynch , Army Private Lori Piestewa and Specialist Shoshana Johnson were taken prisoners of war during the skirmishes . The Battle of Nasiriyah between Iraqi forces and the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade under the call sign " Task Force Tarawa " of the U.S. Marine Corps lasted between about March 23 and March 29 , in which 18 Marines were killed and over 150 were wounded , including a number hit by friendly fire from Air Force A‑10 aircraft , but the Iraqi resistance was defeated fairly rapidly thereafter . The town has been relatively calm since the fall of Saddam Hussein . A truck bomb killed 19 Italian soldiers and 11 civilians in November 2003 ( see 2003 Nasiriyah bombing ) , and clashes erupted here in April 2004
2003 Nasiriyah bombing
2003 Nasiriyah bombing
Nasiriyah