2953 x 2215 px | 25 x 18,8 cm | 9,8 x 7,4 inches | 300dpi
Data acquisizione:
25 novembre 2004
Ubicazione:
FOB Marez, Mosul, northern Iraq.
Altre informazioni:
This is an M1134 ATGM (Anti-Tank Guided Missile) vehicle of the 1st Battalion 24th Infantry Regiment (1-24), nicknamed "Deuce Four", at FOB (Forward Operating Base) Marez in Mosul, northern Iraq. It is about to deliver Thanksgiving Day food to an outpost in the city. It carries a makeshift handwritten sign mounted on the front grill that says in Arabic: “STOP - do not move or we will fire on you.” It is fitted with slat armour, designed as protection against RPGs. This was during the aftermath of the Battle of Mosul (8 - 16 November 2004) when insurgents took control of most of the city. A variant of the M1126 Stryker, the M1134 ATGM vehicle provides an anti-armor overwatch capability allowing the Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) to concentrate on the use of M1126 ICVs to deploy soldiers quickly and under protection. It is the primary tank destroyer of the SBCT, capable of defeating armored threats up to 4 km away using the TOW missile system. The first Stryker brigades were deployed to Iraq in October 2003. The 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (SBCT) "Lightning" (a Stryker brigade), and served in Iraq from October 2004 to October 2005. Camp Marez was near Mosul Airport, initially home to the 101st Airborne Division rear command post and various other units. It was initially known as Camp Performance, then Forward Operating Base/Fire Base Glory. In early 2004 it was renamed Camp Marez. Following the US-led invasion in March 2003, the Americans went on to occupy Iraq for eight years as part of a multi-national force, their troops finally departing in 2011.
