WrrH THE 2D MARINE DIVISION IN DESERT SHIELD AND DESERT STORM             69


along Phase Line Bear, clearing any pockets of resistance within its sectors.
This was to be an especially large undertaking for some of the division's units.
Both the 2d Battalion, 4th Marines, and the 1st Banal ion, 8th Marines, had
bypassed major Iraqi positions in their zones. The logistics area that the 2d
Banal ion, 4th Marines, had entered contained a large number of well-built and
furnished bunkers, as well as several ordnance caches.~ In the light of the new
day, the Marines of the 3d Battalion, 23d Marines, could see that they were in
the center of a larger complex than they had realized. The agricultural area
contained a vast complex of bunkers which might still contain Iraqi soldiers, and
there were considerably more tanks and armored vehicles than had been
destroyed the previous night. The battalion swept the area with two companies,
using a psychological operations tape in Arabic to induce any remaining Iraqis
to surrender. The vehicles were to be destroyed by combat engineers once the
area had been swept. A tank platoon from the 4th Tank Battalion also joined in
the sweep, but its involvement ended when a secondary explosion in an Iraqi
tank killed one Marine crewman and wounded another. The work of clearing
this area would continue through 1 March.~
   In its final task of the day, the 3d Banalion, 23d Marines, was ordered to
move northeast, closer to the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines. At the northern edge
of the farm complex, it received sniper and rocket fire. Reacting quickly,
Marines destroyed an Iraqi ammunition truck and some Iraqi soldiers were
killed.~~~ This was to be the 2d Marine Division's last action against Iraqi armed
forces during the conflict.


  _                        I~~~
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                  ~~                              ~WAy               A-

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                                    Departmcnt of Defense Pto(0 (USMC) 0214 18 91
Iraqi prisoners gather at one of Se vera' con:pounds set up by the 2d Manne Division, 25
February 1991.