Major US Offensive Targets Al-Qaeda In Iraq

Today, the US bombed al Qaeda safe areas in an aggressive attack on the southern outskirts of Baghdad this morning, unleashing 38 bombs in 10 minutes on suspected havens of Al Qaeda in Iraq.

In all, they dropped 40,000 pounds of bombs on Arab Jabour, in an area of mostly farmland. This is part of Operation Phantom Phoenix, an offensive aimed at eliminating safe havens for these terrorists and is focused on Diyala province, where al Qaeda fighters retreated yesterday in the face of a US/Iraqi offensive consisting of about 4,000 troops with armor suport.

The Diyala region accounts for more than 40% of attacks nationwide, and al Qaeda had settled into the area after being pushed out of Baghdad and Anbar province.US intel estimated that 50 to 60 senior terrorist leaders had been holed up northwest of Muqdadiya, but they fled in the face of the US and Iraqi forces.
Attacked from both land and the air, the rats are running out of holes to hide in.

The top U.S. commander in northern Iraq, Major General Mark Hertling told a press conference that his troops would pursue the militants until they were dead or fled the country.

"We're attempting to increase the tempo of operations in that specific province," Hertling said. "There are more U.S. and Iraqi security forces in Diyala now than there ever has been...Why now? Because we can. Baghdad is more secure. Anbar is more secure," he said. "Why now? Because ... the enemy has moved into these (northern) provinces."

As al Qaeda is driven out, the plan is for the Sunni `Awakening Councils' to move in with the Iraqi police to keep the peace, a strategy that worked well in Anbar and elsewhere.

This is undoubtedly a greeting for the new military commander of al Qeada in Iraq, Shaker al-Abessi, who reportedly has now slipped into the country with his top men via Syria.

Another interesting thing about Operation Phantom Phoenix is an emphasis on goals that go beyond military victory. When the deputy U.S. commander in Iraq, Lieutenant General Ray Odierno announced the start of the new operation, he said its goal was to crush al-Qaida in Iraq and at the same time improve the social situation for Iraqis.

Part of the plan is increased efforts to speed up what the US military has already been putting n place elsewhere - public works projects to try to improve schools, boost electricity and potable water service, pave roads, and rebuild sewer systems.

Given how well our warriors have done at cleaning out al-Qaeda, I suppose we can add vermin control to that list.