[Rhodes22-list] Iraq - Public Service Announcement

[Brad Haslett]

If you have any interest at all in what's going on in Iraq this week, here
is a good source.  The MSM has already decided the war is lost and will only
report on dead American soldiers.  We are in the middle of a major battle as
we speak, and, we will lose some of our finest.  Here is the latest.  Brad

------------------------------

*By Bill Roggio and DJ Elliott*

*A look at the largest offensive operation in Iraq since 2003*

Four days after the announcement of major offensive combat operations
against al Qaeda in Iraq and its allies, the picture becomes clearer on the
size and scope of the operation. In today's press briefing, Rear Admiral
Mark noted that the ongoing operation is a corps directed and coordinated
offensive operation. This is the largest offensive operation since the first
phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom ended in the spring of 2003.

The corps level operation is being conducted in three zones in the Baghdad
Belts -- Diyala/southern Salahadin, northern Babil province, and eastern
Anbar province --- as well as inside Baghdad proper, where clearing
operations continue in Sadr City and the Rashid district. Iraqi and
Coalition forces are now moving into areas which were ignored in the past
and served as safe havens for al Qaeda and Sunni insurgent groups. As the
corps level operation is ongoing, Coalition and Iraqi forces are striking at
the rogue Iranian backed elements of Muqtada al Sadr's Mahdi Army and
continuing the daily intelligence driven raids against al Qaeda's network
nationwide.

Multinational Division North is leading the offensive in Diyala province and
southern Salahadin. The current offensive in Diyala was telegraphed when
Multinational Forces Iraq announced the creation of the Diyala Operational
Command on June
14<http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=10815>,
just as the announcement of the Baghdad Operational Command in January
immediately preceded the onset of the Baghdad Security Plan. The Diyala
Operational Command is essentially a corps command for the Iraqi security
forces in the province which allows for the Army and National Police units
to coordinate efforts throughout the region.

*Operation Arrowhead Ripper*, the assault on Baqubah, kicked off with an air
assault. Iraqi Army scouts accompanied elements of the 3rd Stryker Brigade
Combat Team of the 2nd Infantry Division. The operation in Baqubah is
modeled after the successful operation to clear Tal Afar in September of
2005 <http://billroggio.com/archives/2005/09/operation_resto.php>, which was
designed and executed by Col. H.R. McMaster. The plan is to essentially
"seal, kill, hold and rebuild." The city is cordoned, neighborhoods are
identified as friendly or enemy territory, the neighborhoods are then
segmented and forces move in with the intent to kill or capture the enemy.
As both Michael
Gordon<http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/20/world/middleeast/20military.html?_r=1&ref=middleeast&oref=slogin>and
Michael
Yon <http://michaelyon-online.com/wp/be-not-afraid.htm> reported from
Baqubah, the goal isn't just to clear the city of insurgents, but to trap
and kill them in place. The combat operations are then immediately followed
by humanitarian and reconstruction projects.

At last count, three U.S. combat brigades, two Iraqi Army Brigades and one
Iraqi National Police Brigade in direct action at Baqubah. The number of
Iraqi brigades inside the city may be growing, however. "Iraqi Defense
Ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari said about 5,000 Iraqi soldiers and
2,000 paramilitary police were fighting," reported the *Associated Press*.
"Iraqi forces said they took control of neighborhoods in Baqouba and were
greeted by cheering people." This would equate to two Iraqi Army brigades
(2-5 and probably 3-5). The "paramilitary police" is probably 1st Iraqi
National Police Mechanized Brigade from Taji.

One U.S. and two Iraqi Army brigades (possibly upwards of four) are in
blocking positions in the area. Newer Iraqi Army units are being used as
blocking forces. The police units were not built for major offensive
operations of this scale, and the less seasoned Iraqi Army units are better
suited to take blocking positions.

Iraqi Armored units are likely taking up blocking positions along the Tigris
River to prevent al Qaeda fighters from crossing into neighboring Salahadin
province. The long guns and heavy machine guns on the armor allow the Iraqi
forces to protect the bridge crossings and take out barges and craft used to
cross the river. A curfew has been imposed on the province of Diyala, which
likely includes instructions to keep off the rivers. This strategy has been
employed by Multinational Division Central, which destroyed a
barge<http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12424&Itemid=128>on
the Tigris river near Salman Pak south of Baghdad. The craft was being
used to smuggle "ammunition and bomb-making materials into Baghdad.'

The operation in Baqubah is a microcosm of the larger operation in Diyala,
while Diyala is one but one of three of the corps level operations. The same
goal is shared across the three theaters: cordon the regions, trap and kill
al Qaeda and clear the areas, and then move in security forces in for
stability and reconstruction operations.

In the south, Multinational Division Central is leading offensive
operations, dubbed *Operation Marne Torch*, in northern Babil province. Two
U.S. combat brigades and one Iraqi Army brigade are on the offensive south
of Baghdad, while one U.S. Army brigade and two Iraqi National Police are in
blocking positions. After four days, *Operation Marne Torch* has yielded 4
insurgents killed, 62
captured<http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12425&Itemid=128>,
ten caches and five improvised explosive devices seized and 17 boats
destroyed.

In the east, Multinational Forces West is engaged "north of Fallujah" -
likely in Karma and the Thar Thar region, where al Qaeda and Sunni
insurgents maintain support nodes in the desert expanse of the Jazeera
desert nearly equidistant to Baghdad, Fallujah and Samarra. A Marine
Regimental Combat Team, a Marine Expeditionary Unit and an Iraqi Army
Brigade appear to be the teeth of the offensive operations while elements of
the 1st Iraqi Army Division are in blocking positions.

While the major offensive operation is occurring in the Baghdad Belts
against al Qaeda and Sunni insurgent holdouts, major raids continue against
Sadr's forces and the Iranian cells in Baghdad and the south. Two major
engagements occurred against Sadr's forces since Monday -- one in Amara and
one in Nasariyah. Scores of Mahdi Army fighters were killed during both
engagements after Iraqi Special Operations Forces, backed by Coalition
support, took on Sadr's forces.

The Iraqi government and Multinational Forces Iraq are sending a clear
message to Sadr: when the fighting against al Qaeda is finished, the Iranian
backed elements of the Mahdi Army are next on the list if they are not
disbanded. Also, the Iraqi military and Multinational Forces Iraq possesses
enough forces to take on Sadr's militia if they attempt to interfere with
current operations.

Finally, as the major operation is ongoing and Sadr's forces are challenged,
Task Force 145 (or Task Force 88, it appears) continues its war in the
shadows against al Qaeda's network nationwide. Raids against al Qaeda's
networked on June 16 and 17 resulted in 10 terrorists killed and 20
captured<http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12364&Itemid=128>,
while raids on June 18 and 19 resulted in one al Qaeda killed and 15
captured<http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12402&Itemid=128>
.

Multinational Forces Iraq and the Iraqi Security Forces have now launched
operations on all fronts simultaneously against al Qaeda. The three major
theaters of the belts, plus Baghdad, are seeing massive operations, and
Special Forces continues to hunt al Qaeda's operatives nationwide. Sadr and
his Iranian backed Mahdi Army have been put on notice, with force to back it
up. The enemy will have little space to operate, and al Qaeda's attempts to
move operations to Salahadin or the north toward Mosul will expose the
network. The pressure must be maintained over a significant period of time
in order to sufficiently degrade al Qaeda's operational abilities
nationwide, and provide the Iraqi government with the time and space needed
to resolve the political issues.