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Wednesday, 09 January 2008 MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQPRESS DESKBAGHDAD, Iraqhttp://www.mnf-iraq.com703.343.8790    Press Release A080109aJanuary 9, 2008UPDATE: Coalition forces positively identify terrorist killed in operation Dec. 25BAGHDAD, Iraq – A terrorist killed during an operation Dec. 25 has been positively identified as Haydar al-Afri. Haydar al-Afri, also known as Imad Abd al-Karim, was a senior al-Qaeda in Iraq leader for the western region of Mosul, and a close associate of several terrorist senior leaders in northern Iraq. Haydar was involved in facilitating resources and planning attacks against Iraqi and Coalition forces.Haydar was killed during a Coalition forces operation in Mosul Dec. 25 (see MNF-I...

Moment of Truth in Iraq Reviewing the dispatches from 2007 shows that the war in Iraq is not spiraling toward inevitable catastrophic failure. The year did not start out on a positive note. In January 2007, growing doubts I had about our ability to stave off an eventual genocide in Iraq were intensified by our failure to competently manage the media battlespace. Within the military I sensed a growing censorship and was myself denied access to the battlefields in 2006. After months of fighting with Army Public Affairs for access, they relented, but only due to public pressure following the...

The top 10 al Qaeda in Iraq leaders killed or captured in December, including Diyala's media emir. Click to view. The regions north of city of Miqdadiyah remains al Qaeda in Iraq controlled territory. Raids against al Qaeda in Iraq occur in the Miqdadiyah region on a daily basis, while al Qaeda continues to launch attacks into Baqubah, the provincial capital of Diyala on a near daily basis. The latest Coalition raid in Miqdadiyah occurred on January 3, resulting in seven al Qaeda fighters killed. Coalition special forces, part of Task Force 88, the hunter-killer teams assigned to hunt...

Hoekstra: Bin Laden losing ground in Iraq Posted by llupo December 31, 2007 22:03PM HOLLAND -- Osama bin Laden may not be desperate, but a new 56-minute tape shows he is losing ground in Iraq and trying to appeal to other Muslims in the region, said U.S. Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Holland. U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra "The Muslim radicals who are not predisposed to violence, they have some real problems with al-Qaida," Hoekstra said Sunday. "They are divided about what al-Qaida is doing in the Middle East, partly because a lot of the victims have been Muslim." Hoekstra, the top Republican...

Al Qaeda in Iraq safe havens before the surge up until November 2007. Map from The Institute for the Study of War. Click to view. With al Qaeda in Iraq's bases of operations dismantled in the central Baghdad regions, Diyala province has emerged as the primary battleground between Iraqi and Coalition forces and the terror group. As the concurrent combat operations against al Qaeda in Baghdad and the Belts regions peaked during the summer and fall, al Qaeda in Iraq attempted to re-establish its bases in the northern provinces of Salahadin, Ninewa, Tamin, and Diyala. In the region northeast...

Abu Abdullah. Photo from Multinational Forces Iraq. Click to view. Earlier this week, Multinational Forces Iraq confirmed the death of Abu Abdullah, who was described as a senior al Qaeda leader. Not only was Abu Abdullah a close associate of Zarqawi, the regional emir of the region between western Baghdad and Fallujah, the leader of the pro-al Qaeda elements of the Cuba’s tribe in western Baghdad and eastern Anabr province, and a commander of a terror network in Salahadin, he was a tactical commander behind one of the most high profile attacks in Iraq during 2005. Abu Abdullah also...

Map of Iraq. Click to view. Multinational Forces Iraq has confirmed it killed a senior al Qaeda in Iraq commander during a raid near Samarra on November 8. The remains of Abu Abdullah, also known as Muhammad Sulayman Shunaythir al Zuba’i, have been positively identified by Multinational Forces Iraq. Just prior to his death, Abu Abdullah was “high-level al-Qaeda in Iraq leader for a network operating in the Salahadin province. Reports indicate Abdullah was an experienced bomb-maker and attack planner who coordinated numerous attacks on Coalition and Iraqi forces over the past three years, using a variety of improvised...

The purported leader of al-Qaida's umbrella group in Iraq has confirmed the death of a top operative who the US military said was killed in an attack last month, according to a new audiotape. The US military had said it captured or killed 40 al-Qaida fighters last month, including a Syrian who died in a Nov. 17 raid on a reported propaganda house. The Syrian, identified as Abu Maysara, had escaped from an Iraqi prison in March. Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq, praised Maysara as "a well experienced mujahid (holy warrior) and propagandist." In...

BAGHDAD — A network of underground tunnels near Iskandariyah used by al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI) to store weapons, hide fighters and launch attacks against U.S. forces was discovered and subsequently destroyed by Coalition forces, Dec. 16. It was the first known find of a tunnel system in the Multi-National Division – Center area. Soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division found the tunnels as they were searching an area northwest of Iskandariyah, along the Euphrates River. Immediately prior, they discovered a cache of improvised explosive device (IED) components and...

The Other Fallujah Reporter Posted By Michael J. Totten On December 16, 2007 @ 2:17 pm “The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.” — Thomas JeffersonI just returned home from a trip to Fallujah, where I was the only reporter embedded with the United States military. There was, however, an unembedded reporter in the city at the same time. Normally it would be useful to compare what I saw and heard while traveling and working with the Marines with what a colleague saw and heard while working solo....

Map of Iraq. Click to view. Fighting between the US and Iraqi government-backed Awakening movements and al Qaeda in Iraq spiked over the weekend. At least four high profile engagements and bombings occurred in Baghdad, Anbar, Ninewa, and Diyala provinces. The largest clash occurred on Sunday in the eastern region of Diyala province in the villages of Nai and Safit. Al Qaeda in Iraq fighters attacked the villages but the local tribes fought back, Twenty-two al Qaeda fighters and seventeen tribesmen were killed in the battle, KUNA reported. Al Qaeda in Iraq is attempting to recroups in eastern Diyala...

Graphic displays Iraq's Concerned Local Citizens programs by province. Click map to to view, then hover over a province to display information by province. Since the change in counterinsurgency strategy early this year -- including the increase of the number of US troops in theater, pairing them with newly formed Iraqi units, and pushing the units into areas previously ignored -- Iraqis have formed local security forces called Concern Local Citizens. These groups are often made up of tribal militias and former insurgent forces that have turned on al Qaeda in Iraq, the Mahdi Army, and other radical extremist...

Iraqi Forces, U.S. Special Forces detain suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq leader (Karmah) Wednesday, 12 December 2007 Multi-National Corps – IraqPublic Affairs Office, Camp VictoryAPO AE 09342FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASERELEASE No. 20071212-01December 12, 2007 Iraqi Forces, U.S. Special Forces detain suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Multi-National Corps – Iraq PAOBALAD, Iraq – Iraqi Forces, advised by U.S. Special Forces, detained a suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorist cell leader who is believed to command more than 300 terrorists during a raid near Karmah Dec. 11. The suspected terrorist leader is reported to be responsible for numerous IED and mortar attacks that have...

Monday, 10 December 2007 Multi-National Corps – IraqPublic Affairs Office, Camp VictoryAPO AE 09342FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASERELEASE No. 20071210-06December 10, 20075 Iraqi detainees killed in rocket attackMulti-National Division – Baghdad PAOFORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq – Five Iraqi detainees were killed and 25 others wounded when insurgents launched a rocket attack in the Rusafa district of eastern Baghdad Dec. 10.    Reports indicate nine 122mm rockets were fired with at least one of them hitting a detainee holding area on a forward operating base.  Coalition Forces sealed off the area.  An investigation into the attack is underway.-30-FOR QUERIES, CONTACT MULTI-NATIONAL DIVISION...

After the Battle of Al-Fajr FALLUJAH, IRAQ – Fallujah is known as the City of Mosques. It is also a city of walls, and of war. It was a quieter city than most after the initial invasion in 2003. There was less looting than in Baghdad, and the mayor was pro-American. It was tranquil for the most part. But resentment first simmered, then exploded in an orgy of mob violence on March 31, 2004, when four security contractors from the Blackwater corporation were murdered, mutilated, and strung up from a bridge. Photo Copyright Associated Press The following month U.S....

Map of Iraq. Click to view. As the fight against al Qaeda in Iraq moves to the Northern provinces, where al Qaeda is attempting to assert command and control, the terror group’s fictitious leader, "Abu Omar al Baghdadi," has called for a terror campaign against Iraqi forces aligning against him. Since the announcement of a new campaign against the Awakening movements, al Qaeda in Iraq has conducted nine high profile attacks. These attacks outline where al Qaeda in Iraq is strongest. Baghdadi, who is the creation of al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Ayyub al Masri and is actually...

Bill Roggio has the complete details, and names names of Iranian agents working in Iraq. Make sure to click on the image at the top of his page, it leads to an animated presentation.

Tuesday, 04 December 2007 MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ PRESS DESKBAGHDAD, Iraqhttp://www.mnf-iraq.com703.343.8790    Press Release A071204aDecember 4, 2007UPDATE: Coalition forces positively identify terrorist killed in recent raidBAGHDAD, Iraq – An al Qaeda in Iraq terrorist killed during a recent Coalition forces operation has been positively identified as Abu Maysara.Maysara, also known as Abu Basha’ir, was a Syrian who spoke an Iraqi dialect. He was a member of Abu Ayyub al-Masri’s inner circle and served as a senior advisor. Maysara was specifically responsible for providing extremist spiritual guidance and rebuttal on terrorist matters, perverting Islamic faith to allow terrorism, murder and torture. He was also...

Iraqi Army Col. Msfab Yousif reloads his AK-47 after using it to destroy a vehicle that was used in illegal checkpoint activities by insurgents in Ad Dawr near Tikrit; Iraq; Nov. 21. Yousif is the executive officer of the 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi army and was leading the raid to find insurgents operating illegal checkpoints. Photo by SPC Eric Rutherford. The Iraqi government and Multinational Forces Iraq continue to take the fight against al Qaeda in Iraq and allied insurgent groups in the Northern provinces. On the heals of Operation Lightning Hammer II, a multi-division operation in...

[Colonel Michael Bills and Colonel Stephen Twitty (cigar) on 29 November in Ninevah Province.]03 December 2007American combat leaders ranging from young corporals to veteran colonels like COL Stephen Twitty are cracking the code on Iraq. Twitty commands US operations in Ninevah and his brigade has kept control here with what amounts to a skeleton crew. We’ve had only one battalion in Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, all year. In other words, less than 1% of our combat power has held one of the most challenging cities in Iraq for an entire year. And now, as Colonel Twitty takes his soldiers...

Map of Salahadin province and the Za'ab Triangle region. Click map to view. As al Qaeda in Iraq attempts to reestablish its networks in the Northern provinces, the Iraqi military and Multinational Forces Iraq have been shaping the battlefield in the north for a showdown with the terror group. Iraqi and US forces received a big boost the past week when a significant number of Iraqis formed a Concerned Local Citizens group in the region. Meanwhile, the Islamic Army of Iraq in Mosul has vowed to dig in and fight the Coalition. Iraqi and US forces have been focusing...

Image from recently released Al Furqan / Al Qaeda in Iraq execution video. Click to view. After nearly a two month lull in videos released by Al Furqan, al Qaeda in Iraq's primary propaganda arm, two new videos of attacks on US forces have been released over the past three days. Al Qaeda in Iraq is attempting to reestablish its propaganda presence in Iraq, while Multinational Forces Iraq is seeking to dismantle the network. "Despite the recent loss of numerous cells across Iraq, the media wing of al-Qaeda’s Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) has produced a second video product,...

UPDATE: Coalition forces positively identify terrorists killed in recent raids (Baghdad) Wednesday, 28 November 2007 MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQPRESS DESKBAGHDAD, Iraqhttp://www.mnf-iraq.com703.343.8790                                                 Press Release 071128aNovember 28, 2007  UPDATE: Coalition forces positively identify terrorists killed in recent raids  BAGHDAD, Iraq – Three terrorists killed during two recent operations have been positively identified as Abu Tiba, Abu Harith and Abu Nahr.  Abu Tiba, also known as Talal Abd al Aziz or Captain Talal, was the leader of a terrorist network operating in Samarra. Tiba assumed command of the network after the previous leader, Haythim Sabah al-Badri, was promoted to oversee terrorists operating in the Salah ad Din...

Map of Improved Security Factors in Iraq and where AQI operated in 2006 and now in 2007 You have read all about the significant improvements in secturity in iraq. The Map gives a stunning visual change in AQI operations in Iraq. It was nice of understandingwar.org and MNF to publish this.

Map of Iraq. Click to view. As al Qaeda in Iraq attempts to reestablish its networks in the northern and eastern provinces, Iraqi and US security forces continue to target the terror group's networks. Today, Iraqi Security Forces launched Operation Raging Eagle in the northern city of Kirkuk in Tamin province. Iraqi-led operations are also underway in Salahadin province and the southern city of Diwaniyah. Thirty insurgent suspects have been detained during Operation Raging Eagle, while a curfew has been imposed on both pedestrian and vehicle traffic in the city. "The operation, which will continue until 5:00 p.m. on...

Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Ghafour al Samarrai. Click to view. Wednesday's closure of the headquarters of the Association of Muslim Scholars at the Umm al Quraa mosque marks a dramatic shift in the Sunni religious establishment. Prominent Sunni clerics, who once supported, justified, or remained silent about al Qaeda's terror tactics, have now turned on the leading Sunni religious establishment that supports al Qaeda in Iraq. On November 14, Iraqi soldiers surrounded the headquarters of the Association of Muslim Scholars after Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Ghafour al Samarrai, the leader of the Sunni Religious Endowments, or Waqf, ordered the mosque's closure....

Englisgh Version:********************************************* Yesterday a joint US-Iraqi force with help from local anti-al-Qaeda awakening fighters in the Adhamiyah district in northeastern Baghdad found and disarmed more than 20 vehicles rigged as VBIEDs in a parking lot. This is a great find by any standards but the timing makes it all the more significant.The significance comes not only from the quantity of bombs, cars and other resources that al-Qaeda has been denied the ability to use. It comes from the amount of frustration they have to deal with right now that all these preparations and resources are lost. What makes me think...

The same day Multinational Forces Iraq reported it had killed Tha’ir Malik, the emir of Tarmiyah, Coalition forces fought a major battle against the terror network in the city. Twenty-five al Qaeda in Iraq operatives were killed and 21 captured after Coalition forces conducted a series of raids west of the central Sunni city searching for senior al Qaeda leaders. The term “Coalition forces” in Multinational Forces Iraq press releases usually is referring to Task Force 88 or The Task Force, the special operations hunter-killer teams assigned to dismantle al Qaeda in Iraq's leadership. The scope of the battle and...

Al Qaeda leaders killed or captured in October. Click map to view. US and Iraqi Security Forces are maintaining the pressure on al Qaeda in Iraq's network nationwide. October netted the highest number of senior terror leaders since the surge went into full effect in mid June. While the Iraqi and US forces have degraded al Qaeda's network inside Baghdad in the Belts, the terror group is attempting to regroup in the north and east. The daily raids conduct by Task Force 88, the hunter-killer teams assigned to dismantle al Qaeda's network in Iraq, have resulted in significant losses...

The provinces of Iraq. Click map to view. As Baghdad has is experiencing a dramatic drop in violence, the Northern provinces have suffered a spike in attacks over the past few months. To counter al Qaeda in Iraq’s repositioning into the northern cities and rural areas, Multinational Forces Iraq and Iraqi Security Forces have launched Operation Iron Hammer in the northern provinces of Ninewa, Tamin, Salahadin, and Diyala. The northern operation was launched on November 5 and consists of four Iraqi Army Divisions and three US brigades. Over 200 insurgent suspects have been captured, including three high value al...

We recently spent a few days with Marines with third platoon, Lima Company, 3rd Bn., 5th Marine Regiment, in the heart of Fallujah. It's one of the cruel tricks of history that those who are making it don't know they are at the time. The same holds true for these guys. To say that what they're doing is amazing would be to criminally understate the facts. Anyone familiar with the Combined Action Platoons of the Vietnam War will understand what's going on here. These Marines live, work, sleep, eat and bathe in the same neighborhoods they are helping to stabilize....

Iraq. Click map to view. The vicious infighting between al Qaeda in Iraq and the Islamic Army in Iraq manifested south of Samarra in Salahadin province yesterday. The Islamic Army in Iraq, one of the largest insurgent groups which have allied with al Qaeda in the past, attacked al Qaeda in a village south of the provincial capital on Friday. Eighteen al Qaeda fighters were killed and 16 captured during the hours long battle, according to an Islamic Army commander. Abu Ibrahim, an Islamic Army commander in the region, told the Associated Press that he informed the Iraqi Police...

Bill Ardolino looks at the factors in the reduction in violence in Iraq. Bill recently embedded with US and Iraqi security forces in Fallujah and writes at INDC Journal. As violence in Iraq has decreased significantly over the last two months, analysts attempt to identify the forces behind the trend. Some attribute the reduction to a reinvigorated US strategy of counterinsurgency and the “surge” of combat troops which commenced in February, while critics of US strategy cite the exodus of Iraqi refugees and successful sectarian partition and cleansing as primary factors. The drop began in September, as civilian deaths (884)...

When Rush Limbaugh opened today's show by mentioning that the New York Times had relegated to page A19 the story of the ridding of Al Qaeda in Iraq from all of Baghdad, I actually thought he might be joking. Surely not even the Times could be so brazenly biased as to bury such a huge story reflecting the success of the surge. But, sure enough, Rush was right. A19 is exactly the location to which the Times exiled the story. And to further reduce the number of people who would learn the good news, the paper stuck this bland headline...

Iraqi & Coalition forces Order of Battle as of October 31, 2007. The November 2007 updates to the Iraqi Security Forces Order of Battle are now available at the ISF OOB Page. The significant changes to the Order of Battle are summarized below: Iraqi Special Operations Forces The Iraqi Special Operations Force (ISOF) Operator Training Course graduated 36 personnel in October. This extremely challenging class had started with 1,200 students three months earlier. The three percent that graduated will be assigned to the 2nd Counter-Terrorism Battalion, Iraq's most elite ISOF battalion. Those that failed to complete the course will...

BAGHDAD, Nov. 7 — American forces have routed Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, the Iraqi militant network, from every neighborhood of Baghdad, a top American general said today, allowing American troops involved in the “surge” to depart as planned. Maj. Gen. Joseph F. Fil Jr., commander of United States forces in Baghdad, also said that American troops had yet to clear some 13 percent of the city, including Sadr City and several other areas controlled by Shiite militias. But, he said, “there’s just no question” that violence had declined since a spike in June. “Murder victims are down 80 percent from...

CBNNews.com - The Pentagon has said the security situation in Iraq is rapidly improving, with deaths among coalition forces dropping the past five months. Last month it was said casualties declined to the lowest level since February 2004. Iraqi civilian deaths are also down and much of the progress has been attributed to a recent troop surge. Michael Yon has been embedded with coalition forces in Iraq and runs a blog reporting from the front lines there. He spoke with CBN News on his observations of changes in the country. Click the play button for his comments.

Banner announcing Osama bin Laden's audiotape. Click image to view animated version. Recent report from US commanders in Iraq have stated al Qaeda in Iraq has been set back by a combination of the latest offensive and the willingness of local Iraqis to turn on the terror group. Based Osama bin Laden's latest audiotape, al Qaeda central command agrees that the fight against the US and the Iraqi government is not going well. A clearer picture of Osama bin Laden's view on the state of jihad in Iraq emerges after the release of the full transcript of Osama bin...

After almost a year of silence, Osama bin Laden has issued his third tape in less than two months. Based on excerpts from bin Laden's latest audiotape, titled "Message to the people of Iraq," he views the situation in Iraq as dire. Bin Laden is clearly concerned with the defection of Sunni insurgents to the Awakening movements and local security forces, the possibility of the Sunnis reconciling with the government, and the failure of al Qaeda leaders to unite the Sunni fighters under al Qaeda's banner. Bin Laden takes on the failure of al Qaeda leaders to recruit Sunni...

October 01, 2007 The Peace Corps with Muscles RAMADI, IRAQ – Now that major combat operations are finished almost everywhere in Iraq’s Anbar Province, the United States Army and Marine Corps are more like a United Nations peacekeeping force with rules of engagement that allow them to kill if they have to. “We’re like the Peace Corps with muscles,� is how one soldier put it when I left with his unit at 4:00 in the morning to deliver food stuffs and toys to needy families in the countryside on the edge of the desert. Actually, we did not leave...

The Long War Journal: Al Douri forms nationalist Sunni coalition; 1920s Revolution Brigades denounces al Qaeda Written by Bill Roggio on October 4, 2007 11:34 AM to The Long War Journal Available online at: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2007/10/al_douri_forms_natio.php The Sunni insurgency continues to fracture as US and Iraqi forces are on the offensive in central and northern Iraq. Izzat Ibrahim al Douri, the most wanted Baathist and leader in the Sunni insurgency, has formed a new insurgent front which is willing to negotiate, while a faction of the 1920s Revolution Brigades openly denounced al Qaeda. A grouping of 22 Sunni insurgent groups have...

The Long War Journal: Al Qaeda financier and foreign facilitator captured in Baghdad Written by Bill Roggio on October 4, 2007 7:47 AM to The Long War Journal Available online at: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2007/10/al_qaeda_financier_a.php Just one day after the announcement of the capture of Muthanna, a senior al Qaeda facilitator of foreign fighters in the Sinjar region on the Syrian border, Multinational Forces Iraq announced the capture of a major financier in Baghdad. The yet to be named al Qaeda financier was captured by the Iraqi Army in the Baghdad neighborhood of Kindi. The al Qaeda operative used his leather business to...

Coalition Forces detain terrorist leaders responsible for IED/EFP attacks in Diyala Tuesday, 02 October 2007 Multi-National Corps – Iraq Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory APO AE 09342 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RELEASE No. 20071002-10 October 2, 2007 Coalition Forces detain terrorist leaders responsible for IED/EFP attacks in Diyala Multi-National Division – North PAO BOOB AL SHAM, Iraq – Coalition Forces detained two terrorist leaders responsible for emplacing improvised explosive devices and explosively formed penetrators on roads in Diyala province during a raid in Boob al Sham, Iraq, Sept. 29. Soldiers from Alpha Battery, 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Stryker...

Al-Qaida militants in Iraq have taken heavy losses in two joint U.S.-Iraqi raids north of Baghdad, the U.S. military reported Thursday. In one operation involving more than 1,000 U.S. troops and Iraq Special Forces in the Hemreen mountain area and Diyala river valley, three al-Qaida fighters were killed and 80 others were arrested, the Army statement said. The report said four of the arrested men are considered senior leaders in the terror group, Kuwait's KUNA news agency reported. U.S. air support was used to conclude the raid, after which a major weapons cache was found, the statement said. Elsewhere in...

WASHINGTON: US forces have made significant progress in weakening Al Qaeda in Iraq, but it is not yet clear whether that will have a lasting impact on the broader sectarian conflict there, US analysts say. In what may be the most far reaching development, Sunni tribal leaders and some insurgent groups have sided with US forces as they pressed a series of offensives against the Iraq arm of Al Qaeda, known as AQI. “The Al Qaeda piece is certainly the main bit of good news on the military front, and I think it’s extraordinarily good news,” said Michael O’Hanlon, an...

Insurgencies are not put down in a fortnight. But considering the successes in the recent counter-insurgency sweep in Iraq's Al Anbar Province, one fact becomes obvious to anyone with so much as a sliver of an understanding of ground combat operations: Eliminating the insurgency in Iraq is best left to those who best know how to do it.