Posted on 07/30/2007 8:12:55 PM PDT by Tennessean4Bush
Iraq Report: Attacks fail to materialize after soccer victory
The Iraqi soccer team gave the nation a reason to celebrate on Sunday with a victory over Saudi Arabia and the championship in the Asia Games. There were no major attacks reported during Sunday celebrations, and Iraqi security forces killed a suicide bomber and defused another car bomb in Baghdad. Last week's victory in the semifinals was followed by two brutal attacks by al Qaeda in Iraq against civilians celebrating in the streets; over fifty were killed and 130 wounded in twin suicide car bomb attacks. The Iraqi security forces in Baghdad learned the lessons from last week's attacks, and a traffic ban was instituted on Sunday prior to the completion of the soccer match.
As Operation Phantom Thunder and the Baghdad Security Plan progress in Baghdad and the Belts, some more anecdotal evidence is emerging that the surge is beginning to show real success in the security sphere. The civilian death rate has been reduced by 36 percent since May, and U.S. combat deaths have dropped to an eight month low. While U.S. combat casualties are not a good indicator of success, they are significant in this instance as there is more troop in Iraq than there have been for the past two years, and U.S. forces are now operating outside their bases and are conducting major combat operations in al Qaeda, Mahdi Army, and insurgent strongholds.
Over the past several days, Coalition and Iraqi forces have been active in the Baghdad Belt regions of Diyala, Anbar, and Babil provinces.
Anbar, Diyala, and Babil
While Multinational Forces West launched a major operation in the Thar Thar and Karma regions in eastern Anbar province, another major operation was launched in the far west. Operation Mawtini was launched on July 26 in the town of Kubaysah near Hit. U.S. and Iraqi forces bermed the city and are conducting clearing operations. To date, the operation has resulted in the capture of 124 suspected insurgents and the discovery of 38 weapons caches.
In the city of Husaybah in the Al Qaim region on the Syrian border, Iraqi police captured two al Qaeda operatives. One was a cell leader who "runs al Qaeda in Iraq activities in Husaybuh, is purportedly involved in the planning of future large scale attacks against Coalition Forces in the western Euphrates River valley." The other was a teacher who incited his students attack the Iraqi security forces. Further east in Habbaniyah, the Iraqi Army captured two insurgents behind a series of IED and small arms attacks, kidnappings, financing insurgent activities, and providing intelligence for insurgent activities.
In Diyala province, Coalition and Iraqi operations continue to expand outward from the provincial capital of Baqubah, which has been the main focus of Operation Arrowhead Ripper. A two day operation in Miqdadiyah on July 25 and 26 resulted in seven insurgents killed and one captured. Another operation on July 26 to secure the Turki village resulted in 11 insurgents killed and 13 more captured. Al Qaeda and Iraqi insurgents struck back in Baqubah, where car bombs killed three civilians and wounded 25 as they lined up to collect food rations. Insurgents also destroyed the tomb of the Prophet Daniel in the village of Wajihiya near Miqdadiyah.
In Northern Babil, the bulk of the recent operations have occurred in the Iskandariyah region under Operation Marne Avalanche. Since the operation began on July 16, seven insurgents have been killed and 60 captured, including six cell leaders.
Al Qaeda
The unrelenting daily raids against al Qaeda’s network continue. Iraqi security forces captured two members of an extra judicial and IED cell during a raid on the Jihad neighborhood in Baghdad on July 26. Sixteen al Qaeda suspects were captured during raids in Samarra and Tarmiyah on July 28. Coalition forces believe they captured an al Qaeda in Iraq sharia judge and his advisor during one of the Tarmiyah raids. Also on July 28, Iraqi security forces conducted a raid in Taji and captured two al Qaeda cell members responsible for attacks in Anbar province.
The July 29 and 30 operations against al Qaeda's command network in Anbar and Salahadin provinces resulted in eight al Qaeda operatives killed and 40 captured. Coalition forces struck in Tarmiyah, Karmah, Samarra and Baji during raids over the past two days. Additional raids on July 29 resulted in eight al Qaeda operatives killed and 22 captured during operations in Yusifiyah, Tikrit, Samarra, and south of Baghdad in northern Babil province.
I love to read lines like this.
Your lips to God's ears.
Quote of the day ping.
Would that not be great? “News” organizations that simply report the news instead of try to “shape the news”?
Harry Reid & co are deeply saddened
Amen.
Will we ever see that again? Was it ever this way? I seem to remember when I was very young a more balanced newscast. But perhaps I don't remember very well. Like Dandy Don Meredith used to say "The NFL isn't what it used to be...and it never was."
If things continue this way, Reid will not only be saddened but the entire party, so invested in defeat, will be ravaged for many years to come. I have never seen a political landscape this acute: if Petraeus fails to turn it around in an extremely significant way, the the conservative Republicans who have stayed behind the war will be pummeled for several election cycles. However, if he does succeed the demonRats will be pummeled for several election cycles. It will be interesting these next two months watching and waiting for that report from Petraeus and the posturing and framing of the report in advance by both parties.
Beginning to wonder if the NYT OPED on Iraq success was aimed at Harry and Nancy. Those two are going to drive the Democrat Party over a cliff unless someone(s) don’t step up to the plate and get these two out of the way.
Anyone notice in this report that the tomb of the Prophet Daniel was destroyed by insurgents? That may not compare with horrible torture and wanton slaughter, but it is noteworthy nonetheless.
I’m sorry to sound cynical....but I think that almost All of the Democrats’ caravans have been in freefall towards the base of the cliff [of sound, moral judgement] for some time now.
I'm wondering what all the diehard Slimes readers thought when they read the column by Hanlon and the other guy that we just might win in Iraq. Every day the A.P., the Slimes, and all the other lib media outlets i.e. liars have bombarded Americans with the "news" about how awful and TOTALLY UNWINNABLE! the situation was in Iraq. I'm sure Hanlon and whathisname's report thoroughly discombobulated a great percentage of the loyal, lib sheep.
Where freedom goes success quickly follows.
Your lips to God's ears.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.