FR WAR NEWS! WAR News at Home and Abroad You'll Hear Nowhere Else!
All the News the MSM refuses to use!
Or if they do report it, without the anti-War Agenda Spin!
Not for commercial use. For educational and discussion purposes only.
Posted on 08/19/2007 11:54:26 AM PDT by SandRat
BAGHDAD — Iraqi and Coalition forces are pursuing extremist leaders in Iraq’s remote areas in coordinated “quick strikes” launched this week, the commander of Multi-National Corps-Iraq told Pentagon reporters Saturday. Operation Phantom Strike is a series of joint operations that extend from Operation Phantom Thunder, a corps-level offensive that began in June targeting al-Qaeda, Sunni insurgents and Shiia extremists in, near and around Baghdad, said U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno.
“With the elimination of safe havens and support zones due to Phantom Thunder, al-Qaeda and Shiite extremists have been forced into ever-shrinking areas. It is my intent to pursue and disrupt their operations,” Odierno said.
Over the coming weeks, the general said, combined forces will conduct quick-strike raids against extremist sanctuaries and staging areas. Using precision-targeting operations, troops will target terrorist leaders and members of lethal improvised-explosive-device and car-bomb networks, he said.
“We will continue to hunt down the leadership, deny them safe haven, disrupt their supply lines and significantly reduce their capability to operate in Iraq,” Odierno added.
In the first 24 hours of one “quick-strike” raid, Multi-National Division-North Soldiers captured and killed several enemies and seized weapons caches in the Diyala River Valley. Called Operation Lightning Hammer, this operation targeted extremists as they tried to re-establish sanctuaries, the general said.
Odierno highlighted some successes of Operation Phantom Thunder, which launched June 15. In 142 battalion-level joint operations, Iraqi and Coalition forces detained 6,702 suspects, killed 1,196 enemies and wounded 419 others. Combined forces also killed or captured 382 high-value targets, he said.
Troops also cleared 1,113 weapons caches and scores of IEDs and car bombs. “The number of found and cleared IEDs, (car bombs) and caches are approximately 50 percent higher than the same period last year due, in large part, to effective tips provided by concerned Iraqi citizens,” the general added.
Odierno warned that high-profile attacks may rise as two important dates approach. In the early weeks of September, Ramadan, Islam’s holiest month, begins. U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multi-National Force-Iraq, is slated to present an anticipated report to Congress around the same time.
“Our enemy is ruthless and will no doubt attempt to exploit the upcoming Ramadan season, as well as influence political opinions in the coming weeks by increasing attacks with particular emphasis on high-profile terror attacks,” he said.
But extremists’ efforts are increasingly hampered by civilians who cooperate with coalition forces as troops ramp-up raids around the country, Odierno said.
“Al-Qaeda and other extremist elements will have to contend with an Iraqi population that no longer welcomes them,” he said, “as well as quick-hitting offensive operations by Coalition and Iraqi forces.”
FR WAR NEWS! Excellent....
***********************EXCERPT*********************
As US and Iraqi security forces have stepped up operations against Sunni and Shia extremist groups in Iraq, Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch stated there are about 50 members of Iran’s elite Qods Force operating inside Iraq to arm and train groups such as the “rogue” Mahdi Army and the Special Groups terror cells. “We are concerned primarily about the training of Shia extremists,” Lynch said in the briefing on August 19. “We think there are about 50 members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards” in his area of operations.
Lynch is the commander of Multinational Division Central, which controls the provinces south of Baghdad, including several that border Iran. "The border [between Iran and Iraq] is porous and they [Qods Force members] come back and forth all the time ... they are physically there," Lynch said. The border in Wasit province is particularly porous, and the US military is conducting operations to stem the flow of Iranian weapons and operatives through this region. An additional 2,000 troops from the Republic of Georgia have begun to deploy in Wasit to assist with the mission. The US has been aggressively targeting the Iranian-backed Shia terror cells since the spring of 2007.
And the Forces under Gen. “Patton” Petreus have the mission of -
Find ‘EM!
Fix ‘EM!
Send ‘EM straight to Hell!
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.