Posted on 01/08/2008 9:41:06 AM PST by PreciousLiberty
BAGHDAD - U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a major operation to strike against al-Qaida in Iraq and other extremists, the U.S. military said Tuesday, hoping to build on a recent reduction of violence and push militants from their strongholds.
The division and brigade-level operation, dubbed Phantom Phoenix, will cover the entire country, the military said.
U.S. and Iraqi forces will "continue to pursue al-Qaida and other extremists wherever they attempt to take sanctuary," Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, the No. 2 commander in Iraq, said in a statement announcing the start of the joint operation. "We are determined not to allow these brutal elements to have respite anywhere in Iraq."
Violence across Iraq has fallen dramatically in recent months, an improvement attributed to a combination of 30,000 extra troops sent into the Baghdad area; the work of U.S.-backed predominantly Sunni tribal groups who turned against al-Qaida in Iraq; and a cease-fire declared by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr for his Mahdi Army militia.
Extremists have been pushed out of their former stronghold in Anbar province west of Baghdad to the east and north, and appear to be concentrated in the province of Diyala to the northeast of the capital and in Mosul to the north.
"Al-Qaida in Iraq is attempting to regain strength and establish new support areas in northern Iraq," said Lt. Col. James Hutton, a spokesman for the U.S. military.
Few details were given on the operation, which will go beyond military activities and focus as well on providing basic services and improving local governance and economic life for Iraqis, the statement said.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Kick off to another OP.
They are beaten, we should state it and move on.
Surge Part Deux.
‘They are beaten, we should state it and move on.’
bin Laden and company are praying for it.....
Previous ops must be feeding the Loop. Sucks to be AQ in Iraq right now.
We should leave only when the Iraqi government is capable of dealing with Sadr's militia once he calls off the cease fire -- as he eventually will. We can still lose in Iraq.
The division and brigade-level operation, dubbed Phantom Phoenix, will cover the entire country
..
Good!
Git R Done!
Katie swears every night the surge “hasn’t gotten very far”.
The US military in Iraq is as much a part of bringing democracy to Iraq as it is providing a hedge against Chinese hegemony in the gulf. We will be there for DECADES. Think South Korea long.
Gotta love it!
Note that they're hitting the other side of the equation, too: "... and focus as well on providing basic services and improving local governance and economic life for Iraqis."
That's where real victory will be found: once normal Iraqis have something good in common, which they realize they would lose through civil war, then they'll be stable enough for us to pull back.
Agree 100%.
I’m afraid Sadr is just standing down to preserve his forces while all the competing insurgents are wiped out, and that he plans to resume his offensive at some future point.
Another comment, we must not leave Iraq after our victory there, we should stay there for decades to ensure that no new terrorist haven in the Middle East will ever rise again and to eventually ensure the end of the terrorist regimes in Tehran and Damascus.
Don’t misunderstand. I don’t think we should leave—just as we still haven’t left Germany, Italy and Japan—but we should reconfigure the forces to something more sustainable. As it is now, we’re burning up our guard and reserve forces.
The way I see it (and I admit to not seeing everything) what keeps us from drawing down now is the appearance of “running”. We need a clearly defined victory. With recent successes and this sweeping operation, we may be reaching that point when we tell the insurgents and the world who won. Then, we set the agenda, not them and their mayhem.
We need to keep surging to the outskirts of Tehran. Not to hold it. Just to destroy it.
I'm sure you're exactly correct.
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.