Free Republic

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq, April 22, 2009 – The 10th Iraqi Army Division sent out its ground troops and air support assets April 19 to conduct the first large-scale combined-arms live-fire exercise, nicknamed Operation “Lion’s Roar,” in southern Iraq April 19. An Iraqi forward observer watches the impact zone with binoculars during a combined-arms live-fire exercise in Iraq’s Maysan province, April 19, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Creighton Holub  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “They did outstanding,” said Maj. Gen. Michael Oates, commander of the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division. “The Iraqi army is here to...

With the Mahdi Army subdued in Basrah and a cease-fire under way with the Sadrist movement in Sadr City in Baghdad, the focus of the Iraqi government has shifted to the northern city of Mosul, where al Qaeda maintains its last urban stronghold. On May 10, the Iraqi security forces launched Operation Lion's Roar in an effort to roll back al Qaeda and allied Sunni insurgent groups. Al Qaeda in Iraq's last major ratline into Syria spans westward from Mosul into Tal Afar and the crossing point at Sinjar. The terror group is waging a brutal campaign to prevent the...