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WASHINGTON, March 23, 2006 – Operation Swarmer, a combined operation involving Iraqi soldiers and police commandos and coalition forces wrapped up yesterday without any casualties and all of the tactical objectives met, Multinational Force Iraq officials announced today. The mission began with the helicopter transport of about 1,500 Iraqi and coalition soldiers and Iraqi police commandos into a 10-by-10-square-mile area northeast of Samarra on March 16. The initial insertion aircraft and subsequent air security provided by the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade moved the force, made up of units from Iraq's 1st Commando Brigade, 1st Brigade, 4th Army Division, and...

TIKRIT, Iraq (Army News Service, March 20, 2006) – At least 11 caches were discovered and more than 60 suspected insurgents detained last week during Operation Swarmer, the airborne insertion into southern Salah Ad Din province, near Samarra. Coalition Forces encountered an IED along one of the roads in the area Saturday and one vehicle was damaged. No troops were injured in the attack, Multi-National Force-Iraq officials reported. Iraqi Army troops and their Coalition partners continued to clear the objective area northeast of Samarra Sunday. Enemy caches captured thus far yielded significant amounts of weapons and IED-making materials. Included in...

WASHINGTON, March 21, 2006 – An unmanned aerial vehicle crashed this morning in Iraq, and combined operations continued in Salah ah Din province as part of Operation Swarmer. A pilot at Creech Air Force Base, Nev., was piloting an Air Force MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle, based with the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron at Balad Air Base, Iraq, when the aircraft crashed. Army and Air Force personnel recovered the wreckage and returned it to Balad Air Base. The MQ-1 Predator is a medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV system. Its primary mission is interdiction and armed reconnaissance. Each Predator costs about $5 million....

Iraqi and coalition forces continued in recent days to detain terrorist suspects and search, find and destroy weapons caches through a series of patrols and operations designed to bring stability to that country, officials in Iraq reported today. Back-to-back cordon-and-search missions of six houses in Kirkuk on March 16 by Iraqi police, for instance, netted nine terrorist suspects. The police moved into the city's Qadiysiahya neighborhood and systematically checked every room in the houses, while detaining the men inside. All nine terrorist suspects were questioned by the police; four were released; and five were transferred into U.S. custody for additional...

But contrary to what many many television networks erroneously reported, the operation was by no means the largest use of airpower since the start of the war. ("Air Assault" is a military term that refers specifically to transporting troops into an area.) In fact, there were no airstrikes and no leading insurgents were nabbed in an operation that some skeptical military analysts described as little more than a photo op. What’s more, there were no shots fired at all and the units had met no resistance, said the U.S. and Iraqi commanders. The operation, which doubled the population of the...

More on Operation Swarmer.From the AP: Troops rounded up dozens more suspected insurgents today, including the alleged killers of an Iraqi television journalist. ... Also, police there say they have captured a Sunni extremist who confessed to leading a gang that killed hundreds of Shiites in recent months. Washington Post, Fighting Smarter in Iraq Three years on, the U.S. military is finally becoming adept at fighting a counterinsurgency war in Iraq. Sadly, these are precisely the skills that should have been mastered before America launched its invasion in March 2003. It may prove one of the costliest lessons in the...

For Immediate ReleaseMarch 18, 2006 President's Radio Address       Audio      THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. In recent weeks, Americans have seen horrific images from Iraq: the bombing of a great house of worship in Samarra, sectarian reprisals between Sunnis and Shias, and car bombings and kidnappings. Amid continued reports about the tense situation in parts of that country, it may seem difficult at times to understand how we can say that progress is being made. But the reaction to the recent violence by Iraq's leaders is a clear sign of Iraq's commitment to democracy.  Radio Address 200620052004200320022001  Radio Interviews 20052004...

WASHINGTON, March 18, 2006 – Iraqi security forces and U.S. servicemembers participating in Operation Swarmer and other combined operations continued to capture hidden terrorist weapons caches, while detaining and processing terrorist suspects yesterday, military officials in Iraq reported. Operation Swarmer, an ongoing, methodical search of a 10-mile-by-10-mile area in the Samarra region, has netted six weapons caches and roughly 50 terrorist suspects, officials said. The weapons caches included mortar rounds, rocket-propelled grenades, rockets, artillery rounds and a significant amount of other bomb-making materials for improvised explosive devices. Seventeen of the roughly 50 detainees were released after questioning and the others...

GOTTA SEE THIS - War for Enduring Freedom 3/19/06 -Baquba, Operation Swarmer, Samarra, Kabul, Qala Bost Fort, Shahi Kot, Lashkar Gah, Kundalan, Sheberghan BREAKING: Baquba, Operation Swarmer, American and Iraqi military forces take terrorists and weapons BREAKING: Samarra, Operation Swarmer, American and Iraqi military forces take terrorists and weapons BREAKING: Kabul, cockfight Qala Bost Fort, Afghanistan, Shahi Kot Lashkar Gah - Education for all, freed by American Kabul - Afghan women on International Women's Day Kundalan, Sheberghan QFN ==== YE OLDE QUAGMIRE-FREE NEWS Exclusive to FReerepublic PICTURES YOU WILL NEVER SEE IN THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA ========= Samarra, Iraq ========= Somewhere...

BAGHDAD -- An Iraqi-U.S. operation targeting insurgents in the vast hardpan desert northeast of Samarra has led to the capture of a possible ringleader of the bombing of the Gold Mosque, Iraqi officials said today. On its second day, Operation Swarmer resulted in 48 arrests and the discovery of at least six weapons caches consisting of mortars, AK-47s and insurgent training manuals, officials said. ADVERTISEMENT The most important capture may be a leader of the group responsible for the bombing of the Golden Mosque, which set off a wave of sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shiites. More than 500 have...

Major U.S.-Iraqi Military Strike Scores Big Against Terrorists NewsMax.com Wires Friday, March 17, 2006 WASHINGTON -- U.S. and Iraqi forces captured more than30 suspected insurgents and found at least six major caches of weapons near the town of Samarra on Thursday, during the first day of what the U.S. military says is the largest air assault operation since the early weeks of the war. A military spokesman says more than half the troops were Iraqi, bringing the combat operations of the new Iraqi Army to a new level.

Yesterday, two major unexpected events took place: Operation Swarmer commenced to clear the Samarra area of insurgents and terrorists in the largest single operation since early in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and just as suddenly, Iran asked for and the United States agreed to face-to-face talks on the situation in Iraq. But of far greater importance could be the potential that the American/Iraqi operation and the sudden Iranian calls for talks may not be merely coincidental in timing, but quite possibly directly related. One potentially revealing quote came from Iraqi presidential security adviser Lt. Gen. Wafiq al-Samaraei, who said...

As soon as I heard about the Operation Swarmer air and ground assault upon Samarra, I KNEW the DUmmies would claim that it is merely a propaganda ploy to divert attention from Bush's (media manipulated) poll ratings. However, despite my expectation of typical DUmmie behavior, I never expected them to be sooooo STUPID as this THREAD, "Does the US Military often do this type of operation in broad daylight?" posted by Head DUmmie Skinner. Yes, STUPIDITY in DUmmieland does pour from the TOP down. Of course, DUmmie Skinner could have spent about half a minute checking the FACTS on...

by Mark Finkelstein March 17, 2006 When does healthy reportorial reserve cross the line into cynicism? Today's coverage this morning of Operation Swarmer, the counter-insurgency offensive in the Samarra region of Iraq, illustrated the issue. NBC's skepticism was as clear as the legend that appeared on-screen throughout the segment: "Were Iraqi Targets Hit?" Surely it is appropriate to ask and try to answer how effective a military operation has been. But in openly wondering whether any targets were hit, Today perhaps comes close to labelling the operation a sham. Questions about NBC's motives were only heightened when immediately following the...

US Iraq campaign 'to last days' The US military says some 1,500 US and Iraqi troops are involved The US military says a major operation targeting suspected Iraqi insurgents and foreign fighters near Samarra could continue for several days. The biggest airborne operation in Iraq since the US invasion in 2003, it involves more than 50 aircraft and 1,500 Iraqi and US troops. They are said to have detained about 40 suspects so far, and seized weapons. The Iraqi foreign minister said the aim was to stop insurgents from turning the town into a stronghold. A bomb attack on...

U.S., Iraqis Launch 'Operation Swarmer' By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writer 7 minutes ago U.S. forces, joined by Iraqi troops, on Thursday launched the largest air assault since the U.S.-led invasion, targeting insurgent strongholds north of the capital, the military said. The U.S. military said the offensive dubbed Operation Swarmer was aimed at clearing "a suspected insurgent operating area" northeast of Samarra and was expected to continue over several days. "More than 1,500 Iraqi and Coalition troops, over 200 tactical vehicles, and more than 50 aircraft participated in the operation," the military statement said. Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad,...

US launches major offensive against Sunni insurgents ....Thursday March 16, 2006 ....... More than 50 US warplanes were today involved in the biggest air offensive launched by the Americans in Iraq since the 2003 invasion, the US military said. A huge air and land offensive has been launched against Sunni insurgents in the restive town of Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad.....The US military said some 1,500 Iraqi and US troops and 200 tactical vehicles were involved in the operation, Reuters reported. The US military added that Operation Swarmer would last several days....Insurgents in Samarra, which is a predominantly Sunni...

Baghdad, 16 March (AKI) - The US military has launched its biggest air offensive in Iraq since the 2003 invasion. A military statement said the operation involved more than 50 aircraft and 200 tactical vehicles and some 1,500 US and Iraqi forces. The operation targeted suspected insurgents operating near the town of Samarra, some 100 kilometres north of Baghdad. The focus of the raid is believed to be three villages northeast of Samarra where there are believed to be various Arab fighters as well as native Iraqi insurgents. "Iraqi army and police forces, backed by U.S. helicopters launched a pre-dawn...

50 aircraft,1500 Iraqui/ US Troops in Samra (n of baghdad) , largest air and land assult since we went in.