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| Iraq |
| 50,000 Iraqi troops in Diyala operation |
| 2008-07-30 |
| BAGHDAD - Nearly 50,000 Iraqi police and soldiers were involved in a U.S.-backed operation against al-Qaida in Iraq in one of its last major strongholds near the capital, a senior provincial official said Wednesday. The house-to-house search operations now focused on the Diyala provincial capital of Baquoba will be extended to rugged areas near the Iranian border, said Ibrahim Bajilan, the head of the regional council. The crackdown will take about two weeks "and then law will be imposed in all Diyala," Bajilan said by telephone, providing new details about the operation that began Tuesday. The Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman, Maj. Gen. Mohammed al-Askari, said that 35 "wanted insurgents" have been apprehended so far and a number of weapons seized. Diyala has been one of the hardest provinces to control despite numerous military operations. Baquoba has enjoyed security improvements recently but continues to see attacks, such as twin suicide bombings that killed at least 28 people on July 15 and a number of suicide attacks carried out by female bombers. "We are not fighting an organized army but we are fighting terrorist groups hiding either in palm tree orchards or among civilians," al-Askari said, adding that the rugged nature of the big province further complicates the anti-insurgent effort. The operations were primarily carried out by Iraqi security forces in the latest display of Iraq's readiness to take over its own security and enable American troops to eventually withdraw. The U.S. military was providing intelligence, fire support and logistics as Iraqi forces gradually assumed front-line roles, a factor that contributed to sharp decrease in the number of U.S. troop deaths this year. |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #6 That should have read, As will Jordan, a much less stable place than many assume |
| Posted by: phil_b 2008-07-30 20:50 |
| #5 A strong Iraqi military and efficient police force is very destabalizing for Iran and to a lesser extent Syria. I doubt the Gulf Arabs will have much of a problem with Iraq as their protector. As will Jordan, a much stable place than many assume. Saudi Arabia will be less happy, but I don't see Iraq meddling in SA internal affairs any time soon. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2008-07-30 20:49 |
| #4 Who in the Middle East sees a strong Iraqi military and police as a destabilizing force? Iran, the various gangs and militias in Iraq do for starters. But how threatened do the Saudis, Syrians, Jordanians,Turks, and even the Israelis feel? A powerful and rich(12mil barrels of oil per day and rising) group of Shiites and Kurds changes the lanscape considerably. Oh, democratic ones at that. There will be consequences. Any thoughts from OldSpook and some of the other experts? |
| Posted by: Richard of Oregon 2008-07-30 16:45 |
| #3 OS, as you know, probably better than me, the fire support is primarily a need for manpower, training and equipment. The intelligence and especially the logistics is affected by tribalism and corruption and will be the greatest challenge. Not easy but necessary and worth the effort. |
| Posted by: tipover 2008-07-30 12:48 |
| #2 The U.S. military was providing intelligence, fire support and logistics And these are the hardest part of modern military operational art to master. They are what seperates third world armies from western ones. Once the Iraqis place the emphasis on this that we do, and train these branches up (as well as general staff officers), they will be well on the way to being the best and most professional military in the region. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-07-30 12:05 |
| #1 This operation resembles some of the US operations in defeated Nazi Germany after VE day, where tens of thousands of US troops went house-to-house looking for weapons. This type of operation had to happen eventually, am glad the Iraqis are doing it. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2008-07-30 11:28 |