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WASHINGTON D.C. (January 9, 2008) - American military forces in
northern Iraq have launched a new offensive targeting al Qaeda
elements operating in the region, senior U.S. military officers
posted in Iraq said today.
Code-named "Iron Harvest," the operation dovetails with
Operation Phantom Phoenix, a countrywide anti-insurgent offensive
announced yesterday by Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, commander
of Multinational Corps Iraq, senior officers told reporters during
a Baghdad news conference.
"Right now, the focus of all our enablers is on Diyala
(province)," Army Maj. Gen. Mark P. Hertling, commander of
Multinational Division North, told reporters. Recently gathered
intelligence is being used to identify and root out enemy networks
in his area of operations, he said.
Al Qaeda leaders operating in and around the northern city of
Mosul are reported to be discouraged and desperate for money,
Hertling said. This, he said, explains a recent spate of regional
kidnappings for ransom and other criminal acts to obtain quick
cash.
"We've also seen some reflections that the lower-level (al
Qaeda) fighters are very upset at their leaders," Hertling said,
noting some al Qaeda chiefs reportedly are leaving Iraq with their
underlings' pay.
Al Qaeda operatives captured in recent coalition operations in
and around Mosul have provided interrogators with the names of
other al Qaeda members and have told stories about increasing
disorganization within the terrorist group, Hertling said.
Diyala province is important to al Qaeda, the general explained,
because the terrorist group considers it to be the center of their
Islamic caliphate. Mosul is an important city, he added, because it
is a hub to spokes of several vital roads that traverse northern
Iraq.
"It is a very cosmopolitan city," Hertling said of Mosul, noting
the city's multi-ethnic composition makes it an ideal hiding place
for al Qaeda operatives.
Coalition forces "are continuing to pursue al Qaeda throughout
the width and depth of the battle space," Hertling said. The
increasing numbers and capabilities of Iraqi soldiers and police,
as well as contributions made by concerned citizens groups, are
putting the squeeze on al Qaeda in Iraq, he pointed out.
"The places we can't be, they are," Hertling said of
anti-terrorist efforts of Iraqi security forces and anti-al Qaeda
volunteer citizens' groups. "And, as the Iraqi army gets stronger
and the Iraqi police stand up and as they're being helped, at least
in the interim, by these concerned local citizens who are tired of
the violence, there's no place left for these folks to go."
Terrorist attacks are down overall across Iraq, Hertling said,
but he acknowledged that "spectacular" events committed in the
northern provinces, such as suicide attacks and beheadings, appear
to be increasing. Such acts, he said, demonstrate al Qaeda in
Iraq's increasing desperation.
Meanwhile, U.S. and Iraqi security forces participating in
Operation Iron Harvest are pursuing al Qaeda in Iraq operatives in
"simultaneous operations" across northern Iraq, Hertling said.
Army Maj. Gen. Kevin J. Bergner, a spokesman for Multinational
Force Iraq, who accompanied Hertling at the news conference,
saluted the three heroic Iraqi soldiers who sacrificed their lives
Jan. 6, while trying to stop a suicide bomber in Baghdad.
"The selfless sacrifices of these three martyrs saved the lives
of many others that day and embodies the courage of the Iraqi
army," Bergner said.
Recent terrorist attacks on Iraqi concerned citizens groups
indicate al Qaeda in Iraq's increasing desperation.
"These attacks and the heartless attack on a funeral last week
are disturbing evidence that al Qaeda is willing to kill even those
it needs for its support," Bergner said. "These attacks will only
strengthen our resolve to further support the courage and strength
of the Iraqi people, close ranks against the terrorists, and pursue
those who wreak the senseless violence."
Yesterday, Hertling saluted the Iraqi security forces during an
interview with a Pentagon Channel reporter in Iraq.
The Iraqi army is in "great shape and they are getting better
every day," Hertling told the Pentagon Channel. "The four (Iraqi
army) divisions we work with are really capable." The capabilities
of local Iraqi police are increasing as well, he noted.
"The last time we were here, you had to cover the area yourself,
by hook or crook," Hertling recalled.
The difference today, he pointed out, is that Iraqi soldiers and
police are assisting coalition forces in chasing down insurgents
and in other missions conducted to provide stability for the Iraqi
people.
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