RSS 2.0
More Progress to Report
(A cloud of dust and smoke envelope Staff Sgt. Michael Mullahy seconds after he fired an A-4 rocket at an enemy position during a firefight in Baghdad Saturday  which ended badly for the bad guys. The tally: no coalition losses; 1 insurgent dead and three captured. Source: MNF-Iraq)
While you will read about the body count tomorrow (5 suicide attacks resulting in 45 Iraqi dead) you probably won’t find this update on The Surge:
Coalition Forces detained 43 suspected terrorists during operations Monday targeting al-Qaeda leaders and operatives in central Iraq.
Coalition Forces detained 15 suspected terrorists during two coordinated operations just north of Baghdad targeting associates of an al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leader. The suspects are allegedly members of the Baghdad vehicle-borne improvised explosive device network, and two of the detainees are believed to be bodyguards for the senior leader.
. . . “Our continuous operations targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq and its senior leaders weaken their ability to strike from sanctuaries,†said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, MNF-I spokesperson. “These operations are crucial to reducing the levels of violence in Baghdad and the rest of Iraq.â€
Or this about the capture of an Al Qaeda sheik in Mosul:
Coalition forces killed a known terrorist leader in Mosul during a raid Monday, further depleting a terrorist network already strained by Coalition operations. Khalid Sultan Khulayf Shakir al-Badrani, also known as Abu Abdullah, was the al-Qaeda in Iraq emir of western Mosul. He had a direct hand in numerous terrorist activities in the area, including kidnappings, suicide bombings and attacks on Coalition Forces. In 2005, he facilitated the movement of weapons and foreign fighters into Mosul for al-Qaeda in Iraq operations.
Or this about winning hearts and minds:
U.S. Marines continued counterinsurgency operations in Haditha Sunday in an effort to win the hearts and minds of Iraqi citizens. “Showing a presence in the area does a lot more than people would think,†said U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Joseph A. Cervantes. .”
“We mainly do two types of patrols, one being security patrols, which are designed to have a deterrent effect on anything that happens in the area. . . We also do ‘meet and greet’ patrols. We go out and meet the families, and we start a relationship with them,†said Cervantes. “We speak to them and get their feelings on current situations and take their suggestions on what could be done differently in the city.â€
The locals warmed up to the Marines, and now talk to them regularly. U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Edward G. Martin, an automatic rifleman in the unit, said the people didn’t act this way upon their arrival late March 2007.
“They seemed a little distant and cold at first,†said Martin. “They’ve always been friendly, but you can tell we’re now winning them over. They’re beginning to trust us and (they’re) glad we’re here.â€