US, Iraq launch new offensive in Mosul against AQI

Michael Yon tips us to a new, major operation in Nineveh province against al-Qaeda in Iraq.  The Iraqis and the US will try yet again to eradicate AQI from its last toehold in Iraq.  The recent Sunni participation in provincial elections may have made AQI all but obsolete in any case:

U.S. and Iraqi forces have launched a new military campaign they hope will put an end to a stubborn insurgency in restive Nineveh province, seen as a final holdout for Sunni Islamist militants, officials said on Sunday. Brigadier General Said Ahmed Abdullah, spokesman for the northern province’s military command, said local forces began searching homes and conducting widespread arrests on Friday as part of the new operation to oust al Qaeda militants.

He said 84 suspects had been detained so far in the province, which as violence drops across the country is now Iraq’s most dangerous area and seen as a haven for al Qaeda and other militants who launch car bombs and other attacks daily.

“‘Operation New Hope’ will allow the local and provincial governments to begin projects focusing on restoring essential services to the citizens of Mosul,” said Major Ramona Bellard, a U.S. military spokeswoman in northern Iraq.

This will provide another test of the new relationship between American and Iraqi forces after the SOFA agreement.  The Iraqis took pains to point out that they will lead this new mission, with the US in support roles only for combat, called only when needed.  The US will probably provide the main effort behind the logistics of the mission, which is where the Iraqis remain weak.

This gives Nouri al-Maliki another shot at beating the last of the terrorist insurgencies.  He had a string of successes in 2008, starting with his surprise moves against the Mahdi Army in Basra and other strongholds in Shi’ite areas.  After a wobble or two in the first 48 hours, the Iraqi Army performed magnificently and established the sovereignty of the central government over regions that had been controlled (and oppressed) by religious militias.  Maliki reaped the fruits of that success in the provincial elections, where secular parties soared to victory over religious parties, especially over Moqtada al-Sadr’s deputies.

The Sunnis had boycotted earlier national elections out of anger over their fall from power in the new Iraq.  They didn’t make that mistake in the provincial elections, though, and they wound up in a strong position in western Iraq.  That undercuts part of AQI’s fading appeal, and it allows the Sunnis to participate in their own security once the transitions are complete.  Hopefully, that will lead to better intelligence in Operation New Hope, allowing the Iraqi Army forces to find and neutralize the remainders of the terrorist network and end al-Qaeda’s adventure in Iraq.  If so, it will be a tremendous victory and allow for normalization of the relationship between Iraq and the US.

One final thought: I liked operation names better before public-relations flacks got involved in their creation.  Desert Shield was a fairly cool name, but most of the rest seem engineered for headlines and are thoroughly forgettable.  I’d like to hear one called “Operation Screaming Weasel”, just for a change.

Addendum: Michael Honeycutt reminds me that he lost one of his brothers-in-arms two years ago today, at the hands of Iranian-trained terrorists.  Remember that when Barack Obama goes a-courting in Tehran.   And while you’re at it, remember to toss a few dollars into Michael Yon’s tipjar to help with his costs of delivering top-notch war reporting.

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