G
gilliam
Guest
By Bill Roggio The final assault on Tal Afar has commenced. The joint U.S. and Iraqi strike force has begun searching homes door-to-door after targeted airstrikes in the center of town. It is estimated over one-third of the city has been swept by Coalition forces.
Defense Minister Dulaimi said the operation in Tal Afar was planned several months ago. He also states that Tal Afar is the Iraqi Army’s first true test in combat in an urban environment, and but the first of such operations; “[Tal Afar] is a good experiment for the Iraqi forces. It is an urban warfare experiment. And we are going to carry out such operations in any Iraqi city that does not abide by the rules of law.”
The cities and towns along the Euphrates ratline are specifically singled out for future attention; “We tell our people in Ramadi, Samarra, Rawah and Qaim that we are coming… There will be no refuge for the terrorists, criminals and bloodsuckers.”
While the operations in Tal Afar continue, the Coalition continues the press the attack in the Qaim region. An airstike is conducted in the town of Ubaydi, and a senior al Qaeda leader, known as “Sheik”, is believed to have been killed. According to CENTCOM; “Sheik has been known to have extensive connections throughout the Middle East to include Yemen, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Syria. From those countries his connections recruited and financed foreign fighters who were later smuggled into Iraq, usually through Syria, and subsequently delivered to various terrorist groups in western Iraq.”
A lot more here.
Defense Minister Dulaimi said the operation in Tal Afar was planned several months ago. He also states that Tal Afar is the Iraqi Army’s first true test in combat in an urban environment, and but the first of such operations; “[Tal Afar] is a good experiment for the Iraqi forces. It is an urban warfare experiment. And we are going to carry out such operations in any Iraqi city that does not abide by the rules of law.”
The cities and towns along the Euphrates ratline are specifically singled out for future attention; “We tell our people in Ramadi, Samarra, Rawah and Qaim that we are coming… There will be no refuge for the terrorists, criminals and bloodsuckers.”
While the operations in Tal Afar continue, the Coalition continues the press the attack in the Qaim region. An airstike is conducted in the town of Ubaydi, and a senior al Qaeda leader, known as “Sheik”, is believed to have been killed. According to CENTCOM; “Sheik has been known to have extensive connections throughout the Middle East to include Yemen, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Syria. From those countries his connections recruited and financed foreign fighters who were later smuggled into Iraq, usually through Syria, and subsequently delivered to various terrorist groups in western Iraq.”
A lot more here.