Operation Steel Curtain

With a permament presence established in the western Euphrates river towns in Iraq near the Syrian border, and having conducted a vigorous series of operations aimed at exterminating the facilitators that bring in foreign fighters from Syria, Coalition Forces are now letting the heavy hammers fall.

(See my previous posts here and here.)

Operation Steel Curtain began today in Husaybah, one of the towns closest to the Syrian border. (See Security Watchtower's excellent map.)

From this MNF press release:

Approximately 2,500 Marines, Sailors and Soldiers with Regimental Combat Team-2 and 1,000 Iraqi Army Soldiers began Operation Al Hajip Elfulathi (Steel Curtain) in western Al Anbar Nov. 5.

The objectives of Operation Steel Curtain are to restore security along the Iraqi-Syrian border and destroy the al Qaeda in Iraq terror network operating throughout Husaybah.

The operation follows on the heels of Operations Iron Fist and River Gate. During Operation Steel Curtain, elements of the 1st Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division and specially trained scout platoons recruited from the Al Qaim region will take part in this operation.

From this AP report:

In nearby Qaim, a witness said the offensive in Husaybah began about dawn with four loud explosions, apparently caused by U.S. warplanes or helicopters. The witness said telephone service to the town was cut. He spoke on condition of anonymity out of concern for his safety.

Husaybah is a poor Sunni Arab town of about 30,000 people. It is located near the Euphrates River and surrounded by bleak hills and desert terrain. Most residents live in small brick and concrete homes, and many may have fled during another U.S. offensive in the area last month.

The military statement said al-Qaida in Iraq, the country's most feared insurgent group, has used the Husaybah region for its smuggling operations. The military also said that insurgents continue to threaten residents of Husaybah who work with U.S. or Iraqi forces.

Also, yesterday MNF released news that five al-Qaida leaders were killed by an air strike in Husaybah Oct. 29. One, Abu Asil, a North African terrorist, was a foreign fighter facilitator. The other four were terrorist cell leaders.

Coalition Forces conducted a series of raids on suspected terrorist and foreign fighter safe houses to capture or kill terrorists operating in the town of Husaybah. During the raids, Coalition forces destroyed three safe houses with air strikes using precision guided munitions.

One of the safe houses destroyed was the location of an apparent meeting between al Qaida in Iraq (AQIZ) terrorist leaders from the Husaybah and Al Qaim areas.

Coalition Forces now confirm the deaths of five key al Qaida in Iraq (AQIZ) terrorist leaders who were killed in that meeting.

Facilitator	Killed in	Date killed
Abu Ali	Jaramil	Sept 7
The Sheik	Ubaydi	Sept 10
Abu Nasir	Ushsh	Sept 26
Abu Dua	Ushsh	Oct 26
Abu Mahmud	Husaybah	Oct 28
Abu Sa'ud	Ubaydi	Oct 29
Abu Asil	Husaybah	Oct 29
Abu Asim	Husaybah	Nov 2

It is a topic for another time, but I wanted to touch on it here. Last week there was a column at TechCentralStation by a soldier writing under a pseudonym.

The premise of the article is that there are enough troops in Iraq.

I disagree, and this operation today in Husaybah is an example of why I disagree. Operations like this are needed in towns all over western and northern Iraq. Locations that are home to terrorist cells, where they take refuge in safe houses, need to be hit hard, and it takes a significant number of troops to do that. The reason you don't see operations like this on a wide scale at the same time is simply because there aren't enough troops to do so.

As I understood it, the TechCentralStation column said there already are enough troops in Iraq in the form of rear echelon and support troops. To that I would say, if you have to give a gun to a cook and clerk in order to carry out widespread combat operations, you don't have enough troops in Iraq.

Another factor in the equation is combat training. Combat units train constantly. You do not create an effective combat soldier by taking any old soldier, giving them a weapon, and pointing them in the direction of the enemy. Would you want an untrained soldier at your back in a combat operation? True, there may be an abundance of troops in Iraq conduction support operations, who will never see a combat mission, but there just aren't enough combat troops in Iraq to conduct large-scale offensive operations.

This operation in Husaybah is necessary, it will be effective, but imagine how much more effective the Coalition Forces could be if at the same time, right now, today, similar operations were taking place in Qaim, Ubaydi, Ushsh, Karibalah, Sadah, etc...

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Bill Roggio comments here on Operation Steel Curtain.