Operation Lion’s Roar Launched To Wipe Out Al Qaeda In Mosul
Mosul is considered the last urban stronghold of Al Qaeda in Iraq.
Bye bye little piglets…and fresh on the heels of Al Sadr being pummeled into submission…the good news is on high tide in Iraq these days…
Maj. Gen. Riyadh Jalal Tawfiq, the commander of military operations in the northern city of Mosul, issued a statement on Saturday to announce that operation “Lion’s Roar” against al-Qaida in Iraq was under way.
Mosul is considered the last important urban staging ground for al- Qaida in Iraq after losing its strongholds in Baghdad and other areas during the U.S. troop “surge” last year.
“Operation Lion’s Roar is an Iraqi led, planned and executed operation, and is another example of the Iraqis’ growing confidence and ability to independently carry out complex combat, police and humanitarian operations,” said Maj. Peggy Kageleiry, a spokeswoman for U.S. forces in the north.
She added that U.S.-led Coalition forces “will provide advice, guidance and support as-requested by the Iraqi operational commander.”
Around 10,000 Sunni tribesmen from Mosul who are loyal to the government are taking part in Operation Lion’s Roar with an armoured brigade of Iraqi troops.
More troops are due to move into the area in the coming days.
A curfew is already in effect in the city and judges have issued a number of arrest warrants for al-Qaeda leaders.
Over the past year al-Qaeda has lost its foothold in western Iraq and the northern city of Mosul is viewed as its last urban stronghold.
The Sunni tribesmen involved in the operation were once allies of al-Qaeda but now back coalition forces.
Prime Minister Maliki has for several weeks been saying that al-Qaeda is an isolated, spent force in Iraq and that he is confident it can be driven out of the country completely.
The operation comes after Iraqi authorities mistakenly announced that the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, had been captured in Mosul.
US officials denied al-Masri had been captured, saying a man with a similar name had been detained.
(AP)
Take no prisoners!!!!!
May 10th, 2008 at 3:56 pmGod speed boys. Lion roar those towel-headed bed-sheeter yahoos to the after-life.
May 10th, 2008 at 6:10 pmFuck Yeah! Go IA!
May 10th, 2008 at 6:49 pmExcellent. What were the results of the last operation? It seems to me that the IA and US presnce in the area has gotten huge. Time to wipe out AQI once and for all and continue dismantling JAM.
Al Quds can be better dealt with by attacking Iran directly.
Those are the three enemies of Iraq. Let’s get ‘er done.
May 10th, 2008 at 7:57 pm