Operation Lighting Hammer in Diyala ends
Operation Lightning Hammer in Diyala ends
(exceprted)
Fighting continues in Diyala as the Diyala River valley north of Baqubah is cleared
Iraqi and Coalition security forces have wrapped up Operation Lightning Hammer, a 12-day security operation designed to eject al Qaeda in Iraq from the Diyala River Valley north of the provincial capital of Baqubah. Launched on August 13, the same day as Operation Phantom Strike, the overarching security operation was announced, Lightning Hammer consisted of 10,000 US and 6,000 Iraqi security forces and aimed at the estimated 200 al Qaeda in Iraq operatives that were believed to have fled Baqubah for the regions north of the city. Twenty-six al Qaeda operatives were killed and 37 detained during the operation.
Ten weapons caches, six car bombs, and 22 roadside bombs were found and destroyed. US and Iraqi forces also gathered significant intelligence on al Qaeda’s operations and network in the region. “An al-Qaeda command post was discovered in the village of Shadia, and an al-Qaeda medical clinic was located in Qaryat Sunayjiyah,” Multinational Forces Iraq stated in a press release. “The command post, which was surrounded by fighting positions, contained bed space for 20 individuals, supply requests, records of munitions, a list of families supporting the element, a list of al-Qaeda members detained by Coalition Forces and other terrorist propaganda.”
From Fourth Rail (Roggio). CLICK for full article
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