The operation involves some 10,000 American soldiers in Diyala province, an al-Qaida bastion to the north and east of Baghdad. It matched in size the force that American generals sent against the insurgent-held city of Fallujah in 2004. By late Tuesday, the military had reported only one American death, a Task Force Lightning soldier killed by an explosion near his vehicle.My impression is that the press doesn't seem to fully appreciate the significance of the operation. Note that the article says the offensive started Tuesday! Which is fine. This is one advantage of operations away from Baghdad where the press stays in hotels for the most part.
Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari said about 5,000 Iraqi soldiers and 2,000 paramilitary police were fighting. Iraqi forces said they took control of neighborhoods in Baqouba and were greeted by cheering people.
"Our goal is to have no safe havens in Iraq and of course the Iraqi security forces play a huge role in this and we're working very closely with them to make this happen," Odierno said.
The Fourth Rail (tip to Instapundit) has more on the offensive:
Five days after the announcement of major offensive combat operations against al Qaeda in Iraq and its allies, the picture becomes clearer on the size and scope of the operation. In today's press briefing, Rear Admiral Mark noted that the ongoing operation is a corps directed and coordinated offensive operation. This is the largest offensive operation since the first phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom ended in the spring of 2003.
Strategypage discusses the operation and the state of the Sunni Arabs we are fighting:
Saddam's henchmen were no dummies. They were smart enough, and resourceful enough, to build a police state apparatus that kept Saddam in power for over three decades. For the last three years, that talent has been applied to keeping the henchmen alive and out of jail. Three years of fighting has reduced the original 100,000 or so core Saddam thugs, to a few thousand diehards. Three years ago, there were hundreds of thousands of allies and supporters from the Sunni minority (then, about five million people, now, less than half that), who wanted to be back in charge. Now the remaining Sunni Arabs just want to be left in peace. Thus the Sunni nationalists of Baqouba are shooting at, and turning in, their old allies from Saddams Baath party and secret police. This isn't easy for some of these guys, but it's seen as a matter of survival. While the Battle of Baqouba is officially about rooting out al Qaeda, and hard core terrorists, it's also about taking down the Baath party bankers and organizers who have been sustaining the bombers with cash, information and encouragement.
The enemies we fight can't take over the government, though they still kill. The question is how long it takes for the Sunni Arabs to essentially surrender.
Then we have to win Phase VII of the war, of course. Taking into account domestic opposition to fighting until we win, unfortunately.
I remain perplexed that our public can't see the clear trajectory for victory that seems so clear.
