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Battle of Baqubah

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Battle of Baqubah
Part of the Post-invasion Iraq (Diyala province campaign)

Soldiers have a short meeting at an airfield in Baqubah before an air assault into an outlying village of the city, June 18, 2007.
DateJune 18, 2007 - August 19, 2007
Location
Baqubah, Iraq
Result City largely secured by Coalition forces
Belligerents
United States United States
New Iraqi Army		 Iraqi Insurgency
Al-Qaeda in Iraq
Islamic State of Iraq
Strength
Approximately 10,000 Unknown
Casualties and losses
6 killed, 12 wounded (U.S.);
7 killed, 15 wounded (Iraqi Army);[1][2][3]
2 killed (U.S.-allied Iraqi militia)
3 killed (Iraqi police)		 227+ killed, some 100 detained[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]
A squad leader with Operation Arrowhead Ripper pulls security as an Iraqi man speaks to an interpreter, June 19, in a village in the outskirts of Baqubah, June 19, 2007.

The Battle of Baqubah (code-named Operation Arrowhead Ripper) began on June 18, 2007, when Task Force Lightning commenced 'a large-scale effort to eliminate 'al-Qaeda in Iraq' insurgents (Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn) operating in Baqubah and its surrounding areas.'[20]

Military Units Involved

The operation was led by the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, which sent the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry, and 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry into the city itself. Supporting the main effort were the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry, from the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division; the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry, from the 3rd BCT, 82nd Airborne Division; the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry, from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division; and attack helicopters from the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade.

Details of insurgent forces are unknown. As the Islamic State of Iraq considers the town of Baqubah its "capital", presumably most fighters opposing the MNF troops belong to the Khalf al-Mutayibeen - the alliance of Islamist Sunni groups behind the ISI.

Timeline

The 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, launched the offensive with a quick-strike nighttime air assault early on June 18, 2007.

By daylight, attack helicopters and ground forces had engaged and killed an estimated 22+ insurgents in and around Baqubah[21]. In all 30 insurgents and one U.S. soldier were killed by the end of the first day of the operation, according to military sources.

“The end state is to destroy the al-Qaeda influences in this province and eliminate their threat against the people,” said Brig. Gen. Mick Bednarek, deputy commanding general, operations, 25th Infantry Division. “That is the number one, bottom-line, up-front, in-your-face, task and purpose.”[22] Approximately 10,000 soldiers, with a full complement of attack helicopters, close air support, Stryker and Bradley Fighting Vehicles, are taking part in Arrowhead Ripper. Elements of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, from Fort Hood, Texas, the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, and the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, are also participating in the operation.

“One of the keys as we initiate combat actions and operations here is the newly formed Diyala Operations Center,” Bednarek said. “It serves as an integration center that will coordinate all activities in Diyala – the police, the army and Coalition Forces from Task Force Lightning.”[23]

“The key significance, though, is getting the Iraqi ministries engaged to provide fundamental goods and services, such as food, fuel, displaced persons support, and education,” Bednarek continued. “The governor will have oversight and the people will start to see improved basic services which will build the trust and confidence of the people not only in the provincial government, but in the central government as well.”[24]

On June 23 two suspected senior Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn leaders were captured and detained to Baghdad; no further information on their identity has been forthcoming. It is feared that most high-profile suspects have fled the area before the operation began[25]. ("Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn" is Arabic for "Organization of Jihad's Base in the Country of the Two Rivers." It is referred to by the Bush Administration as "Al Qaeda in Iraq", which confuses some people into thinking it is the same group as that led by Osama bin Laden.)

As of June 26, significant fighting continued. Insurgent casualties were given as 55 on June 23[4]. Until June 27, an estimated 5 more militants, possibly more, were reported killed by Coalition sources[6].

By June 28, fighting in at least parts of the town had ceased. US and allied troops were documented moving about in daylight and relaxed poses [26]. On July 1, three Iraqi soldiers were killed and 3 others wounded during a raid on a town house[27], but although there is some violence such as murders[28], this generally seems civil rather than (para) military in nature and as of July 4, there was little indication that the situation in Baqubah is different from other places in Iraq with significant MNF presence.

On the other hand, the town of Al Khalis, approx. 15 km away, seems to have become a major restaging point for insurgents retreating form Baqubah[5][7][28], despite the nearby presence of significant US forces at FOB Grizzly and People's Mujahedin of Iran personnel at "Ashraf City".

On July 3, MNF troops killed 25 and detained five suspected terrorists and uncovered 10 weapons caches during an 3-day operation at Mukhisa, NE of Baqubah, in support of Operation Arrowhead Ripper.[9]

However, fighting flared up again some days later, with numerous reports of casualties later that week.

Due to a continuing media blackout, little is known about what is taking place in Diyala, especially in the areas of Muallimin, Mafraq, and Gatoun. Residents report that the shelling is intense,[29] and the Iraqi Islamic Party (ISP) has accused the Multi-National Forces operating in the area of committing a new massacre in Baquba. "The operations led by the US forces in western Baquba led to the death of more than 350 people, most of whom are still under the rubble," the ISP said in a statement.[30] The US army admits that nearly 80 per cent of Al-Qaeda leaders have fled the area.[31]

As of July 9, the focus of operations seems to have shifted to the Baghdad-Baqubah road SW of the latter town.

On August 14, the overall operation Phantom Thunder ended and operation Arrowhead Ripper ended August 19. Baquba was largely secured by Coalition forces but still some insurgent presence remained in the city and surrounding areas but not in such large numbers as it was before the attack on the city.

See Also

References

  1. ^ http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L01542133.htm
  2. ^ http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L14316950.htm
  3. ^ http://www.mcclatchydc.com/212/story/17783.html
  4. ^ a b "U.S. and Iraq forces kill 90 al Qaeda in offensive". Reuters, 2007-JUN-23. Retrieved 2007-JUN-27.
  5. ^ a b "Qaeda fiercely resisting US-Iraqi offensive". Al Sumaria, 2007-JUN-23. Retrieved 2007-JUL-04.
  6. ^ a b "Troops in Baqouba deliver food to locals". Multi-National Corps – Iraq Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory,APO AE 09342, 2007-JUN-27. Retrieved 2007-JUN-27.
  7. ^ a b "Iraq Security Developments - Friday". IraqSlogger, 2007-JUN-29. Retrieved 2007-JUL-04.
  8. ^ "Iraq Security Developments - Saturday". IraqSlogger, 2007-JUN-30. Retrieved 2007-JUL-04.
  9. ^ a b "Coalition Forces kill 25, detain 5 and uncover caches in Diyala". Multi-National Force – Iraq Press Desk, Baghdad, A070704a, 2007-JUL-04. Retrieved 2007-JUL-04.
  10. ^ http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12762&Itemid=21
  11. ^ http://antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=11280
  12. ^ http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12762&Itemid=21
  13. ^ http://antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=11289
  14. ^ http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13167&Itemid=21
  15. ^ http://antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=11411
  16. ^ http://antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=11429
  17. ^ http://www.antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=11434
  18. ^ http://antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=11444
  19. ^ http://antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=11468
  20. ^ "Task Force Lightning strikes al-Qaeda" Multi-National Corps – Iraq, Public Affairs Office, 19 June 2007
  21. ^ U.S. Sends 10,000 Troops Into Diyala to Take on Al Qaeda in Iraq. Fox News, 2007-JUN-19. Retrieved 2007-JUN-27.
  22. ^ "US launches major Iraq offensive". BBC, 2007-JUN-19
  23. ^ "Start of ‘Arrowhead Ripper’ Highlights Iraq Operations" American Forces Press Service 19 June 2007
  24. ^ "Task Force Lightning strikes al-Qaeda". Multi-National Corps – Iraq Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory, APO AE 09342, 2007-JUN-19.
  25. ^ Cite error: The named reference fox0723 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  26. ^ "Photo of the Day: US and Iraqi Troops on the Streets of Baquba". IraqSlogger, 2007-JUN-29. Retrieved 2007-JUN-29.
  27. ^ "Iraq Security Developments - Sunday". IraqSlogger, 2007-JUL-01. Retrieved 2007-JUL-04.
  28. ^ a b "Iraq Security Developments - Monday". IraqSlogger, 2007-JUL-02. Retrieved 2007-JUL-04.
  29. ^ "More death and political intrigue" Nermeen Al-Mufti, Al-Ahram Weekly, 5 - 11 July 2007
  30. ^ Ibid.
  31. ^ Ibid.

Template:2007 Operations

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