Pardon me if I'm a bit guarded on this news but in any event, there is no questioning the success that has been seen in the Operation Mother of Two Springs that has gone after al Qaeda in Mosul and in Ninevah province. Here's what the Iraqis are saying from this report here at Yahoo News:
There is no doubt that a great number of al Qaeda in Iraq leaders were caught or killed in this operation - we documented that here over the past two weeks.
The critical piece of this all is now that Mosul has at least been taken off the "safe haven" list for al Qaeda in Iraq...where are they now trying to centralize their operations? My guess is that they have migrated in a good part to Diyala province. It was a number of months ago that U.S. commanders in Iraq said that the end of al Qaeda in Iraq would more than likely happen in Diyala. However, when the operation in Diyala started, surprisingly, the al Qaeda up and fled and a majority of them ended up in Mosul and Ninevah - so I think the commanders are going to end up being right on this...that Diyala will hold the last final assault on any organized al Qaeda forces.
I would look for a Diyala operation within the next month and when that is complete, it's my guess the we will know if al Qaeda has literally fled Iraq or if they are piled 12 deep in a death mound. After Diyala, there just isn't anywhere for a majority of al Qaeda to go...and at this point in time, I'm not sure Iran is waiting for them with open arms.
"Operation 'Mother of Two Springs' has enabled us to dismantle and weaken the Al-Qaeda network in Nineveh province," ministry spokesman Abdel Karim Khalaf told AFP.
A total of 1,480 people have been detained since the operation began on May 14, 300 of them wanted suspects, Khalaf added.
"Among those arrested were important Al-Qaeda leaders, including both military commanders and intelligence chiefs, as well as members of Ansar al-Sunna, the Army of Mujahedeen and the Brigades of the 1920 Revolution," all Sunni Arab insurgent groups, he said.
There is no doubt that a great number of al Qaeda in Iraq leaders were caught or killed in this operation - we documented that here over the past two weeks.
The critical piece of this all is now that Mosul has at least been taken off the "safe haven" list for al Qaeda in Iraq...where are they now trying to centralize their operations? My guess is that they have migrated in a good part to Diyala province. It was a number of months ago that U.S. commanders in Iraq said that the end of al Qaeda in Iraq would more than likely happen in Diyala. However, when the operation in Diyala started, surprisingly, the al Qaeda up and fled and a majority of them ended up in Mosul and Ninevah - so I think the commanders are going to end up being right on this...that Diyala will hold the last final assault on any organized al Qaeda forces.
I would look for a Diyala operation within the next month and when that is complete, it's my guess the we will know if al Qaeda has literally fled Iraq or if they are piled 12 deep in a death mound. After Diyala, there just isn't anywhere for a majority of al Qaeda to go...and at this point in time, I'm not sure Iran is waiting for them with open arms.
Iraq says Al-Qaeda cleared from main northern city
BAGHDAD (AFP) - A 10-day operation by Iraqi troops in Mosul has succeeded in dismantling Al-Qaeda's network in Iraq's main northern city, regarded by US commanders as the jihadists' last urban bastion, the interior ministry said on Saturday.
"Among those arrested were important Al-Qaeda leaders, including both military commanders and intelligence chiefs, as well as members of Ansar al-Sunna, the Army of Mujahedeen and the Brigades of the 1920 Revolution," all Sunni Arab insurgent groups, he said.
Few clashes have been reported during the operations in Mosul and surrounding areas of Nineveh province.
Mosul is Iraq's third city with a population of well over a million. It has a mixed population including many Kurds and Christians, but Al-Qaeda managed to establish strongholds in several Sunni Arab areas of the city.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced plans for a decisive campaign against Al-Qaeda in Mosul as long ago as February.
The US military has provided support for the operation in Mosul but it has been conducted and led by Iraqi troops.
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