Pushing the terrorist underground railroad to the breaking point
The leadership of the terrorist underground railroad bringing foreign fighters into Iraq from Syria via the Euphrates river valley is being chopped to ribbons.
This CentCom press release is from Wednesday:
Security Watchtower has another excellent map of the region.
On Monday, in a post entitled The wild west, I outlined the success Coalition forces are having in those western river towns.
The safe houses being used by the terrorists are becoming anything but. The foreigners stand out like neon signs to the locals, they always have. With an established presence in these towns, though, the locals can point out these safe houses with a lessened fear of retaliation, knowing the Coalition forces aren't going to abandon the towns to the terrorists again.
Just days before Operation Iron Fist began October 1, the operation that began to establish a permanent Coalition presence in these western river towns, Anna Badkhen reported that terrorists were taking over these towns and ordering the locals to flee or face death. Before, Coalition forces would stay out of the towns.
There had been reports the terrorists were conducting a "campaign of murder and intimidation of innocent women, children and men". This struggle between the locals and the terrorists has been going on all summer.
With a strong permanent presence being established, look to see successes like these start to snowball. The combination of less experienced terrorist facilitators and an emboldened, vengeful local population eager to expunge the foreign terrorists coming through their towns is a serious threat to the supply of terrorist fighters coming from Syria. With the intelligence the Coalition seems to be getting, terrorists facilitators are being cut down about as soon as they can stand up.
The strike reported Wednesday is the fourth such strike in a week.
(Thanks to Security Watchtower for the top two rows.)
The bad guys can't be rolled up fast enough, especially considering October saw the highest number of US fatalities in Iraq since January.
This story from the II MEF website, out of Camp Al Qa’im, illustrates the dangers.
A passage from Psalms keeps running through my head. The passage is referring to the wicked.
Indeed, Lord. Break the teeth of our enemies in Iraq and elsewhere, quickly.
This CentCom press release is from Wednesday:
A series of Coalition air strikes Nov. 2nd in and around Husaybah destroyed several safe houses, killed at least one terror leader and caught an IED cell in the act of emplacing roadside bombs.
Coalition Air Forces, acting on multiple intelligence sources and tips from local citizens, conducted air strikes against three al Qaeda in Iraq terrorist safe houses in Husaybah. Targeted at the safe houses were a senior al Qaeda in Iraq foreign fighter facilitator, a terror cell leader and an IED terrorist cell that were linked to al Qaeda in Iraq and foreign fighters in the Husaybah, Karabilah, and al Qaim region.
Sources report that Abu Asim was killed at one of the safe houses when it was attacked. Asim was a senior al Qaeda in Iraq foreign fighter facilitator who was recently brought in to replace another facilitator thought to have been killed by Coalition Forces. Sources report that Asim had contacts across the border in Syria, who would arrange the smuggling of foreign fighters and suicide bombers into the Husaybah and al Qaim region.
Security Watchtower has another excellent map of the region.
On Monday, in a post entitled The wild west, I outlined the success Coalition forces are having in those western river towns.
The safe houses being used by the terrorists are becoming anything but. The foreigners stand out like neon signs to the locals, they always have. With an established presence in these towns, though, the locals can point out these safe houses with a lessened fear of retaliation, knowing the Coalition forces aren't going to abandon the towns to the terrorists again.
Just days before Operation Iron Fist began October 1, the operation that began to establish a permanent Coalition presence in these western river towns, Anna Badkhen reported that terrorists were taking over these towns and ordering the locals to flee or face death. Before, Coalition forces would stay out of the towns.
There had been reports the terrorists were conducting a "campaign of murder and intimidation of innocent women, children and men". This struggle between the locals and the terrorists has been going on all summer.
With a strong permanent presence being established, look to see successes like these start to snowball. The combination of less experienced terrorist facilitators and an emboldened, vengeful local population eager to expunge the foreign terrorists coming through their towns is a serious threat to the supply of terrorist fighters coming from Syria. With the intelligence the Coalition seems to be getting, terrorists facilitators are being cut down about as soon as they can stand up.
The strike reported Wednesday is the fourth such strike in a week.
| Facilitator | Killed in | Date killed |
| Abu Ali | Jaramil | Sept 7 |
| The Sheik | Ubaydi | Sept 10 |
| Abu Nasir | Ushsh | Sept 26 |
| Abu Dua | Ushsh | Oct 26 |
| Abu Mahmud | Husaybah | Oct 28 |
| Abu Sa'ud | Ubaydi | Oct 29 |
| Abu Asim | Husaybah | Nov 2 |
(Thanks to Security Watchtower for the top two rows.)
The bad guys can't be rolled up fast enough, especially considering October saw the highest number of US fatalities in Iraq since January.
 | It is not easy work dislodging the bad guys. |
This story from the II MEF website, out of Camp Al Qa’im, illustrates the dangers.
The 3rd Mobile Assault Platoon took sniper fire all day as they conducted a relief in place with 1st Mobile Assault Platoon.
"I [Lance Cpl. Bradley A. Snipes] was sitting in defilade, just my head above the turret when it felt like someone hit me in the head with a baseball bat."
The sniper had shot Snipes square in the side of his head, hitting him directly in his Kevlar helmet.
Snipes dropped down in the turret. It was at that point he realized he was, in fact, still with the living thanks to his helmet.
A passage from Psalms keeps running through my head. The passage is referring to the wicked.
O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD.
-Psalms 58:6 (RSV)
Indeed, Lord. Break the teeth of our enemies in Iraq and elsewhere, quickly.
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