At the Multi—National Force Iraq website an update on Operation Swarmer has been posted.  As readers will note, it is much more than the just—for—show, lightweight exercise by which many in the antique media have described it.  Those Malicious Minions of Misinformation also refuse to supply context in their reporting, as in this is just one of several ongoing operations in Iraq aimed at killing or capturing terrorists & insurgents.

More and more of those operations are, like Swarmer, being executed by Iraqi forces.  And this isn't the first Iraqi army air assault.  That historic event occurred June 1, 2005 when 35 soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division were inserted into a landing zone outside Baghdad by Blackhawk helicopters of B Company, 4th Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. 

Their mission: raids and door—door searches in towns & villages to find IED and vehicle—borne IED materials & specific persons of interest.  Captain Jennifer Reynolds was the commander of B Co, 4th Bn, 3rd Avn. Rgt. Assault Helicopter Battalion.  For the full story, go here. Iraq The Model  has an interesting take on Swarmer — that aside from its operational value, it will polish the skills of future battalion—size assaults; will cut insurgent/terrorist lines of communications that run through the rural areas near & around Samarra; that it will improve the confidence and morale of Iraqi forces.

Here is the latest info on Swarmer from the MNF—Iraq website:

BAGHDAD , Iraq — Iraqi and Coalition troops continue Operation Swarmer northeast of Samarra, while the third anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom approaches.

Soldiers from the U.S. 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and the 4th Iraqi Army have detained 60 suspected insurgents and found 11 caches in the operation covering 100—square miles of Salah ad Din province.
An IED damaged one Coalition vehicle, but no troops were injured in the attack. In fact, as of 6 p.m. Iraqi time March 18, neither Iraqi nor Coalition forces experienced casualties as a result of the operation.
Operation Swarmer has yielded significant amounts of weapons and IED—making materials, as well as terrorist training materials. Caches include rockets and mortar rounds of varying sizes, rocket—propelled grenades, SA—7 surface—to—air missile components, hand grenades, machine guns, assault rifles and nearly 2,000 rounds of armor—piercing rifle ammunition.

Troops also discovered more than 500—feet of detonating cord, blasting caps, artillery rounds packed with plastic explosive, and remote initiation devices such as cordless phone base stations and washing machine timers — materials all used to make IEDs.

Other terrorist supplies included training publications, Iraqi Army uniforms, and video tapes. The tapes show U.S. troop locations in Iraq, the rigging and detonation of a car bomb, a suicide bomber and equipment taken from Iraqi Police.

Operation Swarmer is expected to continue until perhaps Monday, March 20, a day which marks the third anniversary of the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Since the operation began, the people of Iraq have been liberated from the rule of a tyrant, participated in free elections and participated in the rebuilding of domestic security and police forces.

John B. Dwyer   3 19 06