Iraqi Army Mopping up al-Qaeda in Mosul

By Rick Moran

In a joint US-Iraqi operation that began in May in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul directed at al-Qaeda's last redoubt, the Times OnLine reports that the Iraqis have achieved a spectacular success and is rolling up al-Qaeda fighters while reducing the violence in that city by an astonishing 80%:

American and Iraqi forces are driving Al-Qaeda in Iraq out of its last redoubt in the north of the country in the culmination of one of the most spectacular victories of the war on terror.

After being forced from its strongholds in the west and centre of Iraq in the past two years, Al-Qaeda's dwindling band of fighters has made a defiant "last stand" in the northern city of Mosul.

A huge operation to crush the 1,200 fighters who remained from a terrorist force once estimated at more than 12,000 began on May 10.

Operation Lion's Roar, in which the Iraqi army combined forces with the Americans' 3rd Armoured Cavalry Regiment, has already resulted in the death of Abu Khalaf, the Al-Qaeda leader, and the capture of more than 1,000 suspects.

Al-Qeada has been reduced to ineffectual hit and run attacks that continue to take a toll on police and army units but which have been dramatically reduced in number and effectiveness.

Al-Qeada nearly gone in the north and Mookie al-Sadr's Mahdi Militia a shadow of its former self in the south - not a bad couple of month's work for the "incompetent" Iraqi army and their equally incompetent prime minister Maliki.

There is not peace yet in Iraq, not by any means. But slowly and with the confidence and consistency of inevitability, the Iraqi army's hard work is finally paying off. One can see a day in the not too distant future where the Iraqi government will have complete control over the security of their own country. This is an incredible feat considering where this country was just a little over a year ago.

Reconciliation is now the major political goal of the government. How they handle the very touchy and complex issues surrounding it will largely determine the pace of our own withdrawal from Iraq.

In the meantime, a huge shout out to our own boys and the Iraqi soldiers is due. You should read the entire piece to get a sense of the great progress already made.