Al Qaeda's outer belt around Baghdad

Bill Roggio:

A crucial element of the Baghdad Security Plan is the establishment of security both inside the Baghdad neighborhoods and in Baghdad's outer belts – the regions about 30 miles outside of the city, where over 80 percent of the violence in Iraq occurs. This belt region is where al Qaeda is staging attacks into Baghdad, particularly the portions of the provinces of Anbar, Diyala, Babil and Salahadin, all which border Baghdad province. Over the past month, the Iraqi and U.S. security forces are beginning to build new Combat Outposts in the outer belts to disrupt al Qaeda and insurgent activity in the belts. This week, U.S. Marines built a series of Combat Outposts in the Amiriya-Ferris region, which is about 30 miles southwest of Baghdad, and 12 miles south of Fallujah.

“The Amiriya-Ferris region... has become a fallback point for terrorist groups pushed out of urban areas in the wake of successful operations by Iraqi and Coalition Forces,” notes the Multinational Forces West press release. “The 8th Engineer Support Battalion began construction of a number of combat outposts in the Amiriya-Ferris region of Al Anbar Province April 14.” U.S. and Iraqi Security Forces, as well as the Anbar Salvation Council [ASC], have fought pitched battles against al Qaeda in Iraq in this region over the past several months.

On March 2, over 300 al Qaeda attacked Amiriya in an attempt to assassinate a prominent leader of the Anbar Salvation Council, who was to attend the funeral of an ASC leader who was killed in a February 24 suicide bombing in Habbaniyah. The Iraqi police in Amiriya held off the attack, radioed for backup from Iraqi Army, police and members of the Thurwa al-Anbar, the tribal militias assembled by the Anbar Salvation Council. U.S. air support also engaged al Qaeda. At least 50 al-Qaeda were killed and 80 captured in the battle, along with 11 Iraqi Police killed.

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He goes on to describe another attack three weeks later in Amiriya. Other points of attack in teh outer belt are also described. This is where the war is moving because of the success of the early stages of the surge. It is where the war can be won, if the troops are given a chance.