Major operation launched against alleged kidnappers in Iraq

Reuters:

About 600 U.S. troops launched a pre-dawn assault south of Baghdad on Friday against al Qaeda fighters linked to the kidnapping of two soldiers six months ago, the U.S. military said.

F-16 warplanes dropped two 500-lb bombs on potential escape routes while helicopters flew the U.S. troops, along with about 150 Iraqi soldiers, into the Sunni Arab villages of al-Owesap and al-Betra west of the Euphrates River.

Two U.S. soldiers have been missing since their patrol was ambushed on May 12 near Mahmudiya, about 30 km (20 miles) south of Baghdad in a Sunni Arab insurgency stronghold known as "the triangle of death."

Four other U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter were killed in the attack, responsibility for which was claimed by al Qaeda-led Islamic State in Iraq.

A third U.S. soldier was abducted but his body was found in the Euphrates almost two weeks later.

"The group of al Qaeda that we believe to be operating in that area, we suspect they had involvement in the May 12th attack," said U.S. military spokeswoman Major Alayne Conway.

There was no immediate information about whether any militants had been killed or detained in the early stages of Operation Marne Courageous, which began at around 4 a.m. (0100 GMT) on Friday, she said.

...


The size and scope of this operation suggest some pretty specific actionable intelligence about those responsible for the kidnapping of the troops. As the surge has continued and more former insurgents have rallied to the US side we have been getting much better intelligence on where the enemy is attempting to hide and where his weapons are hidden.

One of the reasons there have been so few successful kidnappings of US troops has been the aggressive response of the military. Any kidnapping of US troops has made life significantly more difficult for the enemy. This operation is just one more example of how difficult the US military can make it for enemy forces that still exist in Iraq.

This later AP story confirms some of my speculation about intelligence leading to the operation. It also provides more details on the operation.

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