Break time in the hunt for al Qaeda in Iraq

MNFI:

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Dean Hubach, of the 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, takes a break from a dismounted patrol through the village of Fair al Jair, Iraq, in search of al-Qaeda insurgents during an operation Dec. 17, 2007.

Click on the image for a larger view. The war against al Qaeda in Iraq continues to gather momentum. Many of the remnants have fled to northern Iraq. As this story indicates the Iraqi Police are making progress in finding the enemy weapons caches.

Iraqi Police (IP) uncovered a major weapons cache in Kirkuk province, Dec. 18. The discovery was made during a series of pre-dawn raids at suspected cache sites. The operation was led by the IP into the town of Ruwadah, approximately 25 miles west of Kirkuk city. The operation was named “Kura Azakan” (The Brave Men) by Gen. Sarhadt, outer Hawijah District police chief, because Coalition forces and IP had not been in the area recently and because the IP had gone in without Coalition presence.

Over 300 IP officers from Dibbis, Sagaron, Tarkalan, Altun Kopri and Schawn took part in this Iraqi led and executed operation that also included 32 IP vehicles. At one of the sites, IP discovered one of the largest caches in recent Kirkuk province history.

Included in the cache were approximately 65 grenades, 83 rocket propelled grenades, 1800 fuses, 1060 mortar rounds, 250 various explosive projectiles, 3000 small arms rounds, 1400 20 mm cannon rounds, and over 1000 pounds of explosives and improvised explosive device making materials.

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That is a good day's work. Hopefully, this indicates a level of professionalism that will give the Iraqis a chance to succeed.