thedrifter
09-18-05, 08:16 AM
Tal Afar Turning Point?
A breakthrough for Iraqi forces.
Sunday, September 18, 2005 12:01 a.m. EDT
Only weeks ago--until Katrina stole the headlines--Washington was deep in the grip of yet another of its "quagmire" panics about Iraq. We don't want to make the opposite mistake of over-optimism. But the recent Iraqi victory in the battle of Tal Afar could be a turning point in the war against the terrorists.
In recent days Iraqi forces--yes, Iraqi forces--have led the largest urban assault there since the liberation of Fallujah last November. Meanwhile, Iraq and the United States are finally ratcheting up the pressure on Syria, with U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad saying "all options"--including military force--"are on the table" when it comes to stopping terrorist infiltration from that country. Without Syria's help, the insurgency would be seriously weakened.
There are good reasons to believe the current operation in Tal Afar--a largely Turkoman city near the Syrian border--will be a model of things to come. Previous attempts to clean the terrorists out of Tal Afar and other cities in northern and western Iraq have too often seen the insurgents melt away only to return when the U.S. spearhead withdrew. This time Iraqis are leading the fight and, most important, many will stay so the people of Tal Afar can begin to believe they can live free of terrorist intimidation.
A force of about 5,000 Iraqis and 3,800 Americans killed at least 157 terrorists, detained 440 suspects, and discovered 34 weapons caches, all while suffering minimal casualties. "The terrorists are losing their morale. They couldn't resist as they did in Fallujah," Iraqi President Jalal Talabani told us in an interview last week in New York, where he was attending the United Nations General Assembly.
The Tal Afar operation calls into question the contention of war critics like Senator Joe Biden that there are only a handful of Iraqi troops capable of meaningful operations. In fact, U.S. commanders classify about 40 battalions--roughly 750 soldiers in each--as "fully independent" or able to fight "in the lead."
A U.S. officer with detailed knowledge offered us this assessment: "The Tal Afar operation has been a sweeping success for the Iraqi Security Forces in many ways. There is an Iraqi Army Brigade headquarters with four infantry battalions, a Special Police Commando Brigade headquarters with two battalions, and an Army Transportation battalion in the fight up there. The Police Commandos and one of the Army battalions were flown there by the Iraqi Air Force's own C-130 fleet executing their first combat support missions." Eight Iraqi soldiers and one American have died in the offensive.
Similar Iraqi-led clean-and-garrison operations might well be performed in other problematic cities like Ramadi. This is a classic form of anti-insurgency warfare that has the potential to narrow the range of operations for the terrorists. President Talabani told us that about 50,000-60,000 Iraqi troops can be considered "well trained," and the number is growing. They will eventually replace Americans, though we hope not before more Tal Afar operations can be undertaken.
Whether those Iraqi troops are competently led and deployed will depend on a political process that includes a constitutional referendum and another parliamentary election before the year is out. But the victory in Tal Afar is the best sign of anti-insurgent progress since the Marine sweep through Fallujah.
Ellie
A breakthrough for Iraqi forces.
Sunday, September 18, 2005 12:01 a.m. EDT
Only weeks ago--until Katrina stole the headlines--Washington was deep in the grip of yet another of its "quagmire" panics about Iraq. We don't want to make the opposite mistake of over-optimism. But the recent Iraqi victory in the battle of Tal Afar could be a turning point in the war against the terrorists.
In recent days Iraqi forces--yes, Iraqi forces--have led the largest urban assault there since the liberation of Fallujah last November. Meanwhile, Iraq and the United States are finally ratcheting up the pressure on Syria, with U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad saying "all options"--including military force--"are on the table" when it comes to stopping terrorist infiltration from that country. Without Syria's help, the insurgency would be seriously weakened.
There are good reasons to believe the current operation in Tal Afar--a largely Turkoman city near the Syrian border--will be a model of things to come. Previous attempts to clean the terrorists out of Tal Afar and other cities in northern and western Iraq have too often seen the insurgents melt away only to return when the U.S. spearhead withdrew. This time Iraqis are leading the fight and, most important, many will stay so the people of Tal Afar can begin to believe they can live free of terrorist intimidation.
A force of about 5,000 Iraqis and 3,800 Americans killed at least 157 terrorists, detained 440 suspects, and discovered 34 weapons caches, all while suffering minimal casualties. "The terrorists are losing their morale. They couldn't resist as they did in Fallujah," Iraqi President Jalal Talabani told us in an interview last week in New York, where he was attending the United Nations General Assembly.
The Tal Afar operation calls into question the contention of war critics like Senator Joe Biden that there are only a handful of Iraqi troops capable of meaningful operations. In fact, U.S. commanders classify about 40 battalions--roughly 750 soldiers in each--as "fully independent" or able to fight "in the lead."
A U.S. officer with detailed knowledge offered us this assessment: "The Tal Afar operation has been a sweeping success for the Iraqi Security Forces in many ways. There is an Iraqi Army Brigade headquarters with four infantry battalions, a Special Police Commando Brigade headquarters with two battalions, and an Army Transportation battalion in the fight up there. The Police Commandos and one of the Army battalions were flown there by the Iraqi Air Force's own C-130 fleet executing their first combat support missions." Eight Iraqi soldiers and one American have died in the offensive.
Similar Iraqi-led clean-and-garrison operations might well be performed in other problematic cities like Ramadi. This is a classic form of anti-insurgency warfare that has the potential to narrow the range of operations for the terrorists. President Talabani told us that about 50,000-60,000 Iraqi troops can be considered "well trained," and the number is growing. They will eventually replace Americans, though we hope not before more Tal Afar operations can be undertaken.
Whether those Iraqi troops are competently led and deployed will depend on a political process that includes a constitutional referendum and another parliamentary election before the year is out. But the victory in Tal Afar is the best sign of anti-insurgent progress since the Marine sweep through Fallujah.
Ellie