Wretchard at Belmont Club provides a close reading of press dispatches from the new joint U.S.-Iraqi Samarra operation and draws typically shrewd insights.
The fact that the First Infantry Division and the Iraqi Army were able to keep the approach of multi-battalion forces secret from the enemy in the heart of the Sunni triangle is one of the most impressive aspects of this operation. The insurgents were surprised in a stronghold where they could expect to enjoy every intelligence advantage. Nearly as impressive was the lightning seizure of the Shi'ite shrine by the 36th Iraqi Commando battalion.Posted by Alan at October 2, 2004 09:19 AM