Iraqi/US "Operation Shank" Underway in Ramadi

A force of approximately 500 US and Iraqi troops are mounting a "clearing operation" in Ramadi as part of a larger campaign to disrupt the terrorist insurgency prior to the December 15 elections. Yestereday, Ramadi was the scene of an al Qaeda attack designed to catch the attention of Western news media. Al Qaeda terrorists fired a few mortar and RPG rounds without effect before fleeing the scene.

From a CENTCOM press release:

Operation Shank is the fifth in a series of operations by the Iraqi Army and Coalition Forces conducting combined clearing operations to disrupt the insurgency and set the conditions for a successful Dec. 15 election in the Al Anbar provincial capital of Ar Ramadi.

The purpose of the operation is to disrupt a terrorist group that utilizes an area of Ramadi as its base for attacks on local Ramadi citizens, Iraqi and U.S. military.

Since Nov. 16, Iraqi and U.S. Forces actions resulted in numerous terrorists killed or detained, to include Imad Salih Al-Fahdawi, a known terrorist involved in attacks against government officials and imams; and Khamis Manfi Hammud Al Klaibawi, a truck driver responsible for placing roadside bombs on the streets of Ramadi.

On the lighter side, it's nice to see someone is paying attention to the names of these operations and avoided the obvious Wizard of Oz reference by naming one operation "Bruins" instead of "Bears":

Additionally, Operations Panthers, Bruins, Lions and Tigers were successful in discovering numerous weapons caches, which collectively contained surface- to-air missiles, rocket-propelled grenades, rockets, mortar and artillery rounds, hand grenades, landmines, small arms and ammunition, and bomb-making equipment.

This information is being posted on the off-chance our loyal, unbiased, non-partisan mainstream media completely ignore it.