On balance
The Washington Times
TODAY'S EDITORIAL
December 14, 2005
Are coalition forces showing progress on Iraq's problematic Syrian border? One promising sign is how little resistance coalition forces have met in their Euphrates River-area campaign to sweep out Sunni insurgent strongholds and notorious al Qaeda in Iraq sites near Syria.
In September, U.S. and Iraqi forces cleared Tal Afar, a city of 200,000 30 miles west of Mosul, previously a major staging ground for insurgents.
Then, in Operation Steel Curtain, U.S. and Iraqi forces cleared the cities of Husaybah, Karabilah and Ubaydi, a 17-day campaign that cost the lives of 10 Marines but resulted in the killing of 139 suspected terrorists and the capture of 256 more. Since then, U.S. and Iraqi forces have found little resistance. In Ramana, U.S. officials noted, U.S. and Iraqi forces met no resistance whatsoever. Suicide bombings have occurred after the raids, but insurgent activity is low.
The aim of the larger operation along the Syrian border -- to turn the area, including border control, over to Iraqi forces permanently -- was commemorated with a Nov. 30 ceremony in recently liberated Husaybah. It was attended by Iraqi Minister of Defense Saadoun al-Dulaimi and Gen. George Casey.
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