Iraqi army fights for control of Anbar
The Iraqi army has launched an operation to seal the border with Syria and defeat al-Qaeda in western Iraq.
On Dec. 23, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced the launch of a military operation against al-Qaeda near the Syrian border. The operation was dubbed “Avenging the Leader Mohammad.”
Many in Iraq are hoping that this operation will eradicate al-Qaeda. However, the fact remains that the Anbar battle is over military control of the area after al-Qaeda tried to establish a foundation to fuel its activities on both sides of the 600-kilometer (373-mile) Syrian-Iraqi border.
Considering the context, the operation seems to be a reaction to the killing of a number of senior Iraqi army officers, including Maj. Gen. Mohammad al-Rawi, the commander of the 7th Division, in an ambush in the Horan valley desert, near the town of Rabta in the far west of Iraq, on Dec. 21.
The announcement of the military operation seems to have been warmly and widely greeted, especially in Baghdad and southern Iraq. But many in the cities of Anbar, Mosul and Salahuddin fear its implications.
