Operation Phantom Thunder
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Operation Phantom Thunder began on 16 June 2007, when
Multi-National Force-Iraq Multinational may refer to: * Multinational corporation, a corporate organization operating in multiple countries * Multinational force, a military body from multiple countries * Multinational state, a sovereign state that comprises two or more na ...
launched major offensive operations against
al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
and other extremist terrorists operating throughout
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
. Operation Phantom Thunder was a
corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...
level operation, including
Operation Arrowhead Ripper The Battle of Baqubah II (March–August 2007) took place during the Iraq War in the capital of the Iraqi province Diyala, to the north-east of Baghdad. It began in early March 2007, when U.S. and Iraqi forces commenced preliminary operations ...
in Diyala Province,
Operation Marne Torch Operation Marne Torch refers to two operations launched by U.S.-led Coalition forces in 2007 against al-Qaeda in Iraq in the Arab Jabour area of Babil Governorate, Babil province. This campaign is named after Operation Torch, the joint US/Brit ...
and
Operation Commando Eagle Operation Commando Eagle was a 2007 military operation of the Iraq War. It began on 21 June 2007, when Iraqi and Coalition forces launched a combined ground and air assault operation against al-Qaeda and other extremist terrorists operating in t ...
in
Babil ''Bābili(m)'' * sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 * arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel'' * syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel'' * grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn'' * he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel'' * peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru'' * elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...
Province,
Operation Fardh al-Qanoon Operation Imposing Law, also known as Operation Law and Order ( ar, عملية القانون والنظام, translit=amaliat al-qaanoon wa an-nazaam), Operation Fardh al-Qanoon ( ar, فرض القانون) or Baghdad Security Plan (BSP), was a ...
in
Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
, Operation Alljah in Anbar Province, and continuing
special forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
actions against the
Mahdi Army The Peace Companies ( ar, سرايا السلام, or Saraya al Salam) are an Iraqi armed group linked to Iraq's Shia community. They are a 2014 revival of the Mahdi Army ( ''Jaysh al-Mahdī'') that was created by the Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada a ...
in southern Iraq and against
Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
leadership throughout the country. The operation was one of the biggest military operations in
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
since the U.S. invasion in 2003.


Background

In mid-October 2006, al-Qaeda announced the creation of
Islamic state of Iraq The Islamic State of Iraq (ISI; ar, دولة العراق الإسلامية '), commonly referred to as al-Qaeda in Iraq ( ar, القاعدة في العراق '), is a militant Salafist jihadist group that aimed to establish an Islamic sta ...
(ISI), replacing the Mujahideen Shura Council (MSC) and its
al-Qaeda in Iraq Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI; ar, القاعدة في العراق, al-Qā'idah fī al-ʿIrāq) or Al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia ( ar, القاعدة في بلاد الرافدين, al-Qā'idah fī Bilād ar-Rāfidayn), officially known as ''Tanzim Qaidat a ...
(AQI). From January to June 2007, as part of the " surge", an additional five U.S. brigades arrived in Iraq and were deployed throughout the
Baghdad Belts The Baghdad Belts are the residential, agricultural and industrial areas, as well as communications and transportation infrastructure that encircle the Iraqi capital and connect it to other areas in Iraq. In the Iraq War, they were used by insurgen ...
in preparation for the upcoming operation. At the same time, U.S. forces launched "shaping" operations to set the conditions for the operation. On 14 June, the Diyala Operational Command was established, an Iraqi corps-level command allowing coordination between Iraqi security forces throughout Diyala.


The Operation

U.S. and Iraqi forces launched attacks on Baghdad's northern and southern flanks mid-June to clear out Sunni insurgents, al-Qaida fighters and Shiite militiamen who had fled the capital and Anbar during the four-month-old security operation. The U.S. wanted to take advantage of the arrival of the final brigade of 30,000 additional U.S. troops to open the concerted attacks.


Operation "Imposing Law"

Operation Imposing Law Operation Imposing Law, also known as Operation Law and Order ( ar, عملية القانون والنظام, translit=amaliat al-qaanoon wa an-nazaam), Operation Fardh al-Qanoon ( ar, فرض القانون) or Baghdad Security Plan (BSP), was a ...
had already begun on 14 February in an attempt to take back Baghdad which had come more than 70 percent under insurgent control. It became part of Phantom Thunder when that operation started and during the period of Phantom Thunder 311 insurgents, including 26 bombers, were killed in fighting in Baghdad.


Operation "Marne Torch"

Operation Marne Torch Operation Marne Torch refers to two operations launched by U.S.-led Coalition forces in 2007 against al-Qaeda in Iraq in the Arab Jabour area of Babil Governorate, Babil province. This campaign is named after Operation Torch, the joint US/Brit ...
began on 16 June in the Arab Jabour and Salman Pak area, conducted by the new Multinational Division Central. Arab Jabour, being only 20 kilometers southeast from Baghdad, is a major transit point for insurgent forces in and out of Baghdad. By 14 August, 2,500 Coalition and Iraqi forces had detained more than five dozen suspected extremists, destroyed 51 boats, killed 88 terrorists and discovered and destroyed 51 weapons caches.


Operation "Arrowhead Ripper"

Operation Arrowhead Ripper The Battle of Baqubah II (March–August 2007) took place during the Iraq War in the capital of the Iraqi province Diyala, to the north-east of Baghdad. It began in early March 2007, when U.S. and Iraqi forces commenced preliminary operations ...
began on 18 June, when Multi-National Division-North commenced offensive operations against Al-Qaeda positions in Baquba in Diyala province where fighting had already been going on for months. The operation started with air assaults under the cover of darkness in Baquba. Heavy street fighting lasted throughout the first day of the operation, mainly in the center of the city and around the main city market. On 22 June,
Coalition A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Gui ...
attack helicopters killed 17 al-Qaeda gunmen and the vehicle they were using southwest of
Khalis Al Khalis (''Khalis'' or ''Khales'') ( ar, الخالص) is a town in Iraq, roughly 15 kilometers (9 mi) northwest of Baqubah. It is the main town of Khalis Arfan District, one of the six districts of the Diyala Governorate. In the Arabic la ...
in Diyala province. By 19 August, at least 227 insurgents had been killed in Baquba.


Operation "Commando Eagle"

Operation Commando Eagle Operation Commando Eagle was a 2007 military operation of the Iraq War. It began on 21 June 2007, when Iraqi and Coalition forces launched a combined ground and air assault operation against al-Qaeda and other extremist terrorists operating in t ...
began on 21 June in the Mahmudiyah region southwest of Baghdad, conducted by Multinational Division Central. This region contains the notorious Triangle of Death and was the location where three US soldiers were kidnapped in mid-May 2007. The operation has so far resulted in 31 detainees and the seizure of multiple large weapons caches. The operation was described as "a mix of helicopter borne air assaults and Humvee-mounted movements."


Operation "Alljah"

Operation Alljah was being conducted by
Multi-National Forces West Multi-National Forces West (MNF-W) or United States Forces West (USF-W) was one of the coalition headquarters under Multi-National Force-Iraq. It was headquartered by either I or II U.S. Marine Expeditionary Force that rotated on a 12-month basis. ...
. In the western Al Anbar province operations attacked insurgent supply lines and weapons caches, targeting the regions of
Fallujah Fallujah ( ar, ٱلْفَلُّوجَة, al-Fallūjah, Iraqi pronunciation: ) is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jew ...
,
Karma Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...
and Tharthar. Commanders of the operation expressed belief that
Fallujah Fallujah ( ar, ٱلْفَلُّوجَة, al-Fallūjah, Iraqi pronunciation: ) is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jew ...
would be cleared by August and that the regions of Karma and Tharthar would be cleared by July. On 17 June, a raid near Karma killed a known Libyan Al-Qaeda fighter and six of his aides and on 21 June six al-Qaeda members were killed and five were detained during early-morning raids also near Karma. Also on 23 June, a U.S. airstrike killed five suspects and destroyed their car bomb near Fallujah. Insurgents also struck back in Fallujah with two suicide bombings and an attack on an off-duty policeman that left four policemen dead on 22 June. On 29 June, U.S. forces killed a senior al-Qaeda leader east of Fallujah. Abu 'Abd al-Rahman al-Masri, an Egyptian, was a veteran of both battles of Fallujah. On 6 July a raid west of Fallujah resulted in the killing of an Al-Qaeda in Iraq battalion commander and two of his men and the captured of two more insurgents.


Actions taken against the Mahdi Army

On 21 June, a joint Iraqi-American operation was under way near
Hilla Hillah ( ar, ٱلْحِلَّة ''al-Ḥillah''), also spelled Hilla, is a city in central Iraq on the Hilla branch of the Euphrates River, south of Baghdad. The population is estimated at 364,700 in 1998. It is the capital of Babylon Province ...
to capture or kill members of Moktada al-Sadr's
Mahdi Army The Peace Companies ( ar, سرايا السلام, or Saraya al Salam) are an Iraqi armed group linked to Iraq's Shia community. They are a 2014 revival of the Mahdi Army ( ''Jaysh al-Mahdī'') that was created by the Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada a ...
. Iraqi Special Forces raided Sadr City and captured a "key insurgent leader" on 20 June, along with two associates.


Additional operations

Numerous smaller operations had also been conducted against insurgents, which included attacks on retreating insurgent forces from Baquba in the town of Khalis and other insurgents targets throughout Diyala province. In the fighting in Diyala province an additional 234 insurgents were killed by 14 August beside those killed in operation Arrowhead Ripper, mainly in clashes in and around the town of Khalis. The fiercest of the clashes happened when the U.S.-allied insurgent group 1920th revolution brigade and Al-Qaeda fought a battle at Shrween village in Muqdadiya on 4 July killing 20 members of Al-Qaeda in Iraq.


The Operation ends

On 14 August, it was announced that the operation ended. Coalition and Iraqi security forces pushed into areas previously not under their control, and they also ejected insurgent groups from their strongholds in Northern Babil, eastern Anbar and Diyala provinces and on the southern outskirts of Baghdad. During the operation, Iraqi and Coalition forces conducted intelligence raids against al Qaeda in Iraq and the Iranian-backed cells nationwide, with a heavy emphasis on cells in Baghdad, Diyala, and central and northern Iraq. Operation Arrowhead Ripper continued for another five days until 19 August with more intense street fighting in Baquba. The operations continued into operation Phantom Strike.


Military units involved

;US forces reported to be involved were * 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division * 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division * 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division * 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division * 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division * 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division *
25th Combat Aviation Brigade The 25th Combat Aviation Brigade is a Combat Aviation Brigade of the United States Army's 25th Infantry Division based at Wheeler Army Airfield. Structure * 1st Battalion (Attack Reconnaissance), 25th Aviation Regiment Arctic Sabers * 2nd Bat ...
* 2nd Brigade Combat Team,
10th Mountain Division The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in the US military to re ...
*
13th Marine Expeditionary Unit The 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (13th MEU) is one of seven Marine Expeditionary Units currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Expeditionary Unit is a Marine Air Ground Task Force with a strength of about 2,200 per ...
*
Regimental Combat Team 2 The 2nd Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. They are based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and fall under the command of the 2nd Marine Division and the II Marine Expeditionary Force. C ...
* Regimental Combat Team 6 * Task Force 88 ;Iraqi forces reported to be involved were * 1st Division * 4th Division *
5th Division In military terms, 5th Division may refer to: Infantry divisions *5th Division (Australia) * 5th Division (People's Republic of China) *5th Division (Colombia) *Finnish 5th Division (Continuation War) *5th Light Cavalry Division (France) *5th Moto ...
* 1st Iraqi National Police Mechanized Brigade


See also

*
Iraq War troop surge of 2007 The Iraq War troop surge of 2007, commonly known as the troop surge, or simply the surge, refers to the George W. Bush administration, George W. Bush administration's 2007 increase in the number of U.S. military combat troops in Iraq in order to ...
*
Operation Fardh al-Qanoon Operation Imposing Law, also known as Operation Law and Order ( ar, عملية القانون والنظام, translit=amaliat al-qaanoon wa an-nazaam), Operation Fardh al-Qanoon ( ar, فرض القانون) or Baghdad Security Plan (BSP), was a ...
*
Operation Marne Torch Operation Marne Torch refers to two operations launched by U.S.-led Coalition forces in 2007 against al-Qaeda in Iraq in the Arab Jabour area of Babil Governorate, Babil province. This campaign is named after Operation Torch, the joint US/Brit ...
*
Operation Arrowhead Ripper The Battle of Baqubah II (March–August 2007) took place during the Iraq War in the capital of the Iraqi province Diyala, to the north-east of Baghdad. It began in early March 2007, when U.S. and Iraqi forces commenced preliminary operations ...
*
Operation Commando Eagle Operation Commando Eagle was a 2007 military operation of the Iraq War. It began on 21 June 2007, when Iraqi and Coalition forces launched a combined ground and air assault operation against al-Qaeda and other extremist terrorists operating in t ...
*
Operation Phantom Strike Operation Phantom Strike was a major offensive launched by the Multi-National Corps – Iraq on 15 August 2007 in a crackdown to disrupt both the al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and Shia insurgent operations in Iraq. It consisted of a ...
* Operation Phantom Phoenix *
Coalition military operations of the Iraq War A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Gui ...


References


External links


Bill Roggio- Battle of Baquba

Bill Roggio- Battle of Iraq

MNF-Iraq- Operation Phantom Thunder

Stars and Stripes- U.S. Troops Take the Offensive in Baqouba

Bill Roggio- From Phantom Thunder to Phantom Strike
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phantom Thunder, Operation Military operations of the Iraq War involving the United States Military operations of the Iraq War involving Iraq Military operations of the Iraq War in 2007 Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011) United States Marine Corps in the Iraq War June 2007 events in Iraq July 2007 events in Iraq August 2007 events in Iraq