A number of bombings occurred today in Iraq, in apparent response to the killing of top al Qaeda leaders earlier this week by Iraqi security forces. The NY Times is reporting the latest death toll nationwide as 58. Their report details at least nine bombs.

I had the opportunity to speak with United States Forces-Iraq Spokesman, Maj. Gen. Stephen Lanza in a Bloggers’ Roundtable today. He was able to brief us on a number of security issues and the status of U.S. forces at this time.

General Lanza told us that here are currently about 96,000 American troops in Iraq. Where there were formerly three major commands, there is now one, United States Forces – Iraq.

The troops are engaged in missions supporting Iraqi border enforcement, supporting the various Provincial Reconstruction Teams, counter-terror operations and in patrolling the “belts” around Baghdad. [The "belts" are areas outside the city proper that are usually ethnically similar in population, rural with hamlets and small towns and have not seen the level of attention from the Iraqi national government or U.S. forces that the cities have seen. In the past, the "belts" provided sanctuaries for insurgents and al Qaeda in Iraq.]

Lanza described the number of al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) members as about 1,500 to 2,000. Nearly all of them are Iraqis and the foreign fighters and foreign financing have generally left the country. AQI, as he told us, is fractured into three factions. The ideologues, the nationalists and the opportunists are each operating their own version of AQI. With foreign money nearly cut off, funds are now being raised through kidnapping and extortion.

The Quds force, Iranian paramilitary troops, remain a big concern. Lanza described U.S. and Iraqi efforts in the eastern provinces bordering Iran as having reduced smuggling and illegal border crossing. He also told us that the Syrian border has become more tightly controlled as well.

AQI remains able to conduct terror ops as small, loosely connected cells. The General said that an AQI response to the killing of their leaders was expected. Iraqi security forces are obtaining intelligence from many more individuals which has lead to the recent successes. Lanza anticipates that these bombings will generate more intelligence and more success for the Iraqis.

Iraqi Security Forces, supported by U.S. Forces, killed the two most-senior leaders of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) early Sunday morning during a series of joint security operations 10 km southwest of Tikrit.

Abu Hamzah al-Muhajir, also known as Abu Ayyub al Masri, is the military leader of AQI, the terrorist organization responsible for facilitating attacks against Iraq and Coalition forces as well as Iraqi civilians. Abu Ayyub al Masri replaced Abu Musab al Zarqawi when Zarqawi was killed in June of 2006 and is directly responsible for high profile bombings and attacks against the people of Iraq.

Also killed during the engagement was Hamid Dawud Muhammad Khalil al Zawi, otherwise known as Abu Umar al-Baghdadi, who served AQI as the leader of the proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and held the title “Prince of the Faithful.”

The death of these two terrorists is a potentially devastating blow to AQI.

A series of Iraqi-led joint operations conducted over the last week resulted in the Iraqi Forces, with U.S. support, executing a nighttime raid on the AQI leaders’ safe house. The joint security team identified both AQI members, and the terrorists were killed after engaging the security team. Additionally, Masri’s assistant, along with the son of al-Baghdadi, who were also involved in terrorist activities, were killed.

After conducting preliminary questioning and initial examination of the evidence during the operation, Government of Iraq elements arrested 16 additional suspected criminal associates of the warranted individuals.

“The death of these terrorists is potentially the most significant blow to al-Qaeda in Iraq since the beginning of the insurgency,” said United States Forces-Iraq commander, Gen. Ray Odierno. “The Government of Iraq intelligence services and security forces supported by U.S. intelligence and special operations forces have over the last several months continued to degrade AQI. There is still work to do but this is a significant step forward in ridding Iraq of terrorists. As the GoI continues to protect the people of Iraq, the U.S. stands ready to assist them.”

During the operation, a USF-I Soldier was killed during the assault when a U.S. helicopter crashed.

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Adel Karim Shaker al-Mashadani was arrested on March 28 in an operation led by the Iraqi Emergency Response Brigade and supported by Coalition Force advisors.

Mashadani was arrested under a warrant issued by the Iraqi government. He is suspected of illegally searching, detaining and extorting bribes in excess of $160,000 a month from the citizens of Fahdil, improvised explosive device (IED) attacks that killed Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), leading an IED cell, leading an indirect fire cell, ties to Al-Qaeda in Iraq, and collusion with the terrorist network Jaysh al Islami.

He was not detained because of his involvement with the Sons of Iraq (SOI).

“We remain thankful for the extraordinary work of the Sons of Iraq, and the contributions they have made to the security of Iraq,” said Major General David Perkins, spokesman for Multi-National Force – Iraq. “The Sons of Iraq have provided a great service to the people of Baghdad.”

Fighting in Fadhil subsided overnight with sporadic gunfire ending by 2 a.m. ISF met with SOI leaders in the area on Sunday and made a call to turn-in weapons in the area.

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I like that phrase “self-detonate”.

Two Al Qaeda in Iraq and Islamic State of Iraq members wearing suicide vests self-detonated during an Iraqi Special Operations and Coalition forces operation Nov. 16.

The suspected terrorists died during an ISOF operation to disrupt AQI/ISI activities in the Diyala province.

Both of the assailants detonated their suicide vests approximately 100 meters from the ground force. “No one from ISOF or CF was hurt during this operation.

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A terrorist killed by Coalition forces during an operation in Mosul on Oct. 5 has been positively identified as Abu Qaswarah.

Abu Qaswarah, also known as Abu Sara, was the al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leader of northern Iraq. A Moroccan native, Abu Qaswarah had historic ties to AQI founder Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and senior al-Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Abu Qaswarah took the role of the senior AQI emir of northern Iraq in June 2007. He was al-Qaeda in Iraq’s second in command and AQI Emir Abu Ayyub al-Masri’s senior operational leader.

Significant intelligence collected in the hunt for Abu Qaswarah led Coalition forces to a building in Mosul that served as a key command and control location for AQI. Upon entering the building, forces were immediately fired upon. Coalition forces returned fire in self defense, leading to the death of five terrorists. It was later determined that one of the five was positively identified as Abu Qaswarah.

Abu Qaswarah was a charismatic AQI leader who rallied AQI’s northern network in the wake of major setbacks to the terrorist organization across Iraq. He was responsible for organizing and leading AQI efforts in northern Iraq, including operations against Iraqi and Coalition targets in Mosul. Abu Qaswarah oversaw the failed attempt to destroy the Mosul Civic Center during the Holy month of Ramadan – an attack that could have killed hundreds of innocent Iraqis.

A foreign terrorist who trained with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, Abu Qaswarah directed the movement of foreign terrorists into northern Iraq. Such foreign terrorists have been responsible for multiple suicide attacks against Iraqi civilians in the northern cities of Tal Afar and Mosul. Abu Qaswarah reportedly killed foreign terrorists who wanted to return to their home countries instead of carrying out attacks against Iraqi citizens.

Abu Qaswarah’s death will cause a major disruption to the AQI network, as he played a significant role in tying numerous al-Qaeda links together in order to conduct terrorist activities in Iraq. His death will significantly degrade AQI operations in Mosul and Northern Iraq, leaving the network without a leader to oversee and coordinate its operations in the region.

“Abu Qaswarah is another example of how al-Qaeda in Iraq has been forced to rely on foreign terrorists to carry out their vicious attacks on the Iraqi people as well as Coalition and Iraqi forces,” said Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll, Multi-National Force-Iraq spokesman. “The Iraqi people do not want them here, and Coalition and Iraqi forces will continue to work together to weed them out of the country. Terrorists who bring radical and fanatic Islam into Iraq commit murderous acts against the people of Iraq and have no place in the future of Iraq.”

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