Operation Law and Order (Arabic: عملية القانون والنظام "'amaliiah al-qaanoon wa an-nazaam), or Baghdad Security Plan(BSP), is a joint Coalition-Iraqi security plan conducted throughout Baghdad. Under the Surge plan developed in late 2006, Baghdad is to be divided into nine zones, with Iraqi and American soldiers working side-by-side to clear each sector of Shiite militias and Sunni insurgents and establish Joint Security Stations so that reconstruction programs can begin in safety. The U.S. military commander in Iraq, David Petraeus, has gone so far as to say Iraq will be "doomed" if this current plan fails.^[6] Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... The Multi-National Force - Iraq (MNF-I), also known as the Coalition, are the nations whose governments have military personnel in Iraq as part of the American-led war effort. ... Baghdad (Arabic: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... The New Way Forward redirects here. ... The Iraq resistance movement is the armed resistance by diverse groups to the coalition occupation of Iraq. ... The Iraq resistance movement is the armed resistance by diverse groups to the coalition occupation of Iraq. ... The Military of the United States, officially known as the United States Armed Forces, is structured into five branches consisting of the: United States Army United States Marine Corps United States Navy United States Air Force United States Coast Guard The U.S. Public Health Service and NOAA also have... David Howell Petraeus (born November 7, 1952) is a general in the United States Army and commander of Multinational Force Iraq (MNF-I), the four-star post that oversees all U.S. forces in the country. ...

Background

The operation is being led by Iraqi General Abboud Qanbar, who was a compromise choice, because the first general that the Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, a member of the Islamic Dawa Party, offered to head the operation was rejected by the U.S. Army. On the first day of the operation new checkpoints were erected and increased vehicle inspections and foot patrols were reported in some neighborhoods. The operation will be a major neighborhood-to-neighborhood sweep to quell sectarian violence in the city of 6 million. Abboud Qanbar, also known as Abu Haidar,[1] is a Shiite Iraqi Lieutenant General. ... Nouri Kamel Mohammed Hassan al-Maliki (Arabic: نوري كامل المالكي, transliterated Nūrī Kāmil al-Mālikī; born c. ... The Islamic Dawa Party or Islamic Call Party (Arabic حزب الدعوة الإسلامية Hizb al-Dawa al-Islamiyya) is, historically, a militant Shiite Islamic group and, presently, an Iraqi political party. ...

This joint Iraqi and U.S. operation was originally referred to as "Operation Imposing Law" by Iraqi prime minister Nouri Maliki and U.S. generals. However, this name for the operation appears to have fallen from official favor, probably because its acronym, O.I.L., could be politically awkward for the United States, which has been accused of being involved in Iraq primarily to ensure a secure source of petroleum.^[7]

The Operation

In conducting the Baghdad Security Plan (BSP) (Fardh al-Qanoon in Arabic), coalition forces have "erected security walls around public gathering spots like markets, rounded up weapons caches, and detained suspected Sunni insurgents and Shiite death squads" as well as set up "'joint security sites' and even smaller 'combat outposts'."[1]

In a February 16, 2007, press conference, United States Major General Joseph Fil described the operational design of the Baghdad Security Plan as follows:

"This new plan involves three basic parts: clear, control and retain. The first objective within each of the security districts in the Iraqi capital is to clear out extremist elements neighborhood by neighborhood in an effort to protect the population. And after an area is cleared, we’re moving to what we call the control operation. Together with our Iraqi counterparts, we’ll maintain a full-time presence on the streets, and we’ll do this by building and maintaining joint security stations throughout the city. This effort to re-establish the joint security stations is well under way. The number of stations in each district will be determined by the commanders on the ground who control that area. An area moves into the retain phase when the Iraqi security forces are fully responsible for the day-to-day security mission. At this point, coalition forces begin to move out of the neighborhood and into locations where they can respond to requests for assistance as needed. During these three phrases, efforts will be ongoing to stimulate local economies by creating employment opportunities, initiating reconstruction projects and improving the infrastructure. These efforts will be spearheaded by neighborhood advisory councils, district advisory councils and the government of Iraq." [2]

The nine Baghdad security districts correspond to Baghdad administrative districts and are named as follows: Baghdad (Arabic: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ...

• Adhamiyah
• Karkh
• Karadah (Kharadah)
• Kadhimyah
• Mansour
• Sadr City (Thawr)
• Rasheed
• Rusafa
• Tisa Nissan (9 Nissan)

The Joint Security Sites (JSS, also known as Joint Security Stations) [3] are occupied by both the Iraqi Security Forces as well as Provincial Police. In some cases, Combat Outposts (COP) are enlarged to become JSS. As of April 12, MG William Caldwell IV announced that fifty-four of the 75 outposts and stations are operating in the capital, and the number could rise to 102 [4]

JSS are planned to be set up in the following neighborhoods:

• Sadr City [5]
• Zafaraniyah JSS [6]
• Hurriyah JSS [7]
• Ghazaliya JSS [8]
• Joint Security Station Mansour in the Jamia neighborhood of the Mansour district [9]
• Mushada JSS [10]

This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Mansour is a district in Iraq. ...

February developments

On the second day of the operation U.S. and Iraqi forces pushed deeper into Sunni militant strongholds in Baghdad, mainly the Doura district in the south, where car-bombs were set off in their advance. In two incidents, car-bombs blew up as U.S. and Iraqi patrols passed and there were at least four civilian casualties. The operation began with very little resistance, and was hailed by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as a "brilliant success." ^[8] There was a steep decline in violence during the first few days, but American Generals were more cautious about making judgments on its success early on, stating that the results will be seen over the course of months. Nouri Kamel Mohammed Hassan al-Maliki (Arabic: نوري كامل المالكي, transliterated Nūrī Kāmil al-Mālikī; born c. ...

On February 17, Iraqi Army spokesman Qasim al-Musawi announced that attacks and killings in Baghdad had already declined by 80%. He also added that the Baghdad morgue usually received 40-50 bodies per day but had received only 20 in the past 48 hours. ^[9]

On February 18, car bombings in a crowded market killed 63, which was the first major bombing since the security plan went in place. ^[10] The insurgent counter attack continued the next day as bombs continued to go off in Baghdad and a U.S. post was destroyed by a bombing which killed two troops and wounded 29. ^[11] Three car bombs exploded in mainly Shia areas of Baghdad, killing at least 63 people and injuring more than 120 on February 18, 2007. ...

On February 24, the Iraqi Prime Minister stated that 400 militants were killed in the operation which was contradictory to the statement given two days before by a senior Iraqi Brigadier, General Qassim Atta al-Mussawi, who said 42 militants where killed and 246 captured. On the same day the Prime Minister gave the statement, insurgents stormed an Iraqi police checkpoint near Baghdad International airport, killing eight policemen. Also, two suicide bombers struck in Baghdad, one in the southern part killing one person and another outside the SCIRI compound killing three. List of Prime Ministers of Iraq The Prime Minister of Iraq is Iraqs head of government. ... The Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) is an Iraqi political party; its support comes from the countrys Shia Muslim community and from their fellow religionists in neighbouring Iran. ...

The next day a female bomber killed at least 41 and wounded 50 at Baghdad’s Mustansiriyah University, while several Katyusha rockets simultaneously killed at least a dozen in a Shiite neighborhood and a bomb detonated near the Green Zone killing two and wounded a dozen civilians. ^[12] The leader of the Mahdi Army, which is one of the groups that is being targeted, Muqtada al-Sadr, said on the day of the University bombing that bombs "continue to explode" in Baghdad and that the security operation is doomed.^{[citation needed]} Mustansiriya University is one of the oldest Islamic universities in the world, established in 1233 by the Abbasid Caliph al-Mustansir. ... Katyusha multiple rocket launchers are a type of rocket artillery built and fielded by the Soviet Union beginning in the Second World War. ... The Green Zone is a 10 km² (4 mile²) area in central Baghdad that is the main base for coalition officials in Iraq. ... Members parade in Sadr City The Mahdi Army, also known as the Mahdi Militia, Mehdi Army or Jaish al Mahdi (Arabic جيش المهدي) , is a militia force created by the Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in June of 2003. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

On February 25, the Iraqi military announced that during heavy fighting in Baghdad, 13 Iraqi soldiers, including one officer, and 11 militants were killed and 219 militants were captured. ^[13][14]

The next day another chilling reminder of the insurgency's grip on Baghdad showed when a bomb under the podium, where the Sunni Iraqi Vice President was making a speech, exploded. The bombing happened in the Mansour district while Adel Abdul-Mahdi was talking to municipal officials. The bomb missed him by a minute as he had just finished the speech and left the podium. The explosion left Abdul-Mahdi injured and at least 10 people dead.^[15]

March developments

On March 3, insurgents captured Iraqi Lieutenant General Thamer Sultan. Sultan was working as an adviser to the Iraqi Defence Minister, and he himself was considered to take up that post in the coming months. Sultan, a Sunni, was a general during Saddam's era.^[16] He was rescued the next day when Iraqi agents stormed a house in western Baghdad where he was being held and four of his captors were arrested.

On March 4, U.S. and Iraqi forces entered Sadr City, the primary stronghold of the Mahdi Army. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

On March 5, a suicide bomber killed 38 and wounded 105 civilians at a Baghdad book market.^[17]

U.S. soldiers take cover during a firefight with insurgents in the Al Doura section of Baghdad March 7, 2007

On March 7, the Pentagon issued an order that an extra 2,200 military police be sent to Baghdad because of the growing number of captured insurgents. The same day a suicide bomber attacked a police checkpoint in southern Baghdad killing 12 police commandos and 10 civilians. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 475 pixel Image in higher resolution (1438 × 854 pixel, file size: 987 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) http://www. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 475 pixel Image in higher resolution (1438 × 854 pixel, file size: 987 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) http://www. ...

On March 8, General David Petraeus stated that: "There is no military solution to a problem like that in Iraq, to the insurgency of Iraq." He went on to say that a political solution was necessary in addition to the enhanced security operation in Iraq, and that the process of establishing peace would take months.[11]

On March 15, the Iraqi military said that since the start of the operation 265 civilians were killed in Baghdad in comparison to 1,440 the month before the start of the operation. Also they stated that there was significant reduction in assassinations and kidnappings, and the mortar attacks were down by 50 percent but roadside and car bombings remain at a high level. The Iraqi military said that "the statistics are key indications that the security crackdown is bearing fruit".^[18]

By March 17 a total of 15 joint US-Iraqi security stations were set up in Baghdad. Another 15 are planned to be built. Of the 15 that were built one was almost destroyed in an insurgent attack in the first days of the operation and another three are besieged by insurgents. On March 21 the Washington post reported on the precarious conditions of many of the new outposts.^[19] The subsequent day several artillery rounds were fired into Al Malaki's office nearly striking the prime minister and the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.^[20] This is a Korean name; the family name is Ban Ban Ki-moon (IPA pronunciation: ) (born June 13, 1944 in Eumseong, North Chungcheong, Korea) is a former South Korean diplomat who succeeded Kofi Annan as the Secretary-General of the United Nations on January 1, 2007. ...

On March 23, the deputy prime minister Salam Al-Zubaie was seriously injured in a mosque suicide bombing.^[21] It was thought it was an inside job just like the attempt on the Vice President the previous month.

On March 24, a massive suicide truck bombing completely destroyed a police station killing 33 police officers and wounding 44 others, including 20 policemen, in the Sunni insurgent stronghold of Doura.^[22] Heavy fighting continued the next day in the city with another 12 members of the Iraqi security forces killed and 26 more wounded, 6 insurgents were killed.

On March 24, also, heavy mortar and rocket attacks opened up on the heavily fortified Green Zone. These attacks were some of the most sustained attacks on the Green Zone during the war. By March 29, one American soldier and one American contractor were killed in the shelling and another 15 people were wounded, some seriously.

U.S. soldiers find a weapons cache March 31, 2007

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 531 pixel Image in higher resolution (1000 × 664 pixel, file size: 49 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) http://www. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 531 pixel Image in higher resolution (1000 × 664 pixel, file size: 49 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) http://www. ...

Results by the end of March

By the end of March, despite claims by the Iraqi government that the situation is improving in Baghdad and the rest of the country thanks to the operation, Sunni insurgents continue to inflict massive casualties on Iraqi security forces and civilians, as well as U.S. forces with a constant rate of three soldiers dying per day for the past six months. During the month of March, more than 2,400 civilians were killed as well as more than 300 members of the Army and police forces in the whole country. However, over 1,000 suspected insurgents were captured and many weapons caches were discovered. The government stated that tens of thousands of Iraqis are returning to Baghdad and their old neighborhoods because the security situation has improved and the rate of families leaving the city has also dropped from 350 to 25 families per day. But according to an article published by Newsweek, the situation on the ground is in contrast to what is said: only a handful of Iraqi families have returned to their homes, and most of them have only done so because of payments from the Iraqi government. According to the Newsweek article, the government is offering a bounty of 250,000 dinars to each family that returns to its home, and they also pay a small benefit to families who are displaced. ^[23]

Only about 40% of the reinforcements are currently in place. The U.S. command has stated that killings from death squads are going down notwithstanding the continued bombings. By the end of March, a total of 2,762 Iraqi civilians and policemen were killed, a small 3.6% decrease on the monthly death toll from before the crackdown, when 2,864 were killed.

U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell has expressed disappointment at the high level of violence in Iraq despite a drop in the overall death toll in Baghdad during the U.S.-Iraqi security sweep that has entered its eighth week. William Caldwell may refer to: William Caldwell (cricketer), English cricketer William Caldwell (Halifax mayor), former mayor of Halifax, Nova Scotia William Caldwell (hymnist) (1801–1857), who compiled a hymn and tune book Union Harmony William Caldwell (Lord Chancellor) (1349–1354), Lord Chancellor of Scotland William Caldwell (physician) (1782–1833), Lower...

April developments

The month of April saw more intense fighting between U.S. forces and insurgents in and around Baghdad. The rebel cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on his Mahdi Army to stop attacking the Iraqi security forces and redouble their efforts to attack American and other foreign forces. In the first nine days of April, 22 American soldiers were killed in fighting in and around Baghdad alone. In the whole country 43 American and 6 British soldiers were killed in the first nine days of April at a rate of around 5 soldiers per day. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

April 10th saw some of the most intense street fighting of the operation when U.S. and Iraqi troops encountered heavily armed Iraqi insurgents in the Fadhil district during a routine search operation. Apache attack helicopters were called in but most of them had to return to base because the anti-aircraft fire they received was too heavy. In the daylong battle that ensued 4 Iraqi Army soldiers, 14 insurgents and one child were killed, 16 American soldiers were wounded, including one Apache pilot, and three Apache and one Black Hawk helicopter were damaged enough that they had to return to base in mid-battle.^[24]

U.S. soldiers secure the area at Baghdad's collapsed Al-Sarafiya bridge which was destroyed in a suicide truck bombing April 12, 2007

Two days later an insurgent suicide truck bomb attack destroyed the main bridge in the north Baghdad Waziriyah district. The bridge spanning over the Tigris River had been the primary transit point for United States vehicles operating in north Baghdad.^[25] In the same day insurgents managed to penetrate the extensive security and fortifications of U.S.-protected Green Zone and detonate a suicide bomb in the Iraqi parliament. The resulting blast killed one member of parliament, with seven more lawmakers being seriously wounded by the blast.^[26] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The al-Sarafiya bridge crosses the River Tigris in Baghdad. ...

As the offensive entered it's second month, on April 12 reports indicated that 1,586 civilians were killed in Baghdad since the start of the offensive which represented a sharp drop from the 2,871 civilians who died violently in the capital during the two months that preceded the security crackdown.^[27] However, various reports over the next twelve days indicated another rise in sectarian killings, beside the daily car bombings that have been taking a heavy toll on civilians since the start of the operation, with more than 540 civilians being killed in Baghdad.

Deaths outside of Baghdad increased as militants were flushed out of the city, with 1,504 civilians deaths reported compared with 1,009 deaths during the two months preceding the operation. Overall, the total reported civilian dead in Iraq decreased by about 20%. ^[28]

On April 16, cabinet members, who belonged to the Mahdi Army and held three ministries, quit the government on the orders from al-Sadr, in response to growing insecurity in Baghdad and the refusal of al-Maliki's government to set a timetable for the American military withdrawal. The Maliki government said that this will not bring down the government and new replacements will be appointed who will work to unify the Iraqi people.

Plumes of smoke are seen from one of the devastating car bombings in Baghdad April 18, 2007

On April 18, five massive car bombs, including two suicide bombers, exploded in mostly Shiite neighborhoods of Baghdad killing 198 people and wounding 251 others. The deadliest was in the mainly Shiite Sadriyah neighborhood in an attack on a market, which had already been hit by car bombs in previous attacks, where 140 people were killed and 148 were wounded. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered the arrest of the Iraqi army colonel who was in charge of security in the area around the Sadriyah market. On the national level the Associated Press reported nearly 240 confirmed civilian fatalities making it the deadliest day since The Associated Press began recording daily nationwide deaths in May 2005.^[29]The Department of Defense said the following, "It's been a very bad day in Iraq, obviously, with the number of casualties that have taken place. ... But we've always said that there are going to be good days and bad days ahead. With respect to casualties, this had been a very bad day," according to their spokesman, Bryan Whitman.^[30] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The 18 April 2007 Baghdad bombings were a series of attacks that occurred when four bombs exploded across Baghdad, the capital city of Iraq, on 18 April 2007, killing nearly 200 people. ... The 18 April 2007 Baghdad bombings were a series of attacks that occurred when four bombs exploded across Baghdad, the capital city of Iraq, on 18 April 2007, killing nearly 200 people. ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ...

On April 25, the UN said that despite the initial drop in violence civilian deaths and violence in Baghdad had not dropped. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18304676/

See also

• Iraq War
• Iraqi insurgency
• Operation Together Forward
• Units under General Petraus' command

For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ... The Iraq resistance movement is the armed resistance by diverse groups to the coalition occupation of Iraq. ... Combatants United States Army New Iraqi Army Mujahideen Shura Council Mahdi Army Commanders Gen. ... Sgt. ...

References

External links

• http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070206/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq (Link dead as of 05:13, 25 February 2007 (UTC))
• http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070209/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_security_plan (Link dead as of 05:13, 25 February 2007 (UTC))
• http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=8259D564-4787-4543-9E41-EC2523B33A55&f=00&fg=copy (requires Macromedia Flash)
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6351257.stm