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 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 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 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 attack helicopters killed 17 al-Qaeda gunmen and the vehicle they were using southwest of
Khalis in
Diyala province. By 19 August, at least 227 insurgents had been killed in Baquba.
Operation "Commando Eagle" Operation Commando Eagle 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.
Operation "Alljah" Operation Alljah was conducted by
Multi-National Forces West. In the western Al
Anbar province operations attacked insurgent supply lines and weapons caches, targeting the regions of
Fallujah,
Karma and
Tharthar. Commanders of the operation expressed belief that
Fallujah 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. 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 who served in 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 commenced near
Hilla to capture or kill members of
Moktada al-Sadr's
Mahdi Army. Iraqi Special Forces raided Sadr City and captured a "key insurgent leader" on 20 June, along with two associates. ==Operation conclusion==