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Release A051115f

Operation Steel Curtain continues

Multi-National Force-Iraq

CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, AR RAMADI, Iraq – Iraqi Army Soldiers and Marines, Soldiers and Sailors continue Operation al Hajip Elfulathi (Steel Curtain) in Ubaydi.

Military commanders in Ubaydi report that the majority of the city has been cleared, but there are pockets of resistance and improvised bombs that still pose a considerable risk to both military personnel and civilians. Back-clearing and detailed searches continue in Old and New Ubaydi to ensure that the last of the terrorist fighters are captured or killed and their improvised bombs are located and rendered safe.

Five car bombs were located in New Ubaydi and destroyed; one of the cars contained approximately 20 large caliber artillery shells. These car bombs can either be detonated remotely or used to launch a suicide attack. Suicide car bomb attacks are rare in western al Anbar; they are more commonly used in the crowded streets of Baghdad, ar Ramadi, or Mosul.

Terrorists continue fighting in a manner which endangers civilians in the area. This morning, after Iraqi Soldiers and Marines received small arms fire from a building in New Ubaydi, Marines then called in Coalition aircraft to target the building.

After the air strike, which resulted in minimal effects on target, the firing from the building stopped and two men fled the premises carrying white flags and ran into an adjacent building. Moments later, approximately 15 civilians, including women, children and elderly, exited the building. The civilians were escorted by Iraqi Army Soldiers to a safe location.

Near Ubaydi, Iraqi Army Soldiers and U.S. forces are providing security, food, water and blankets to approximately 1,400 civilians displaced by the fighting.

Ubaydi is located on the banks of the Euphrates River, 20 km from the Syrian border and separated into two areas, Old and New Ubaydi.

The intent of Operation Steel Curtain is to restore Iraqi sovereign control along the Iraq-Syria border and destroy the al Qaeda in Iraq terrorists operating throughout the al Qaim region. The towns of Husaybah and Karabilah were cleared earlier in the operation which began Nov. 5 and an Iraqi Army security presence has been established. Approximately 1,000 Iraqi Army Soldiers and 2,500 Marines, Soldiers and Sailors are participating in Operation Steel Curtain.

This offensive is part of the larger Operation Sayaid (Hunter), designed to prevent al Qaeda in Iraq from operating in the Euphrates River Valley and throughout al Anbar and to establish a permanent Iraqi Army security presence in the al Qaim region.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT THE MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-WEST PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE AT CEPAOWO@CEMNF-WIRAQ.USMC.MIL.