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PRESS CONFERENCE: Phantom Phoenix Update: Maj. Gen. Bergner, Jan. 16, 2008

Multi-National Force-Iraq

Briefing Slides [PDF]

Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, Multi-National Force - Iraq Spokesman, and Dr. Ali al-Dabbagh, Government of Iraq Spokesman, give an update on Operation Phantom Phoenix.

Maj. Gen. Bergner’s Opening Remarks

Good Afternoon and A’Salaam AlayQoom.

It is a pleasure to be here today with Dr. Ali al-Dabbagh, Spokesman for the Government of Iraq. Following our remarks, we will be happy to take your questions.

To begin, we offer our sincere congratulations to the members of the Iraqi Council of Representatives who worked extremely hard to reach a series of political compromises that resulted in passage of the Accountability and Justice Law. This is an Iraqi law, formulated by Iraqi leaders, that addresses uniquely Iraqi issues.

Operation Phantom Phoenix/AQI

Operation Phantom Phoenix continues offensive action to disrupt terrorist safe havens and bases of operation.

In MND-North alone, Coalition Forces and Iraqi Security Forces have detained 193 extremists, killed 60 extremists and found 79 weapons caches during the first full week of operations.

Last Thursday, south of Baghdad, Coalition Forces teamed up with Iraqi Army Soldiers to conduct an operation that detained more than 50 extremists, including one individual believed to be behind the assassination of a tribal leader in November. Soldiers also discovered a bomb-making facility and destroyed two large-caliber mortar systems.

On Saturday near Tikrit, Coalition Forces discovered a complex cache site and underground bunker system.

The 70-meter complex included a building for constructing improvised explosive devices, as well as two underground bunkers. The site contained weapons and explosives, including small arms, components for 10 IEDs, and small arms ammunition.

Coalition Forces also found several log books containing names of AQI members with their assigned weapons and a map of IED locations.

On Monday northeast of Fallujah, the Iraqi Army located a cache during a raid that was based on Iraqi Army intelligence. The cache consisted of over 90 mortar rounds, blasting caps, and small arms ammunition. The capturing unit estimates that cache contained enough ordnance to construct over 20 IEDs.

And on Monday in Mosul, Iraqi Special Operations Forces detained a terrorist cell leader. His cell was involved in storing and emplacing IEDs and car bombs for use in attacks throughout Mosul. He is also believed to be involved in the kidnapping and murder of innocent Iraqi civilians.

We have also identified a key AQI terrorist killed December 30 near Muqdadiyah.

Abu Layla al-Suri, also known as Abu Abd al Rahman, was a key al-Qaeda in Iraq leader in Diyala province. Since 2006, he had been involved in the terrorist network operating in the Diyala River Valley, and was associated with several senior leaders of al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Some of his direct associates included Abu Maysara, who was killed November 17th. Abu Maysara had been the extremist spiritual advisor to Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the head of al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Non-Kinetic

Even as Iraqi and Coalition Forces expand offensive operations, Iraqi health care providers gathered in the Iraqi capital for a two-day medical conference last week that was the first of its kind in more than 15 years.

Iraq’s Ministry of Health was supported by the International Medical Society, Medical Alliance for Iraq and the Health Attaché’s Office of the U.S. Embassy in organizing the conference that sought to revitalize the network of Iraqi health care providers.

As the country’s security continues to improve, Iraqi doctors who left here during the Saddam era are now considering coming back to Iraq and their government is working to facilitate their return.

More than 200 Iraqi doctors attended the conference, including a number who hadn’t been in Iraq for many years.

This is a tough fight on many levels, and it will continue to be so. But even as offensive operations pressure the extremist networks, there are steps being taken to improve services and support for the citizens of Iraq. Some, like this conference, will take time to develop and provide a tangible improvement in the lives of the Iraqi people. Nevertheless, those steps are being taken, albeit slowly and with many more yet to come.