Basra Returning to Normal as Operations Clean Up Special Groups Across Iraq

Basra has changed significantly over the years since the initial invasion of Iraq. Initially the site of the nation's first siege and a key location of bloodshed as Fedayeen Saddam forces waged war against British occupying forces, it soon became a peaceful port hub in the Shi'ite dominated district of Iraq. As time passed however, and the Mahdi Army grew in power at a frightening balance to offset the weakening public support for British troops in Iraq, it came to pass that foreign troops rapidly diminished in the city.

Then the violence came again, as Shi'ite forces hoped to dominate the key southern district. In retaliation, and in the hopes of sealing up loose ends in an increasingly optimistic security situation, Iraqi forces launched Operation: Charge of the Knights, which saw a full scale assault against Basra, all the while Coalition forces continued to press al-Qaeda in Iraq and its puppets in the Islamic State of Iraq into Mosul.

Now, on the heels of Operation: Charge of the Knights, Basra is returning to its previous normalcy, as reported by the Multinational Force Iraq, as American humvees roll through the streets of the city unopposed, a state of life not seen since the upswing of violence is beginning to bring itself to light once more.

Indeed, more than just an absence of gunfire, the citizens of Basra have begun to take on their previous tasks, albeit slowly in some areas. City squares and markets are repopulated as people, no longer under threat of violence from quarreling Shi'ite factions, have taken upon their normal routines, selling and buying, walking, driving, and taking on all the vestiges of a city that it once was.

Coalition forces credit the recent operations spearheaded by the Iraqi Army with the recent return to life.

"Operation: Charge of the Knights is helping to bring normalcy to the districts of Basra, Iraq as Army and Iraqi police regularly patrol to keep criminal elements out," Coalition forces said in a press package sent to reporters.

The rapid decline in violence and the leg room afforded to citizens is consistent with the many other variables that have contributed to an increasingly more secure Iraq in recent days, as the key elements causing the violence and disruptions have found themselves pressured from all angles. Previous strategies of divide and conquer or focusing on a single Sunni or Shi'ite enemy have been abandoned in favor of a two pronged approach against what the Iraqi Government describes as "criminally armed" Special Groups belonging to Shi'ite Militias while al-Qaeda in Iraq, called the most dangerous force in the country, is forced into a dramatic showdown in Mosul.

The hard won peace has not resulted in a time of rest, however, as Coalition forces report that four militants were captured outside of Balad, including a Special Groups cell leader. The MNFI describes the cell leader as little more than a petty thug, as several armed Special Groups have turned away from fighting for a national cause and have become little more than organized thugs - such as the leader in question, who was noted for intimidation and extortion schemes.

Sources:

-Major Brad Leighton
-Multinational Force Iraq Central Command