Updates to Traffic Analysis

Right On Cue

Update: CENTCOM announced two raids against suspected terrorists. One by the 82nd Airborne in Fallujah, in which two former Iraqi army generals suspected of being terrorist paymasters and organizers were arrested and a cache of ammunition seized. Another in Al Hadid, north of Baghdad, by Task Force Ironhorse, composed of elements of the First and Fourth Infantry divisions who raided the right place but a little too late. They found:

33 blocks of dangerous explosives, 98ft. of detonation cord, 20 blasting caps, and abundant volatile munitions used in improvised explosive devices (and) ... a terrain model of forward operating bases Warhorse and Scunion, found in the building, indicated that the raided location had been used for planning attacks against coalition forces.

While the groups appeared to be on different operational planes, both seem linked to the former regime of Saddam Hussein, rooted within the Sunni triangle. There is nothing to obviously connect them to Syrian, Saudi or Iranian influences.

A Peek Behind the Wall of Operational Security

This happened last Friday and gives an indication of the kind of activity going on behind the scenes. From the UK Mirror:

A SPECIAL forces soldier was shot dead and four injured in a top secret mission in Iraq. Special Boat Service Corporal Ian Plank, 31, was gunned down in a battle with al-Qaeda terrorists. Four SAS soldiers were also wounded by guerrillas linked to Osama bin Laden's terror network. Cpl Plank and his team attacked a rebel hideout in the desolate wastes in the north of Iraq on Friday night. Dozens of enemy fighters were killed in the attack but Cpl Plank and the others were hit as the guerrillas returned fire.

Unlike the incident related above, the targets of the raid were probably non-Iraqi Al Qaeda. From the context, one may guess that the Al Qaeda had been infiltrated from Syria. Moreover, the SBS must have attempted the infantry assault, as opposed to calling down an air strike on the terrorists, in the hopes of taking prisoners. Corporal Plank died in an attempt to know more -- about what the Left says there is nothing to know.