Report: Insurgents in Ramadi attempt a surge of their own

Above: An Iraqi boy inspects the tracks left behind by an armored vehicle in Ramadi today.

RAMADI, Iraq — The 3rd Infantry Division has fought two previous tours in Iraq, but as Lt. Col. Mike Silverman and his “Speed and Power” soldiers are quickly learning, the enemy in this battered city is unlike that of previous tours.

As U.S. troops in Baghdad are attempting to quell a bloody sectarian war between rival Sunni and Shiite religious sects, soldiers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division are squaring off against a determined force of Islamist militants belonging to al-Qaida in Iraq and other terror groups.

Unlike insurgents in many other areas of Iraq — who often melt away into the landscape after sudden roadside bomb attacks or drive-by shootings — brazen, sustained attacks appear to be the hallmark of insurgents in Ramadi.

Read the rest at Stars and Stripes

Related Link:
Perspective: Tribal militias policing Ramadi

Related Link:
Perspective: US says Sheiks are allies in western Anbar but some question motives, loyalties

Related Link:
Perspective: Anbar home to poverty, violence and fear

Related Link:
U.S.: Dramatic upsurge in applicants for police in Anbar