Major Offensive in Iraq

via The Fourth Rail, it appears General Petraeus has some big things going on in the areas around Baghdad. US and Iraqi forces are taking names and kicking A**.

"Four days after the announcement of major offensive combat operations against al Qaeda in Iraq and its allies, the picture becomes clearer on the size and scope of the operation. In today's press briefing, Rear Admiral Mark noted that the ongoing operation is a corps directed and coordinated offensive operation. This is the largest offensive operation since the first phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom ended in the spring of 2003.
The corps level operation is being conducted in three zones in the Baghdad Belts -- Diyala/southern Salahadin, northern Babil province, and eastern Anbar province --- as well as inside Baghdad proper, where clearing operations continue in Sadr City and the Rashid district. Iraqi and Coalition forces are now moving into areas which were ignored in the past and served as safe havens for al Qaeda and Sunni insurgent groups. As the corps level operation is ongoing, Coalition and Iraqi forces are striking at the rogue Iranian backed elements of Muqtada al Sadr's Mahdi Army and continuing the daily intelligence driven raids against al Qaeda's network nationwide."

In effect we (the US and the Iraqi government forces) are pressing both the foreign Al-Queda on all fronts while simultaneously serving notice to troublemakers like Sadr that they had better get with the program or face the consequences. Three corps level ops running at the same time is a pretty heavy duty operational tempo. It's going to be a long tough slog through the summer, but I believe that we will see considerable progress made by September if we can sustain the pressure and give the Iraqi government enough space to achieve its political aims.