HUSAYBAH, IRAQ: Coalition forces have launched Operation Iron Hammer in the city of Hit. This is a multi-battalion operation consisting of one Iraqi and two to three U.S. battalions; approximately 500 Iraqi Army soldiers from 2nd Brigade, 7th Iraqi Army Division and 1,500 Marines and Sailors from the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit along with 500 Soldiers from 2nd Battalion-114th Field Artillery Regiment.”
The Coalition forces currently occupy Hit, but Iron Hammer is directed at a portion of the city called the Hai Al Becker region which lies on the Eastern bank of the Euphrates River. Intelligence indicates the area is “an al-also believed to be a stopping point for insurgents, as they transit the ‘rat lines’ down the Euphrates River from Syria into the interior of Iraq.” Operation Iron Hammer is but another operation in the Anbar Campaign.
Hit has been the focus of Coalition operations in the past, including Operation Sword last July and a classic take down of the terrorist Al-Ahwal Brigade. There is a Coalition Civil Affairs Group operating in Hit as well to assist in restoring public services and building the local government.
