Despite the improvement of the security situation in Iraq, General Petreaus has continued to say that al-Qaeda remains a dangerous threat. In light of that, this news about a new joint US-Iraqi military operation to combat the terrorists is not surprising:U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a major operation to strike against al-Qaeda in Iraq and other extremists, the U.S. military said Tuesday, in an effort to build on a recent overall reduction of violence and push militants from their strongholds. The division and brigade-level operation, dubbed Phantom Phoenix, will cover the entire country, the military said. "Phantom Phoenix will synchronize lethal and non-lethal effects to exploit recent security gains and disrupt terrorist support zones and enemy command and control," the military said in a statement.Kicked out of western and central Iraq by a combination of US troops and Sunni tribesmen and out of Baghdad and its environs by a combination of American military...(Read Full Post)