Baghdad Belts

ISW Interview with COL Wayne Grigsby, Commander, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, FOB Hammer, Iraq

As part of a series of interviews with Brigade and Division-level commanders in Iraq,  I spoke today with COL Wayne Grigsby, commander of the 3rd HBCT, 3rd Infantry Division (Sledgehammer Brigade) about the clearing of the Mad’ain Qadaa and the continuing fight against both Sunni and Shi'a extremists. You can access the audio and the transcript below.

 

Audio

Northeast

The northeastern belt runs from the Tarmiyah area in the Tigris River Valley, east through Khalis and Baqubah and south to Nahrawan east of Baghdad. It controls the road networks that link Baghdad with the eastern shore of the Tigris River Valley, as well the Diyala River Valley and a key border crossing with Iran. Consequently, both al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), Jaysh al-Mahdi, and associated Iranian-backed Special Groups have competed to control the area.

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