Al-Qaeda in Iraq

They call themselves Farsan Al Rafidayn, the Knights of the Two Rivers. And in Ameriya, a formerly wealthy district of western Baghdad, they have turned on al Qaeda,

Baghdad's Mansour district shows the competition between enemy groups for territory in Baghdad, the effect of the troop surge, and problems with Iraqi governance.

Phantom Strike, a series of targeted joint operations against al Qaeda, Sunni, and Shi'a insurgent elements
in Baghdad and the surrounding areas, was launched on August 13, 2007.

What began in Anbar as a local movement of tribes is developing into a national phenomenon.

This backgrounder provides a bulletized summary of Operation Phantom Thunder.

Al-Qaeda blew up a bridge on Sunday using a suicide truck bomb, the latest in a series of attacks against bridges in Baghdad and the “belts” of territory surrounding the capital.