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Operation Steel Curtain Update, November 18, al Qaim Region

Ubaydi-A suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorist was captured in an Ubaydi hospital dressed in women's clothing. The terrorist was discovered by a Desert Protector, specially trained scout unit of soldiers recruited from the al Qaim region. Desert Protectors are part of the 1,000 Iraqi Army soldiers taking part in Operation Steel Curtain in the al Qa'im region. U.S. Military Photo

CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, AR RAMADI, Iraq - Iraqi Army Soldiers and Marines, Soldiers and Sailors continue Operation al Hajip Elfulathi (Steel Curtain) in the al Qaim region November 18..

Iraqi Soldiers and U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to Regimental Combat Team - 2 have begun clearing the Ramana area, which is west of Ubaydi on the northern side of the Euphrates River.

Ramana is a rural, agricultural region with dozens of small villages. The goals of Operation Steel Curtain are to restore Iraqi sovereign control along the Iraq-Syria border and destroy the al Qaeda in Iraq terrorists operating throughout the al Qaim region.

No resistance to the clearing operations has been encountered in Ramana. Iraqi Desert Protectors positively identified seven al Qaeda in Iraq terrorists, who were detained for further questioning.

The operation has yielded less than a dozen foreign fighters. Three suspected foreign fighters were killed by Iraqi Army Soldiers on Nov. 7 as they tried to infiltrate the displaced persons camp in Husaybah dressed in women's clothing. Several other foreign fighters have been captured during the course of the operation.

It is uncertain the number of foreign fighters who were killed during the operation.

Operation Steel Curtain continues.

This offensive is part of the larger Operation Sayaid (Hunter), designed to prevent al Qaeda in Iraq from operating in the Euphrates River Valley and throughout al Anbar and to establish a permanent Iraqi Army security presence in the al Qaim region.

Source: Multi-National Force-Iraq