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Operation Bruins Begins in Northern Ramadi

CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, Iraq - Approximately 150 Iraqi Army soldiers and 300 Marines and Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team (2 BCT), 2nd Marine Division began Operation Dhibbah (Bruins) in northern ar Ramadi Nov. 19.

Operation Bruins is part of a series of disruption operations in Ramadi and is designed to set the conditions for successful elections in December. The forces are conducting cordon and searches, blocking off known terrorist escape routes and searching for weapons caches.

Operation Bruins comes on the heels of Operation Panthers which disrupted operations in the Sophia district of eastern Ramadi. During Panthers, 2 BCT discovered weapons caches and detained suspected terrorists. Additionally, Bruins follows the Nov. 17 engagement where 2 BCT successfully repelled a terrorist attack in which 32 terrorists were killed in downtown Ramadi.

The caches found during Operation Panthers, along with the recent capture of three high-value terrorist targets, have been part of continuous disruption operations in the Ramadi area.

Attacks against Iraqi and U.S. Forces in the Ramadi area have decreased 60 percent in the last few weeks, as a result of these ongoing operations.

More information will be released as it becomes available.

Source: Multi-National Force-Iraq