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Five U.S. Soldiers Are Killed When Convoy Is Hit in Mosul
An Iraqi man gestures next to a coffin in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Jan. 28, 2008. The coffin was on top a mini bus for a funeral ceremony when a roadside bomb missed a police patrol in eastern Baghdad but hit the mini bus, killing three passengers and injuring five others, police said. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)
(Karim Kadim - AP)
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The city's Arab population has become increasingly vocal about concerns over the rise of Kurdish influence, and U.S. military officials say they believe insurgents are hoping to exploit these divisions and further destabilize the city.
Iraqi officials from Mosul have been warning for months of the growing strength of insurgents and demanding that Iraq's central government commit more resources to prevent al-Qaeda in Iraq from becoming entrenched in the city.
In the aftermath of last week's violence, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said that reinforcements were moving toward Mosul ahead of an operation he vowed would be the "decisive" battle against al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Over the past year, the two Iraqi army divisions in Nineveh province have lacked three battalions that were sent to Baghdad to help with the counterinsurgency effort. Two of those battalions have returned to the province, and one of them, the 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade of the 3rd Division, has recently begun operations in western Mosul. The additional troops are setting up several new outposts inside the city and are operating a provincial operations command, which was established Jan. 15 and is led by a two-star Iraqi general.
The U.S. military also has boosted its troop strength in the city over the past month by moving in an additional battalion. About 5,000 American soldiers and more than 40,000 Iraqi security forces are in the province. The city of Mosul, with a population of more than 1.8 million people, has 18,200 Iraqi soldiers and police officers.
U.S. military officials said that over the next few months there would be a gradual increase in Iraqi security forces and more frequent combat operations.
Tyson reported from the Pentagon. Special correspondent Naseer Nouri in Baghdad contributed to this report.
