Operation Marne Torch II wraps up

BAGHDAD, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Coalition forces operating in Iraq’s Arab Jabour region announced the completion of Operation Marne Torch II.

Army Col. Terry Ferrell, commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Stewart, Ga., says the operation was a success and that al-Qaida operations in the area haven been greatly diminished.

“Through full-spectrum operations, we were able to utilize Iraqi security forces and the assistance of concerned citizen groups to seek out and kill or capture al-Qaida that operate in our area,” Ferrell said in a statement. “Al-Qaida has suffered a significant blow.”

Ferrell's unit, assigned to the Multinational Division Center, was the last of the Bush administration's troop surge to arrive in Iraq in June.

Ferrell said Operation Marne Torch II resulted in the killing or capture of more than 250 suspected insurgents, the discovery of 30 improvised explosive devices and dozens of weapons caches among other security-related successes.

Despite the pushback of al-Qaida and other militant operatives out of the region, Ferrell warned that the insurgency could begin again.

“That does not say that al-Qaida doesn't have the ability to regenerate,” Ferrell said. “We understand that. We all understand that. That's why we maintain the presence. That's why we continue the operations. That's why we stay in the fight every day.”