Operation Phantom Phoenix

Operation Phantom Phoenix
	Part of the Iraq War
Date	8 January 2008, – 28 July 2008
Location	North-central Iraq
Result	Partial Coalition victory Coalition victory in Diyala and Salah ad-Din provinces; Indecisive outcome in Mosul and Kirkuk provinces;
Belligerents
United States; Iraq ; Georgia; United Kingdom	Islamic state of Iraq; Other Iraqi Insurgents
Commanders and leaders
David Petraeus; Gordon Brown; Babaker Shawkat Zebari; Davit Kezerashvili	Ayyub al-Masri; Abdul Basit al-Nissani †
Strength
	United States: 24,000; Iraqi Security Forces: 130,000 ; Sons of Iraq: 14,000
Casualties and losses
59 killed; 568 security forces killed; 2 missing; 7 captured; 208 Sons of Iraq killed; 4 captured; 3 killed; 1 killed	890 killed, 2,500+ captured

Operation Phantom Phoenix was a major nationwide offensive launched by the Multinational Force Iraq (MNF-I) on 8 January 2008 in an attempt to build on the success of the two previous corps-level operations, Operation Phantom Thunder and Operation Phantom Strike and further reduce violence and secure Iraq's population, particularly in the capital Baghdad. The offensive consisted of a number of joint Coalition and Iraqi Army operations throughout northern Iraq as well as in the southern Baghdad Belts.

The northern operation was designated Operation Iron Harvest. Its objective was to hunt down the remaining 200 Al-Qaeda extremists remaining in the province of Diyala following the end of the previous offensive. The operation also included targeting insurgent elements in Salah ad-Din province and Nineveh province. The southern operation was designated Operation Marne Thunderbolt and targeted insurgent safe havens in the belts to the south-east of Baghdad, particularly the Arab Jabour region.

Additionally, Phantom Phoenix's aims were the remaining car, truck and suicide bomb networks in Baghdad as well as al-Qaeda's financial network.

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