Operation Phantom Phoenix was a major MNF-I nationwide offensive in Iraq aimed at eliminating remaining al-Qaeda networks and securing the population following earlier 2007 operations.
Key Facts
- Launch Date
- 8 January 2008
- Conducting Force
- Multinational Force Iraq (MNF-I)
- Northern Sub-Operation
- Operation Iron Harvest (Diyala province)
- Southern Sub-Operation
- Operation Marne Thunderbolt (Arab Jabour region)
- Target AQ fighters remaining
- Approximately 200 in Diyala province
- Predecessor Operations
- Phantom Thunder and Phantom Strike
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Earlier corps-level operations, Operation Phantom Thunder and Operation Phantom Strike, had reduced but not eliminated al-Qaeda and insurgent networks in Iraq. Remaining extremists had regrouped in Diyala, Salah ad-Din, and Nineveh provinces, and insurgent safe havens persisted in the Baghdad Belts, necessitating a follow-on nationwide offensive.
On 8 January 2008, MNF-I launched Operation Phantom Phoenix, a nationwide offensive combining Coalition and Iraqi Army forces. It comprised Operation Iron Harvest in northern Iraq targeting roughly 200 remaining al-Qaeda fighters in Diyala and surrounding provinces, and Operation Marne Thunderbolt targeting insurgent safe havens southeast of Baghdad, particularly Arab Jabour, along with al-Qaeda's bomb and financial networks.
Operation Phantom Phoenix sought to consolidate security gains achieved in 2007 by dismantling residual insurgent infrastructure, bomb-making networks, and al-Qaeda financing across Iraq. The operation was part of a broader strategy to reduce violence and stabilize the Iraqi population, particularly in and around Baghdad.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
2 belligerents
Side B
2 belligerents