3rd Infantry Division Operations - Fort Stewart - U.S. Army

The Surge 35
With success, the communities showed willingness to cooperate
with coalition forces and ISF. Iraqis could see that help had
arrived and that the ISF and coalition were determined to stay.
Tips began to trickle in. Commanders learned of an "insurgent
navy" of sort. Boats laden with explosives were trolling the
river to Baghdad. Helicopters and artillery hammered dozens
of them with machinegun and rocket fire. Fiery wrecks sank to
the bottom of the river, their pirate missions coming to an unanticipated
end.
Marne Torch was an around the clock house to house fight.
Soldiers dripped with sweat under the weight of protective
armor. They established outer blocks around urban areas
called "cordons." Then Soldiers inside the protected zone
entered buildings through doors and windows. At night everything
glowed green as infantry, wearing night vision goggles,
searched buildings room by room. Over 570 structures were
cleared and 349 insurgents were detained. The enemy did fight
back. Every time he emerged he became a target and over 89
were killed. Patrol Base Whiskey 1 and PB Murray were both
established on time. Marne Torch was a great success, part of a
much larger campaign that had only just begun.
The challenges that were ahead were great. There was no
functional government. Markets were in disrepair. Iraqis did
not trust their own Iraqi Security Forces or the national government
that they represented. They would demonstrate patience,
but they wanted solutions for the problems that continued to
plague. The enemy was on the run, but determined to return if
the opportunity was presented.