Operation Phantom Phoenix

Operation Phantom Phoenix
Part of the Iraq War
Date8 January 2008 – 28 July 2008
Location
North-central Iraq
Result

Partial Coalition victory

  • Coalition victory in Diyala and Salah ad-Din provinces[citation needed]
  • Indecisive outcome in Mosul and Kirkuk provinces
Belligerents
United States United States
Iraq Iraq
Georgia (country) Georgia
United Kingdom United Kingdom
Islamic state of Iraq
Other Iraqi Insurgents
Commanders and leaders
United States David Petraeus
United Kingdom Gordon Brown
Iraq Babaker Shawkat Zebari
Georgia (country) Davit Kezerashvili
Ayyub al-Masri
Abdul Basit al-Nissani 
Strength
 United States: 24,000
Iraq Iraqi Security Forces: 130,000
Iraq Sons of Iraq: 14,000[1]
Casualties and losses
United States 59 killed
Iraq 568 security forces killed
2 missing
7 captured
Iraq 208 Sons of Iraq killed
4 captured
Georgia (country) 3 killed
United Kingdom 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.

  1. ^ "mnf-iraq Resources and Information". Mnf-iraq.com. Retrieved 30 April 2018.