A Major Military Strike in Iraq?

By John A.Cote MSSI, CPP
Could a major military strike in Iraq be in the very near future? It seems that all the ingredients have been added into the mix for such an event to take place.
The newly appointed Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, has to make a big splash in order to set the tone of his tenor. To do that, he needs help facilitate a rather large and significant policy shift in Iraq.
Secretary Gates has essentially stated that we are losing the war in Iraq and that a major overhaul to the U.S. war strategy is needed to break the endless cycle of violence occurring every day throughout Iraq.
Currently, the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower is steaming its way toward the Gulf to relieve the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise strike group, which was in the region supporting operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Having two complete battle groups in the region is thought to be a show of force to Iran.
But what if there were other reasons why two battle groups were there?
Lately the name Muqtada al-Sadr has been thrown around the Pentagon as the current public enemy number one in Iraq. Could a major Tomahawk Land-Attack Missile (TLAM) attack on the leadership of al-Sadr’s group be in the cards?
Such an event would serve as the major policy shift needed in Iraq, because if successful, it would send a major message to anyone trying to interfere in the restoration process of Iraq.
In the early hours of the current Saddam Hussein. Why not try a decapitating blow to the al-Sadr Army by sending in a TLAM strike on all major players in the al-sadr Army other wise known as the Mahdi?
The first battle of Fallujah referred to as Operation Vigilant Resolve held in April of 2004 resulted in an unsuccessful attempt by the U.S. to recapture the city. November 7, 2004 saw a second attempt by the U.S. to recapture the city of Fallujah in Operation Phantom Fury which ended in January of 2005 resulting in another U.S. pull back.
I am sure with having all those troops in the city fighting, quite a bit of intelligence was gathered on the make up and location of the Mahdi Army. It could be this very intelligence which is being analyzed and reviewed right now as you read this article, which is used to program those TLAM’s in order to make a bold U.S. Statement.