| South of Bayji, Tikrit has traditionally been a stronghold of insurgent activities, as it was the hometown of former president Saddam Hussein | Coalition and Iraqi forces have conducted frequent intelligence-driven raids, seeking to deny sanctuary to AQI insurgents and to further disrupt lines of communication, supply, and foreign terrorist movement in these areas |
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| As the Tigris winds its way south to the capital, a number of key Iraqi cities lie along the route; these are Bayji, Tikrit, Samarra, and Balad | AQI has used the areas along the Tigris River Valley as support zones for the insurgency |
Special Operations Forces also operate throughout the province, and have conducted a large number of targeted raids.
9| Therefore, the Tigris River Valley has functioned as a primary line of communication, supply, and foreign terrorist facilitation for the Sunni insurgency and, in particular, | The 4th Iraqi Army IA Division and the 12th Iraqi Army Division are responsible for Salah ad Din and Kirkuk provinces |
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| To weaken and the Sunni insurgency, coalition forces have sought to disrupt the lines of communication and supply that run throughout northern Iraq | The tempo of operations in the cities of the Tigris River Valley north of Baghdad increased in late 2007 during , the follow-on to Phantom Thunder |
and Iraqi Forces conducted a number of operations in the cities along the upper Tigris River Valley targeting AQI leaders, facilitators, and financiers.
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