Laying the Smack Down

Has anyone noticed that they've been kicking a lot of ass in Iraq lately?

US and Iraqi soldiers have arrested at least 108 suspected insurgents in a series of raids south of Baghdad, the US military says.

The raids were undertaken as part of Operation Lightning, a series of security operations around the capital.

Officials in Iraq also say they have arrested a militant leader suspected of involvement in many violent attacks.

Officials said the man, known as Mullah Mahdi, was captured during a raid in the northern city of Mosul.

They said at least five others were arrested in the same operation, including Mullah Mahdi's brother.

Another successful development as part of Operation Lightning is the discovery of a massive underground bunker.

LATIFIYAH, Iraq — Hundreds of Iraqi and U.S. troops searched fields and farms Saturday for insurgents and their hideouts in an area south of Baghdad known for attacks, and the Marines said they discovered 50 weapons and ammunition caches and a huge underground bunker west of the capital fitted out with air conditioning, a kitchen and showers.

The joint U.S.-Iraqi force operating in Latifiyah to the south was backed by American air power and said it had rounded up at least 108 Iraqis, mainly Sunnis, suspected of involvement in the brutal insurgent campaign to topple the Shiite-led government.

To the west of the capital, the 2nd Marine division said its forces had discovered 50 weapons and ammunitions caches over the past four days in restive Anbar province. The military said the find included a recently used "insurgent lair" in a massive underground bunker complex that included air-conditioned living quarters and high tech military equipment, including night vision goggles.

That bunker was found cut from a rock quarry in Karmah, 50 miles west of Baghdad. The Marines said the facility was 170 yards wide and 275 yards long.

It's rather disappointing that people will completely glaze over this news and continue to say that the war isn't going well. The truth, of course, is that there's far more good news worth reporting than there is bad.