ARLINGTON, Va. — Standard operational security concerns, not a lack of trust, prompted U.S. military planners to keep recent offensive operations secret from many Iraqi troops ahead of the operations, said the commander of U.S. troops in northern Iraq.
This month, U.S. and Iraqi forces launched Operation Phantom Phoenix against insurgents south of Baghdad and in northern Iraq. The New York Times reported Wednesday that the offensive was kept secret from most of the Iraqi units taking part for as long as possible to prevent insurgents from leaving the region ahead of time.
| That's called 'operational security'. I'm sure you don't know what that means. |
On Friday, Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling said the reporter who wrote the story took a “logic leap.”“Nothing could be further from the truth,” said Hertling, head of Multi-National Division-North. Hertling noted the operation was kept secret from both U.S. and Iraqi troops to prevent the operation from becoming public, either through the media or from troops talking to their families.
| Again, operational security. Interesting concept if you're conducting a sweep as opposed to say, a tribal lashkar. |
He also said Iraqi army commanders were involved with the planning of the operation. “I trust my Iraqi counterparts with my life because I go out with them on daily basis and, my subordinates feel the same way,” Hertling said.
New York Times foreign news editor Susan Chira said the paper stood by its story.
| Of course they did, there's no penalty for them doing anything else, no matter how wrong they are. |
| Not that you made that clear in the article. Certainly not. |
