Insurgent’s objective of attacks unclear 

Iraqi Army soldiers and U.S. Forces engaged armed groups of insurgents sporadically yesterday throughout the Al Anbar provincial capital of Ar Ramadi resulting in 32 enemy killed.The attacks began shortly before noon and focused on several Iraqi and U.S. military outposts on a main road through the city.U.S. forces assess the attackers’ numbers to exceed 50 fighters and that the attacks were planned to coincide simultaneously; however once initiated the attacks lacked coordination.Most of the fighting centered around the Abdullah Al-Karber (Ramadi) Mosque in central Ramadi. Marines reported that they received sustained small arms fire originating from the mosque. A nearby U.S. Army outpost also reported receiving enemy fire from the area surrounding the mosque.Iraqi Army soldiers moved in to clear the mosque of insurgents and discovered AK-47 shell casings at the mosque and other signs of fighting. The bodies of 17 insurgents were also found in the vicinity of the mosque.Mosques and other religious and cultural sites are given a protected status by Iraqi Army and Coalition Forces out of respect for the Iraqi culture and Muslim tradition; however, once attacks or military operations are launched from these sites, Iraqi and Coalition will respond with force in order to return the site to its protective status. Iraqi Army soldiers and U.S. forces have conducted a number of cordon and sweep operations in Ramadi and the surrounding area to disrupt insurgent activity in the capital city and to deny use of the city as a base of operations to set conditions for the upcoming Dec. 15 national elections. The most recent sweep which began Nov. 16, was Operation Numur (Panthers) employing approximately 150 Iraqi Army soldiers and 300 Soldiers from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division. The operation cleared an area of Ramadi known as the Sufia district.Operation Al Hajip Elfulathi (Steel Curtain) in the Western Euphrates River Valley is currently ongoing and denying use of the Al Qa’im region to insurgents. Iraqi Army and U.S. bases in other former insurgent strongholds of Hit and Haditha are denying insurgents their use.An Iraqi Army soldier and a Marine sustained minor injuries during yesterday’s Ramadi attacks.