Iraq ready for "final" battle with al Qaeda

They beat us to it.

Iraqi security forces have begun a "decisive" final offensive against al Qaeda in Iraq to push the Sunni Islamist militants out of their last major stronghold in the north, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Friday.

Assuming all goes as planned, what happens next?

He said Iraqi soldiers and police were being sent to Mosul, where a massive blast blamed on al Qaeda killed 40 people and wounded 220 on Wednesday, and an operations room had been set up in the city, 390 km north of Baghdad.

I'm left to wonder why we constantly announce these "operations". What ever happened to the element of surprise?

U.S. military commanders say Al-Qaeda, blamed for most big bombings in Iraq, has regrouped in the northern provinces after being squeezed out of western Anbar province and from around Baghdad during security crackdowns last year.

They're on the ropes. Finish 'em off guys.

They describe Mosul, capital of Nineveh province, as al Qaeda's last major urban stronghold in Iraq.

Good luck and God bless. Come home safe. The US and Iraqi forces that is, not al-qaeda.