Arab Jabour

Arab Jabour is a predominately Sunni region to the immediate south-east of Baghdad that lies to the west of the Tigris River. It has an estimated population of 120,000 of which 99.5% are Sunni [ [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/18/iraq/main2369707.shtml U.S. Troops Go It Alone In South Baghdad, Predominantly Shiite Iraq Force Not Welcome In Sunni Area; Americans Search Out Deadly Enemy Alone - CBS News ] ] . It is a fertile, rural area with many canals and difficult terrain. During the era of Saddam Hussein, many influential Sunnis, including Uday and Qusay Hussein, had weekend homes in the area.

Arab Jabour was a hotbed of the Sunni insurgency, with cells that supported al-Qaeda in Iraq networks in Baghdad. These cells operated until Coalition operations during the troop surge rooted them out during Operation Marne Thunderbolt, which concluded in February 2008. [ [http://understandingwar.org/operation/operation-marne-thunderbolt Operation Marne Thunderbolt | Institute for the Study of War ] ]

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