Operation Swarmer: Touting Iraqi Participation

Operation Swarmer, the new assault near As Samarra, Iraq, includes some 50 aircraft and 1,500 U.S. and Iraqi troops. Although Swarmer is not fundamentally different from other operations in Iraq, the U.S. military is making sure the media get plenty of information about it. Ultimately, this is part of the overall U.S. objective of handing more security responsibility to Iraqi forces — a necessary first step to a significant U.S. troop drawdown.