In order to isolate and defeat remaining pockets of resistance seeking to delay the transition to a peaceful and stable Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force 7 initiated Operation Desert Scorpion on June 15, 2003.

This operation, which follows Operation Peninsula Strike, is designed to identify and defeat selected Ba?ath party loyalists, terrorist organizations and criminal elements while delivering humanitarian aid simultaneously.

Combat operations will be followed by synchronized stability and humanitarian operations designed to assist a transition to Iraqi self-rule. These include engineer and civil affairs initiatives to repair damaged infrastructure, support the growth of police forces and local government and improve the lives of Iraq?s citizens.

The goal of Operation Desert Scorpion, in keeping with our ultimate mission, will be to help establish a permissive and secure environment and to facilitate a rapid transition to Iraqi self-sufficiency.

In the central region near Tikrit and Kirkuk, Coalition forces conducted 36 raids and detained 215 individuals in the first days of the operation. Coalition forces also performed humanitarian fuel escort missions in the region.

By June 16, 2003 Coalition forces in the Baghdad area conducted 11 raids and detained 156 individuals. Coalition forces also collected 121 rifles, two submachine guns, 19 pistols, 18 rocket-propelled grenades, four machine guns, 31 pounds of explosives, and some chemical protective masks.

As of July 29, 2003, Operation Desert Scorpion was summarized by DOD officials as having consisted of 13 raids and resulted in the capture of 38 detainees, including nine captured by the 1st Armored Division in the course of the seven raids the unit conducted in Baghdad. Operation Desert Scorpion had also resulted in the seizure of $8M as well as a large sum of British pounds and Euros.