Operation Swarmer compromised by Iraqi forces

I just noticed this on SFTT.org (Col David Hackworth's site before he passed on.) It might explain why Operation PR was such a fizzle.

"Operation Swarmer was compromised by the Iraqis. As soon as Iraqi units left their barracks, their soldiers and local police watching movements were on cell phones. Orders are not even issued to Iraqi units until 1 hr prior to loading onto trucks and slicks. The insurgents were tipped off. People we interviewed in the area stated the insurgent cells and cell leaders abruptly left 3 hrs before we even arrived. This operation was an exercise in PR on how well the Iraqi forces are taking the fight to the enemy, but had little operational success."

This is single source, unsubstantiated, but that's the way SFTT works. Their goal is to provide an outlet for soldiers in the field to get their complaints out anonymously. So, a grain of salt, but, quite frankly, most of their stuff turns out to be true. They were talking body armor and Humvee armor before anybody else.