Counterinsurgency: Designed to remove the insurgents from the region making the area safer and to train the Iraqi police.

Commencing on April 29, 2006, and concluding in May 2006, Operation Lion Hunt was a mission devised and implemented entirely by the Iraqi security forces. Envisioned as a combination of a pre-emptive strike against insurgents, a public relations campaign, and a collaborative maneuver training with the Iraqi army, the operation aimed to bring a significant Iraqi security presence to the region around Tikrit to apprehend terrorists. By the end of the operation’s fourth day, the security forces had detained 39 individuals known or suspected to be terrorists.

Operation Lion Hunt saw the deployment of nearly 1,500 Iraqi soldiers and police officers. They received support from a limited contingent of Task Force Band of Brother Soldiers from the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. Throughout the operation, Iraqi police commanders convened every morning to guide officers through the various phases of the operation. Assisted by an Iraqi army liaison, U.S. military advisers, and a smaller unit from the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, they helped establish cordons around the city’s neighborhoods. The operation was one of the largest by Iraqi Security Forces.