The news from Operation Phantom Thunder has been largely subdued over the past 24 hours. The Iraqi government and the Coalition continue to encourage local participation in Salahadin and Diyala provinces. Al Qaeda conducted two successful car bomb attacks in Baiji and Baghdad. U.S. forces maintain the pressure on the Iranian-backed “Special Groups” cells, and Iraqi police skirmished with Muqtada al Sadr’s Mahdi Army in southern Iraq.