INSTAPUNDIT IRAQ CORRESPONDENT MAJOR JOHN TAMMES EMAILS:

The sweeps through Basrah continue. I am often at locations where Iraqi Army troops are returning, or heading out to the city. I have attached a couple of photos of them.

During my work, I watch them to gauge their mood/morale and the state of their equipment and can say that it is “so far, so good”. The next days and weeks will be a good measure of the progress the IA has made – can they sustain operations, not just conduct them. We will learn an awful lot about where our Iraqi allies are in terms of their logistical progress. They seem to have the political will, and I hope they have the physical means to continue forward.

Stay tuned.