al-Qaim, Iraq—May7, 2005: In the biggest offensive operation since Vigilant Resolve, Marines attempt to infiltrate the Syrian border where insurgents are gaining access to the war in Iraq. But all does not go as planned. Marines come under intense fire in the initial stages from a surprise location.

The surge in suicide bombings is disturbing. In March, an insurgent detonated a device in the courtyard of a Mosul mosque during a funeral, killing himself and 47 mourners. Just weeks prior, at least 106 people were killed and 133 more were wounded when a suicide car bomber plowed into a crowd group of men in the city of Hillah as they lined up for medical exams to join Iraqi security forces. In the weeks to follow, the number of deadly car bombs that detonate both remotely and by drivers continues to rise.

Because suicide attacks are a traditional element of warfare by foreign jihadists, it’s possible that the increase is due to an increase in non-Iraqi fighters: rebel forces that enter Iraq through its porous border with Syria. It is along the border that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been reportedly sighted, a leader in the terrorist coalition that uses the vast expanse as a staging ground for vicious attacks nationwide. A successful offensive operation could not only stop suicide bombers and anti-American fighters from infiltrating Iraq and joining forces against the Coalition, but also possibly net the terrorist mastermind behind much of the resistance in Iraq.

Left untouched, the borderland will surely continue to fester and eventually boil over as a massive force from above. As part of Iraq's Anbar province, the border with Syria is infused with generations-old smuggling routes. The 380 mile-long border is a dangerous area where tribal loyalties extend on both sides of the border, and where territorial families remain in firm control. The immense pressure put on Syria to stop the repeated border infiltration has done little to turn back the tide of penetration and encampment along the vast expanse, so the military offensive dubbed Operation Matador takes aim.

More than 1,000 Marines spill into the remote village of al-Qaim. Soldiers are positioned across the Euphrates from the insurgent strongholds along the Syrian border. To cross the river, Marines begin construction of a pontoon bridge. But the battle begins before the bridge is completed when mortar fire pounds the ground near the troops. The furious fire is coming from a neighboring town, Obeidi. The Marines storm the village with a vengeance.

The insurgents are well-prepared for their arrival, witnessed by sandbag bunkers and strategic firing positions above the heads and below the feet of the Marines. The fighters have body armor and a variety of weaponry, leading soldiers to believe they’re fighting more sophisticated insurgents. They’re well-trained and highly prepared, but it’s up to the Marines to prove they’re not as capable.

In the tiny village of Obeidi, a ruthless counterstrike begins.