The Independent Spirit Awards are held in Santa Monica.
The 2008 al-Qaeda offensive in Iraq was a month-long offensive conducted by al-Qaeda in Iraq against the multinational coalition of USA , UK , Australia and Poland .. Iraq. Iraq. al-Qaeda in Iraq. al-Qaeda in Iraq. multinational coalition. Multi-National Force – Iraq. On 19 April 2008 , the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq , Ayyub al-Masri , called for a month-long offensive against U.S. and Iraqi forces .. Iraq. Iraq. Ayyub al-Masri. Ayyub al-Masri. al-Qaeda in Iraq. al-Qaeda in Iraq. However , the offensive is generally considered to have started four days earlier , when a series of suicide bombings in four major cities killed nearly 60 people .. Shortly after al-Masri 's announcement a steady bombing campaign commenced against coalition forces .. The series of bombings raised fears that remaining Sunni insurgents , who were still fighting the central government , were regrouping following their major defeat during Operation Phantom Phoenix earlier that year , that left them with only one mayor urban stronghold in the north , in Mosul .. Operation Phantom Phoenix. Operation Phantom Phoenix. The offensive ended after a month with no clear gains for either side .