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| Iraq |
| ‘Re-Liberators’ -- a progress report from Iraq |
| 2008-02-25 |
| Rich Lowry, National Review Go read it all. Here's a taste: Almost every indicator of violence is headed in the right direction. Last year’s indispensable abbreviation, EJK, or extra-judicial killings — meaning sectarian murders — is barely heard now. The sectarian civil war has dissipated in Baghdad. Nationwide, enemy actions are down about 60 percent since June. In December, American casualties were at early-2004 levels. More than 60 percent of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) — the enemy’s most deadly weapon — are now found and cleared, a direct result of more tips from the civilian population. And the effectiveness of IEDs that aren’t found has declined. The bomb-making networks have been disrupted, and the top tier of personnel have been killed or captured. “We’re now on the second and third string,” says a U.S. general. Gen. David Petraeus has emphasized the distinction between reconcilable and irreconcilable enemies. The former can be won over with various forms of persuasion; the latter must be captured or killed. This principle is dramatically illustrated by the security volunteers around the country known as “concerned local citizens” (CLCs), or, more recently, “sons of Iraq.” There are now about 80,000 of them, 75 percent Sunni. They represent more or less a direct transfer of forces from the enemy’s side to ours. General Lynch estimates that about 60 percent of them had insurgent tendencies. U.S. officers tell stories of men who were targeted by U.S. forces but turned around to lead or join CLC units. Lynch marvels at the change of heart of a former Sunni fighter his troops had been hunting: “Yesterday, he and I were man-kissing.” There are about 30,000 CLCs in Baghdad, and they have been key to securing the city. . . . |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #1 This means one of two things. If lots of US forces are being kept in Iraq, they are there to watch Iran. However, they would be far more useful in Afghanistan, doing much more, and still watching Iran. Otherwise, Iraq is being ordered as AFRICOM HQ, and we are planning a chain of kasernes, just like in Germany, with a Status of Forces agreement. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-02-25 19:32 |