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| Iraq |
| Iraqi symbol of renewal |
| 2008-08-29 |
| The "strategic defeat" of al-Qaida in Iraq, proclaimed by CIA Director Michael Hayden in May, has been amply demonstrated by the decision to hand security control of Anbar province, once the hotbed of a ferocious al-Qaida-led insurgency, from U.S. forces to Iraqi troops and police. The handover is symbolically important because Anbar was taken over by al-Qaida with the backing of Sunni tribal leaders, and it was in the province that U.S. forces faced their most formidable foe. In 2004, al-Qaida was in control of the major cities of Ramadi and Fallujah and many observers feared that the province was lost to the insurgents. The tide in the war did not turn until 2006, when pro-Saddam Sunni fighters switched their allegiance from al-Qaida to the U.S. Marines in reaction to the brutality and horrific terrorism of the Islamist extremists. The Sunni tribal leaders formed an alliance with the Americans that became known as "The Awakening." By joining forces with the local sheikhs, U.S. forces gained control of the area, but the cost was high. Since the 2003 invasion the U.S. has lost 1,305 service members in Anbar province, second only to Baghdad, where 1,325 troops have been killed. Since 2004, when 385 U.S. troops were killed in Anbar, losses have steadily declined to 24 so far this year. The statistics speak for themselves. Anbar, which was Iraq's heart of darkness, has become a symbol of Iraqi renewal and stability. On Monday, it will become the eleventh of the 18 Iraqi provinces, and the first Sunni majority area, to be restored to Iraqi control. The relative calm prevailing in Anbar makes the province a shining example of the success of the counterinsurgency strategy devised by the U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus. The postponement of the handover, initially planned for the last week in June, was attributed by U.S. military officers to a sandstorm. But the day before the ceremony, a suicide bombing killed 20 people. That atrocity and another suicide bombing Monday, which killed 30 people who were attending a banquet, sent warnings that al-Qaida terrorists have not been totally defeated. However, U.S. Marine Commandant Gen. James Conway told a Pentagon news conference Wednesday that during a recent visit to Anbar, Marines serving there told him: "There aren't a whole heck of a lot of bad guys there left to fight." He described the change as "real and perceptible." Gen. Conway wants to transfer Marines from Iraq to Afghanistan, where reportedly many al-Qaida fighters have gone. That decision will be made by Gen. Petraeus, who soon will become the overall commander for the Middle East and Afghanistan. Whatever he decides, there is now no doubt that al-Qaida is on the run from Iraq. |
| Posted by:GolfBravoUSMC |