Not for the first time, the Americans learned a basic lesson of warfare here: that Iraqis, bludgeoned for 24 years by Saddam Hussein’s terror, are wary of rising against any force, however brutal, until it is in retreat. In Anbar, Sunni extremists were the dominant force, with near-total popular support or acquiescence, until the offensive broke their power.This is incredible:
Across Anbar, according to figures compiled by the American command, insurgent attacks fell from 1,300 last October to 225 in June. The command says the Ramadi offensive put more than 800 extremists out of action — more than 200 killed or wounded, and nearly 600 captured. American losses in Ramadi in the same period, were 19 soldiers and Marines killed, though Iraqi security force casualties were higher. In the wake of their offensive, American and Iraqi units moved out of large bases on Ramadi’s outskirts to establish more than 100 smaller posts across the city, most of them in previous no-go zones. Now, Colonel Charlton says, “We are living among the people,” building relationships with local leaders.And (instacurtsy) WSJ today:
Along with this, the Americans have revived local government structures, and launched a $30 million program — part of a $300 million effort across Anbar — to repair war damage, compensate property owners and finance start-up businesses. Thousands of families have returned to neighborhoods they abandoned, and house prices have leapt upward, quadrupling in some areas. “We couldn’t go more than 200 meters from this base when I arrived,” said Capt. Ian Brooks, a Marine officer at one new neighborhood base. “Now, I can walk the streets without any problem.”
as retired General Jack Keane told the New York Sun: "The tragedy of these efforts is we are on the cusp of potentially being successful in the next year in a way that we have failed in the three-plus preceding years, but because of this political pressure it looks like we intend to pull out the rug from underneath that potential success.
I juxtapose our political leaders with men like our Afghan friend who keeps working for his country's betterment even though he has no real hope of success (and by the way, his nephew is serving in a Stryker force in Iraq. Last week a sniper bullet whizzed by him, killing the man standing next to him instantly). There are people who have pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor for freedom; and there are...others.
