IRAQI DEFENSE FORCES TAKE OVER

FALLUJAH, Iraq — Michael J. Totten is an independent journalist reporting on the war in Iraq.


  At the end of 2006 there were 3,000 Marines in Fallujah. Despite what you might expect during a surge of troops to Iraq, that number has been reduced by 90 percent. All Iraqi Army soldiers have likewise redeployed from the city. A skeleton crew of a mere 250 Marines is all that remains as the United States wraps up its final mission in what was once Iraq's most violent city.

“The Iraqi Police could almost take over now,” Second Lieutenant Gary Laughlin told me. “Most logistics problems are slowly being resolved. My platoon will probably be the last one out here in the Jolan neighborhood.”

DEMOCRATS CAN'T STAND IT !

In a pathetic attempt to salvage some form of credibility and possibly raise their approval rating above 11% the democrat controlled Congress today agreed to a bipartisan tax-rebate.

Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Harry Reid (D-NV) obviously are willing to do anything to keep America's victory in Iraq and Afghanistan off the front pages.

---

WHY THE SURGE WORKED
by Jonathan Henry
January 21, 2008

Over a year ago, a new plan was announced for improving security in Iraq. The plan was simply to increase U.S. presence in the country by 30,000 personnel with a three-fold contribution by Iraqi forces. Other Coalition nations provided additional personnel for the plan. The center of this plan would be Iraq's center of gravity, Baghdad, which is the political center and largest city in the country. The sectarian "fault line" runs throughout out the city.

Now, over a year later, the Surge plan has been successful. Violence is down 60 percent nationwide. Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) has been expelled from Baghdad and Anbar Province and is currently on the run. Iraqi Ministry of the Interior (Waziriat al Dakhaliyah) has recently stated that AQI is 75 percent destroyed. Both the reduction in violence levels and AQI losses can be reinforced through Open Source Intelligence (OSINT).

Critics insisted that the plan would fail. They declared that U.S. forces in Iraq were already ineffective because the situation was beyond repair. The increase of U.S. forces would be seen as more as "occupiers" and would "create more insurgents". Critics also insisted that the Surge would destroy the already strained US military. Predictions by critics were a bust.

The question then becomes, "Why did the Surge work?" There are numerous factors that contributed to the success of Gen. Petreaus' Surge plan. The quick and simple answer is that it was the right plan at the right time. The new 2006 Counterinsurgency (COIN) doctrine was a key piece to the success of the Surge. The COIN doctrine showed a well-developed understanding of the causes of insurgencies, their make-up, and the best method for defeating them. The plan used an effective "clear, hold, build" tactic for improving local conditions. The net result of this has been reconciliation through most of the country.

Another contributing factor was that Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) were ready. The majority of the Iraqi military is under the control of Iraqi elected leadership and is nearly fully manned and equipped. With additional forces in the area, it was possible to remove corrupt elements from the Iraqi Police in Baghdad. Without the three-fold contribution of ISF, cleared areas would have again fallen back into instability.

The people of Iraq were significant factor in stabilizing Iraq. They had become tired of both Al Qaeda and Jaysh al Mahdi (JAM) and the violence that came with both of them. The Iraqi people developed trust in security forces and began providing tips. The tips then led to the discovery of caches and arrests of insurgents. Again, without the support of the Iraqi people, the plan would have failed.

Iraq is also a democratic nation. The local citizens turned out in 2005 to elect their government with 80 percent voter turnout. This makes the government in Baghdad more accountable. The citizens expected and will continue to expect results from their leaders.

AQI had also seriously blundered in Iraq. In areas they controlled, they imposed their strict version of Islamic law. Within months, the local populations turned against them. These locals, and the support of Coalition Forces, gave rise to the Awakening (Sahawa) Movements and Concerned Local Citizens programs. AQI had gone so far as to help create their own undoing.

With the failure of al Qaeda and increasing stability, steps toward reconciliation continued. The two largest insurgent groups, the 1920 Revolutionary Brigades and Jaysh al Mahdi (JAM), ceased their attacks on security forces and began working toward stabilizing the country. Before reconciliation, the 1920 Revolutionary Brigade was in discussions with the Iraqi government. The assassination of a key leader by AQI resulted in the group turning on and attacking AQI. During the Battle of Baqoubah, the first initial cooperation between 1920 and Coalition Forces exploded into full-scale reconciliation and the creation of Fursan al Rifadayn (FAR- Knights between the Two Rivers). JAM also reconciled after it came under severe criticism for fighting in Karbala. By August, Muqtada al Sadr called for a ceasefire and has continued to call for longer extensions and increased cooperation.

As stability increases and violence drops, U.S. forces are returning victorious. They have tamed the streets of Baghdad and Anbar, put AQI on the run, and reconciled the largest insurgent groups. Lessons learned from the Surge include having a well-developed and evaluated plan, a understanding of the battlespace, and political trust in military leadership. As violence continues in Afghanistan, Algeria, Lebanon, Palestine, and elsewhere, allies and other key players worldwide should adopt this doctrine to defeat the global Islamist movement.

LAST OF AL-QAEDA IN IRAQ ROUTED

While the Lapdog Media ponders the Clinton Crying Game and whether the fake tears gave her a bump in New Hampshire, U.S. troops and Iraqi Defense Forces removed the last remaining Al-Qaeda.

President Bush hailed the operation as one of the finest moments in America's successful and ongoing War On Terror.

Meanwhile back home, Clinton attacks Obama, Edwards attacks Clinton and the Lapdog Media is attempting to focus the America public's attention on a so-called faltering economy. Their efforts are as contrived and fake as Hillary's Lizard Tears.

---

ZAMBARANIYAH, Iraq — U.S. bombers and jet fighters unleashed 40,000 pounds of explosives on the southern outskirts of Baghdad within 10 minutes Thursday in one of the biggest airstrikes of the war, flattening what the military called safe havens for al-Qaida in Iraq.

The massive attack, carried out above approaching U.S. and Iraqi troops, was part of Operation Phantom Phoenix, a nationwide campaign launched Tuesday against al-Qaida in Iraq.

Maj. Alayne Conway, a spokeswoman for troops in the Multi-National Division-Center, which controls the broad swath of territory south of Baghdad, said the amount of ordnance dropped in 10 minutes nearly exceeded what had been dropped in that region in any month since the U.S. military surge began in earnest in June 2007. Conway said the air attack ‘‘was one of the largest airstrikes since the onset of the war’’ in March 2003.

The air raid was followed by a ground attack that led to 12 arrests and the discovery of two houses used to torture kidnap victims, according to an Iraqi army officer. He said the troops faced no resistance.