The Associated Press is reporting that violence in and around Baghdad is way, way down since the beginning of the surge.
Bomb deaths have gone down 30 percent in Baghdad since the U.S.-led security crackdown began a month ago. Execution-style slayings are down by nearly half. The once frequent sound of weapons has been reduced to episodic, and downtown shoppers have returned to outdoor markets — favored targets of car bombers.
There are signs of progress in the campaign to restore order in Iraq, starting with its capital city.
But while many Iraqis are encouraged, they remain skeptical how long the relative calm will last. Each bombing renews fears that the horror is returning. Shiite militias and Sunni insurgents are still around, perhaps just laying low or hiding outside the city until the operation is over.
3 comments:
Of course it's working. "The Surge" was well-announced and over-publicized by the Bush admin.
In the face of the world's largest military, the insurgent moles went back to their holes to wait out the storm.
And when they come back - with a vengence - it will be very, very, very bad news for the GOP endless-war supporters.
Mercifurious -
That's basically the same thing as saying that police are not effective because criminals are only hiding out and waiting for them to go away. It's a silly argument that overlooks the particulars of the strategic situation that existed before the surge, namely that our forces could only pursue a strategy of repeated sweeps instead of the required "take and hold" strategy.
Many insurgents have been killed or captured, and of course many are hiding. And that's exactly what we want and need them to do: quit carrying out attacks.
This will give more time for the Iraqi security forces to stand up, at which point they will take over the roll our troops are playing there now, not to mention allowing for the Iraqi civilian population to put down roots and reestablish a stable society.
Will you then criticize the effectiveness of the Iraqi forces in the same way?
Mercifurious: What, should we fight them with rocks and sticks and hope they eventually evolve?
On another vien, shouldn't the American loving/global warming left-wing activists be cheering the demise of the Middle East? If you really want to end a problem, cut it off at the source.
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