Petraeus: No Al Qaeda Strongholds Left In Baghdad
Humvees gather in the pre-morning darkness for a presence patrol in the city of Dora located in southern Baghdad.
WAPO:
BAGHDAD, Oct. 27 — The top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David H. Petraeus, said Saturday that the Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq has been disrupted and no longer operates in large numbers in any neighborhood of the capital.
“In general, we think that there are no al-Qaeda strongholds at this point,” Petraeus said. He added: “They remain very lethal, very dangerous, capable at any point in time, if you will, of coming back off the canvas and landing a big punch, and we have to be aware of that.”
Throughout the U.S. military buildup this year, soldiers have focused on denying sanctuaries to al-Qaeda in Iraq fighters by arresting their leaders, attempting to hinder foreign fighters from entering the country, and partnering with Sunni residents to improve the quality of intelligence about the organization. In recent months, U.S. and Iraqi military commanders have noted a marked decrease in sectarian violence and in civilian and U.S. casualties.
Petraeus, speaking to reporters during a trip to the southern outskirts of the capital, attributed the reduction of violence in part to military operations outside the capital targeting areas where car bombs and other explosives are manufactured, before they can be deployed in Baghdad. He said one of the last remaining al-Qaeda in Iraq strongholds in Baghdad had been the southeastern section of Dora, a predominantly Sunni neighborhood in the southern part of the city, but after military operations over the past two weeks, “that was reduced, certainly.”
“They’re still there, don’t get me wrong, and they’re still in Adhamiyah, there’s still some in Mansour,” he said, referring to other Sunni neighborhoods of Baghdad.
Petraeus said he sees uneven progress in terms of stopping Shiite militia violence. He mentioned Bayaa and al-Amil, two neighborhoods in southwestern Baghdad where the Mahdi Army, a Shiite militia loyal to anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, has emerged as a dominant force, as among the more difficult. He described another nearby area, Sadiyah, as probably “the toughest that is out there now.”
Fresh violence broke out across the country Saturday, with at least 23 people killed or found dead in separate incidents, the Associated Press reported.
In Diyala province, north of Baghdad, Iraqi soldiers said they killed 40 suspected insurgents during an operation with U.S. troops targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq. The fighting took place east of the provincial capital, Baqubah, and was assisted by former Sunni insurgents who have recently aligned themselves with U.S. forces, they said.
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That’s just fantastic news! A big round of congratulations is in order.
October 28th, 2007 at 5:52 amIs this what Harry Reid meant when he said:
October 28th, 2007 at 6:31 am“The war in Iraq is lost”.
So if the troop surge isn’t working what do we attribute these gains to? Maybe our troops are leaving bottles of Jack around and these guys are just too drunk to fight.
October 28th, 2007 at 8:11 amI love the job Gen. Patraeus is doing for us! I also am glad that this is a man who is under no false pretense’s about what his troops are facing.
I salute you sir!
October 28th, 2007 at 9:56 amGen. Petraus would not overstate the case. So, Harry! Nancy! Murtha! Are you listening? Will the TV/rest of MSM pick up this story? Not likely.
October 28th, 2007 at 4:31 pm