Attacks in Baghdad fall 80 percent: Iraq military

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Attacks by insurgents and rival sectarian militias have fallen up to 80 percent in Baghdad and concrete blast walls that divide the capital could soon be removed, a senior Iraqi military official said on Saturday.

Lieutenant-General Abboud Qanbar said the success of a year-long clampdown named "Operation Imposing Law" had reined in the savage violence between majority Shi'ites and minority Sunni Arabs dominant under Saddam Hussein.

...

In the six weeks to the end of 2006, an average of 43 bodies were found dumped in the city each day as fierce sectarian fighting threatened to turn into full-scale civil war.

That figure fell to four a day in 2008, in the period up to February 12, said Qanbar, who heads the Baghdad security operation.

"Various enemy activities" had fallen by between 75 and 80 percent since the security plan was implemented, he said.

...

Central to the success has been the erection of 12-foot (3.5-meter) high concrete walls that snake across the city.

The walls were designed to stop car bombings blamed on al Qaeda that turned markets and open areas into killing fields.

Qanbar said he hoped the walls could be taken down "in the coming months" and predicted the improved situation in Baghdad would translate to greater security elsewhere.

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/i...ews&sp=true

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Suicide bombing is natural selection at it's best.... and the will of Allah... so some say.

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

Funny how the media isnt covering the military success of it.They so LOVE our men and women in uniform.If they aint DIEN they dont lovem.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The big issue of course is still the painfully slow political progress in Iraq toward stable government. An improved security situation provides the conditions for progress - but the ball is still very much with the Iraqi people and the political process there.

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

The big issue of course is still the painfully slow political progress in Iraq toward stable government. An improved security situation provides the conditions for progress - but the ball is still very much with the Iraqi people and the political process there.

painfully slow compared to what? ww2,vietnam? maybe the civil war. I beleive were still in Bosnia,right! lets talk about "slow"

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The big issue of course is still the painfully slow political progress in Iraq toward stable government. An improved security situation provides the conditions for progress - but the ball is still very much with the Iraqi people and the political process there.

painfully slow compared to what? ww2,vietnam? maybe the civil war. I beleive were still in Bosnia,right! lets talk about "slow"

We are? I thought the US pulled out its major forces in 2004. I thought the EU were the only ones maintaining some sort of supervisory force there.

Besides we're not talking about rebuilding a country from the ground up, which is essentially what's happening in Iraq. Seems to be that the political process there isn't moving very quickly - which begs the question: How long should we keep a massive proportion of the US armed forces in Iraq, and how can we continue to pay for it? Like it or not - the Iraq war is bleeding this country dry.

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

My brother, Oz, just arrive in Iraq! Pls God bless him protect him and guide him always so that he comes back safely to us! PLS PLS PLS GOD!!! Everybody pls pray for him he is like my baby! He is my little brother!

[mRx 16]

Sunnis and Shias will never agree on how to run Iraq. Since the current government is comprised of both, no amount of security will change a thing.

ETA: Wishin' your brother a safe tour Olivia.

Edited February 18, 2008 by Matt85

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Sunnis and Shias will never agree on how to run Iraq. Since the current government is comprised of both, no amount of security will change a thing.

Therein lies the problem. As an integrated country at least - the future sounds rather bleak, short of some sort of Islamic Revolution. Though that too - is far from ideal.

I don't support the idea of immediate pull out - but I think there does have to be some sense of what is actually achievable over there. If stable government is out of the picture - I'm not sure that leaves the US with too many options.

Edited February 18, 2008 by Number 6

[Ban Hammer 13,355]

Lieutenant-General Abboud Qanbar said the success of a year-long clampdown named "Operation Imposing Law" had reined in the savage violence between majority Shi'ites and minority Sunni Arabs dominant under Saddam Hussein.

so it really is all about OIL......