Gen: Iraqi Handover May Be Delayed

U.S. Commander In Diyala "Not Optimistic" That Control Of Region Can Be Achieved By Year's End

(CBS/AP)  A U.S. general warned Saturday that an upsurge in violence outside the capital may delay plans to hand over at least one of the 18 provinces to the Iraqis by the end of the year.

Plans call for all provinces to be transferred to Iraqi security control by Dec. 31. But increased attacks by Sunni insurgents could delay the transfer of Diyala province, which lies just northeast of Baghdad, Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon told The Associated Press.

Mixon is the commander of U.S. forces in northern Iraq, which includes Diyala.

"The potential is there" to hand over provinces "except in Diyala, where the future remains in question," Mixon said. "I'm not optimistic" about Diyala "given the current situation."

A new security crackdown in Baghdad has encouraged mostly Sunni extremists to flee the capital for surrounding provinces, especially Diyala, Mixon said.

That influx has caused a spike in violence in the province, known as "Little Iraq" because of its near-equal mix of Sunni and Shiite Arabs as well as Kurds — the country's three major groups.

"We're working our way into the Baghdad security plan, and we won't be into the thick of it until late spring or summer. I expect more violence in Diyala through then," Mixon said.

As reported yesterday by CBS News correspondent Cami McCormick, U.S. commanders believe securing communities in Diyala is crucial to the goal of handing over control of the province to Iraqi security forces.

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But the operations have grown deadlier, complicated by what may be an influx of Sunni and Shiite fighters flushed out of Baghdad by the stepped-up security operations there. One U.S. battalion has lost 17 men here since October, accounting for more casualties in four months than an entire U.S. brigade lost the year before.

Direct fire attacks on U.S. soldiers are up 70 percent in Diyala since last summer, according to Col. David W. Sutherland, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division's 3rd Brigade.

Mixon blamed the violence on a robust Sunni insurgency fueled by former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath party, rather than on foreign fighters or the Sunni-Shiite conflict that has enveloped Baghdad.

Less than two percent of the nearly 3,000 people detained across northern Iraq in the past six months were foreigners, Mixon said.

"Make no mistake, this is a homegrown Sunni insurgency," he said.

Al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian, was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Diyala last year.

Sunni militants were flooding into Diyala to avoid the so-called "surge" of U.S. forces in the capital, but also as part of a larger strategy, Mixon said.

"Sunnis understand they need to control areas around Baghdad if they eventually want to control Baghdad," he said. "We're seeing insurgents shifting elements from Anbar and Baghdad, to ensure they retain control of Diyala," he said.

With about 20,000 additional American troops heading to Baghdad, Mixon said he had "only one little brigade covering all of Diyala."

A brigade is the smallest self-sufficient unit in the U.S. Army, and typically consists of between 1,500 and 3,500 soldiers.

The Diyala province covers more than 6,800 square miles.

Mixon said he would like to deploy more U.S. soldiers to small patrol bases in Iraqi communities, rather than on large forward operating bases across northern Iraq. But he said he was unable to do so because of troop numbers.

"I don't have the combat power to put everyone on small patrol bases like we do in Baghdad," Mixon said.

On Friday, a top Pentagon envoy, retired Army Gen. Jack Keane, assured U.S. and Iraqi military officials in Diyala that help was on the way.

"Our new strategy is (for U.S. forces) to bring the violence down so Iraqi forces can deal with it," said Keane, who was visiting Iraq on a fact-finding mission by Gen. David Petraeus, the new commander of U.S. forces here.

"We're going to work hard on this in Baghdad, and then add more forces outside Baghdad as well," he said.

Three of Iraq's provinces — Najaf, Muthanna and Dhi Qar — were transferred to Iraqi control last year. All are heavily Shiite.

Sunni extremists claim Diyala's capital, Baqouba, as the seat of an Islamic state in Iraq. Al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in a U.S. airstrike nearby last June.

[lars008-2009]

During WW II, the Japanese were searching for a way to demoralize the American forces that they faced. Their psychological warfare experts came up with a message that they thought would work well.

They gave the script to their famous broadcaster, "Tokyo Rose," and every day she would broadcast this same message packaged in various ways, hoping to have an impact on American GI morale. What was the message?
It had three main points:
1. Your president is lying to you.
2. This war is illegal.
3. You cannot win the war.

Sound familiar? the Democratic Party has picked up the same message and is broadcasting it to civilians domestic and abroad, and to our troops and our enemies. The only difference is that they claim to support our troops before they demoralize them.

Come to think of it, Tokyo Rose used to tell the troops that she was on their side.

I am often struck by how similar the rhetoric from the left is to the rhetoric from our enemies. Consider this transcript of a taped al qaeda message:
http://memritv.org/Transcript.asp?P1=802

[karlimhof]

When the Roman consul Crassus decided to attack Persia - he lost, was captured, and because of his crime, which the Persians called "greed", a liter of molton gold was poured down his throat.

I think a gallon of room temperatured crude oil for each Bush/Cheney/neocons is in order.

[johnshaft4]

The only reason we are still in Iraq is that Bush/Cheney are STILL harboring fantasies and delusions that Iraq will become a base for future oil imperialism into Iran. It will NEVER happen in Iraq, let alone Iran. Does anyone believe that the Chinese and Russians (let alone the Shiites) will tolerate this? The Republic of Halliburton (formerly known as Iraq, Iran and Syria, with Israel as Viceroy)is NOT going to happen. Game over...

[radiob-2009]

US Generals threaten to quit if Bush orders attack on Iran
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article1434540.ece

[formrusmcsgt]

Stay the course
Posted by rharrin1 at 07:52 PM : Feb 24, 2007

Yeah, right. The course that's led to four years of nothing but more dead American warriors. By all means, let's have more of the same.....

[rharrin1]

Stay the course

[formrusmcsgt]

He's gone now,,, Lars won't stand & fight
Posted by j-whitman at 03:00 PM : Feb 24, 2007

He has nothing to fight with. What'd you expect? He and lieberman can only say that they hate muslims and everyone who isn't a neocon is a traitor. That's the extent of their bullets....

[j-whitman]

Inventagod,,,, When the oil runs out -- Bush & Cheney will be swimming in it.

[inventagod]

When the oil runs out, Bu$hCo will hand over the country...

[ramos937]

Folks, there is simply no way to try to work with Bush/Cheney on the Iraq issue. It is a waste of time and aggravation. There is a reason Why neither man will attend military funerals. It is hard enough for them to live their lives in a state of denial as it is.

The only chance is the Congress. My earnest prayer and hope is that the Republican Senators/Representatives that are running in 2008 wake up to the fact that if they want to get reelected, they will have to work to end the Iraq war within the next 18 months by whatever means it takes. Whoever does not will be very vulnerable in 2008. Their Democratic opponents will beat them like a government mule with this issue. The Democrats will not have to address illegal immigration, the deficit, trade, etc. All they need is the Iraq war issue. The electorate spoke in 2006 and we will again in 2008.

[j-whitman]

He's gone now,,, Lars won't stand & fight

[j-whitman]

I just found Lars, he's on the GI Petion Congress comments.

[formrusmcsgt]

Former,, I read an article last night, McCain has admitted Blaire's pullout signifies the failed policies which he supported might cost him the job.
Posted by j-whitman at 02:08 PM : Feb 24, 2007

I had to laugh at Bush and Cheney desperately trying to characterize the British pull out as anything but.

They claim it's not a pull out, but a sign of success.

If it's not a pull out, why didn't the British re-deploy to hot areas in Iraq instead of re-deploying to London?

They think everyone is as dumb as a box of dirt, obviously.

[formrusmcsgt]

Former,,, Are you having trouble with posting?? I'm experiancing severe lag time
Posted by j-whitman at 02:11 PM : Feb 24, 2007

yeah, j. I think they are having server problems. I've been having a problem since yeaterday afternoon.

[j-whitman]

Former,,, Are you having trouble with posting?? I'm experiancing severe lag time

[j-whitman]

Former,, I read an article last night, McCain has admitted Blaire's pullout signifies the failed policies which he supported might cost him the job.

[formrusmcsgt]

I think Cheney & Bush are the only ones in the White House who don't think the war is lost --- Watch McCain drop out of the race soon.
Posted by j-whitman at 01:44 PM : Feb 24, 2007

Knowing it and admitting it are two different things, j. As long as they have people like pwrslm, lieberman, and lars drinking the Kool-Aid, they'll keep up their denial act.

[johnshaft4]

This is pathethic...Bush/Cheney can't even reign in on "our friends" the Saudis who are supplying the Sunni suicide bombers and are supplying the latest arms to Sunni insurgents. Time to stand down so that the inevitable Iraq/Iran Shiite Superstate comes to fruition. There is no stopping it.

[j-whitman]

I think Cheney & Bush are the only ones in the White House who don't think the war is lost --- Watch McCain drop out of the race soon.

[formrusmcsgt]

Maybe because his strategy for engaging the enemy is to hide behind rocks and call them names.....as he does here every day.