BAGHDAD, Dec. 6, 2007
Petraeus Touts Iraq Violence Decline
U.S. Commander Says Attacks Continue, But Are Less Deadly
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Iraqis carry the coffin of their relative during his funeral in the shrine city of Najaf, December 6, 2007. The victim was killed yesterday by a car bomb in Baghdad's Karrada neighbourhood along with 13 others in the blast that also wounded 32, as U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates was meeting Iraqi leaders in the nearby heavily-fortified Green Zone. (Getty Images/Qassem Zein)
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A U.S. army soldier pays his last respect to his fallen comrade, Sgt. Blair W. Emery, a soldier from the 571st Military Police Company, during a memorial service at Camp Warhorse, about 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2007. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)
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Army Gen. David Petraeus, commander, Multi-National Forces-Iraq, at a joint-news conference with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul-Qader al-Obeidi, Dec. 5, 2007, in Baghdad, Iraq. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
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Iraqi Shiites carry a banner containing the names of Shiite victims killed in Diyala Province, as they take part in a demonstration in Al-Maamel neighborhood, on the eastern outskirts of Baghdad, December 6, 2007. Militants, possibly allied to al Qaeda in Iraq, raided a village northeast of Baghdad last week killing at least 10 people, officials said. (Getty Images/Wissam Al-Okaili)
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Photo Essay Week In Iraq Photos A daily diary with scenes of the latest attacks and snapshots from the effort to rebuild a nation.
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Interactive Battle For Iraq The government, the insurgency, key players, background and photos.
Armed with charts showing that as of Wednesday, weekly attacks and Iraqi civilian deaths have continued to plunge to levels not seen here since early 2006, Gen. David Petraeus said the reduction lets him make force adjustments to address remaining problem areas, which would include northern Iraq.
Speaking to reporters at the U.S. military's Camp Victory, he said the improved security is due to a number of factors including a "a reduction in some of the signature attacks that are associated with weapons provided by Iran," as well as a cease-fire called by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr that he said had a particularly noticeable impact what had been one of the most violent areas of Baghdad.
The U.S. military has accused Iran of funding and arming Shiite extremists, particularly with explosively formed penetrators, an armor-piercing roadside bomb that has killed hundreds of U.S. troops. Tehran denies the charge.
Petraeus noted the numbers of such attacks has gone down. But, he added, it is "hard to tell if that's because there has already been a cessation of provision of those items, or if there has been direction to stop."
At the same time, he said the military has detained individuals as recently as October who were trained by Iranians, evidence that the instruction has continued.
Petraeus, who is scheduled to give U.S. Congress and the American people an update next March on progress in Iraq, and map out some plans for U.S. force levels down the road, refused to offer too much optimism.
"Nobody says anything about turning a corner, seeing lights at the end of tunnels, any of those other phrases," said Petraeus. "You just keep your head down and keep moving."
He said that commanders reviewed violence trends in late November and found a steep decline from days a year ago in which hundreds of Iraqis were killed and American troops suffered heavy losses. He said attacks continued on a steady basis but were less deadly, pointing to a day last month when there were just 45-50 attacks.
Petraeus met for about an hour Thursday with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who was in Iraq for his sixth visit in the past year.
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The general has overseen the military's build up in Iraq this year, as force levels jumped to 20 combat brigades, with more than 180,000 troops, during certain times when some of the units overlapped as they moved in and out of the country.There's nobody in uniform who is doing victory dances in the end zone.
Gen. David Petraeus"There's nobody in uniform who is doing victory dances in the end zone," said Petraeus, saying it will require more tough work against a very dangerous adversary.
In Other Developments:
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Add a Comment See all 15 Comments
- Okay ALLS QUIET ON THE FRONT, SEND PETRAEUS TO AFGHANISTAN, AND MAYBE HE CAN QUIET THAT FRONT, AND GET OBL AS WELL.
- Reply to this comment
- Nancy_Naive - do you realize that on AVERAGE in California alone there are 200 murders a month.
http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/cacrime.htm
And, California is not a war zone.
Why are you crying a river over Iraq and not California ?
I''ll tell you why - you are a BUSH BASHING, far left, rabble rousing, spin master !
Hillary lovers want to win this election at any cost. They don''t give a sh*it about our troops, they are a convenient excuse.
In the last six months you have had to back off from "it''s un-winable", because it is; "It''s another Vietnam", because it isn''t; "the surge won''t work", because it IS.
You just a DAMNED LIAR.
cheers ! - Reply to this comment
- I wonder if Barney will join his protege, General Betrayus, for a stroll down Haifa Street and a ''victory p*ss" on a light pole or two....
Its easy to stop terrorist attacks when you control the terrorists. Al CIAda was never in Iraq until the invasion...and now, with the surge, it seems to have disappeared as magically as it appeared.
Remember the stories about American cars being used in the ''suicide car bombings"?...stolen, of course...
Remember Operation Gladio, wherein, as revealed years ago by former President Cossiga, American agents and assets MURDERED Italians in bombings, committed kidnappings and were responsible for the horrific Bologna bombing...all to discredit the Left...
The "war of tension" style strategy that the US is using in Iraq was used in Algeria by the French and later by the Algerian government, by Argentina and others...
As Americans awaken to the crimes of the Washington Regime it was forced to show some kind of success to affect adversely the building anti-war sentiment and anti-Washington sentiment building in America.
The war for Iraqi freedom is not over...not by a long shot. - Reply to this comment
- However I doubt that is the correct count since they don''t count when a soldier loses his life in transport or later on in a German or American Hospital.
- Reply to this comment
- What you people don''t get to see is that every night the count of US soldiers who lost their life that day or week is shown on Canadian TV
The count is very close to 4,000 folks - Reply to this comment
- He said attacks continued on a steady basis but were less deadly, pointing to a day last month when there were just 45-50 attacks.
How dead do they have to be, to be considered dead???
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Posted by rharrin1
Do you have a point? - Reply to this comment
- I would expect everyone in Iraq to be in leg irons by now based on the amount of time and money we''ve wasted over there.
- Reply to this comment
- "God I hope George strikes Iran soon so I dont have too. I dont know how he puts up with these kooks from our party"
Posted by hillaryin08
Well, since it would take a willing suspension of disbelief to assume that the h/o will make it there, she''ll have nothing to worry about. - Reply to this comment
- General Betray Us!
Posted by jh6379
Yeah, the dimrods know all about lying. Why it would take a willing suspension of disbelief to assume that anyone Dimaroid would every tell the truth. - Reply to this comment
- Gee, here''s a new message: "We''re making good progress, but it''s hard work and we must be patient".
The reality of the "Surge" is that: we put Sunni insurgents on our payroll and everyone knows we can''t sustain it so they''re just waiting us out - Bush hopes until the end of his term.
This fiasco now costs us more in one month than Bush said the entire war would cost. He should resign in disgrace. - Reply to this comment
- The problem for the Democrats on this is that they invested themselves in defeat. The reasons we went into Iraq or Afghanistan dont even matter amymore. The candidates distance themselves from the war issue more and more every day. By next November, Illegal Imigration, Taxes and the Economy will be what is on voters minds. Not the war against Islamic Fascism.
Taking sides with the enemy is never a good thing especially when you share the same enemy as your enemy. - Reply to this comment
- Thank you to all the brave young men and women of the U.S. military and their families who have volunteered to sacrifice so that we may live in peace and freedom.
- Reply to this comment
- pretty good; but still george w bush is not able to get iraq back to the level of violence that existed in iraq before we needlessly attacked iraq. a country that did NOT attack the usa, did not aid al qaeda, and did not plan to attack the usa.
- Reply to this comment
- This is how it goes:
1. Turmoil and mayhem in a city.
2. American troops move in and quell
3. US troops try to train Iraqis
4. Iraqi Gov. at a standstill
5. Bush and military claim victory and bringing peace to a city. Tout decline in violence
6. Insurgents find holes in US counterinsurgency. Exploit those and wait for troop level to die or get sloppy and a habit
7. Violence starts climbing again
8. The Iraqi gov. speaks for the people and requests us to stay and claims to want us forever
9. The people help the insurgents who find new ways to kill them and to kill the occupiers
10. The body toll starts all over again and we realize that we never stopped the violence, we postponed it so the gov. to start working
11. The gov continues to steal money, build private armies and fight each other
12. Our Congress scratch their heads and Bush tells us it is great
13. another Bush general retires and tells us that it all is going to hell in a handbasket
14. bush comes up with a new reason and method for staying. HE sends in troops.
15. the violence dies down for a while.
Anyone that does not know this movie by now, has not been watching it. It is one giant rerun of a "D" movie. - Reply to this comment
- "God I hope George strikes Iran soon so I dont have too. I dont know how he puts up with these kooks from our party"
- Reply to this comment
