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WASHINGTON D.C. (February 22, 2008) - Security contributions
provided by surge-fortified U.S. forces and ongoing efforts by
Iraqi soldiers, police and concerned local citizens' groups have
combined to produce stability, a senior U.S. officer posted in Iraq
said today.
"The current security situation is stable, and I am optimistic
about the future," said Army Col. Tom James, commander of the 4th
Brigade Combat Team, a component of the Fort Stewart, Ga.-based 3rd
Infantry Division. The Iraq veteran and his unit deployed to Iraq
in December.
A component of Multinational Division Center, James'
3,000-member brigade is based at Forward Operating Base Kalsu,
located near the town of Iskandariyah, about 25 miles south of
Baghdad. Also known as Task Force Marne, James' brigade also is
responsible for security operations in Najaf, Karbala and
Hillah.
The 4th BCT's area of responsibility is about the size of
Switzerland and contains more than 620,000 Iraqi inhabitants.
James' area encompasses north Babil province and stretches from the
Euphrates River Valley in the west to the Tigris River Valley in
the east.
The U.S. soldiers work with Iraqi forces "to secure the
population, interdict accelerants moving towards Baghdad, defeat
extremists and neutralize resistance groups, primarily focused on
defeating sectarian violence, and build capacity of the Iraqi
security forces, government institutions and economic programs,"
James explained.
James' unit also is working to transfer security and local
development tasks to Iraqi forces and local governments, he
said.
Violence is down across his area of responsibility, James said.
"Sunni extremists are severely disrupted; they no longer find
sanctuary and support from the (Iraqi) population," he noted.
James attributed the improved security situation to the effects
of the surge, improved Iraqi security force capabilities, and the
contributions of the Sons of Iraq and other concerned local
citizens' groups.
"The five-brigade surge gave coalition forces the resources
required to concentrate combat power in extremist-dominated areas,
that allowed us to occupy key terrain in these areas to avoid enemy
re-occupation," James explained. Today, U.S. forces and Iraqi
soldiers and police work together to expand upon those security
gains and to keep the peace, he added.
The perceptible increase in security has boosted Iraqis'
confidence in the future, the colonel added, noting Iraqi citizens
are providing more and more information about extremist
operations.
"When the people know that coalition and Iraqi security forces
are living with them, they feel more comfortable providing
information on extremist activity and they feel more secure in
their neighborhoods and homes," James noted.
In addition, the performance of Iraqi soldiers and police "has
improved significantly," James said. "The difference between their
capacity during my last deployment and now is truly amazing."
Also, Iraqi citizens are tired of being terrorized by extremists
and have stepped up to secure their neighborhoods, James pointed
out.
"The Sons of Iraq program employs local Iraqis to secure their
neighborhoods under the supervision of local tribal leaders and
overwatch by Iraqi security forces," James explained. "We use these
static security positions to thicken our security lines in areas
where we cannot fully commit coalition or Iraqi security
forces."
Almost 8,000 Sons of Iraq members, including Shiites and Sunnis
man 552 security checkpoints within James' area, the colonel
said.
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