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WASHINGTON D.C. (February 4, 2008) - Coalition forces are making
significant progress securing the former insurgent badlands of
eastern Baghdad province, a commander in the region said today.
Before the surge, fewer than 100 U.S. troops patrolled the area
known as the Madain qadha, leaving an area about the size of the
Capital Beltway ripe for insurgent activities that made their way
into Baghdad.
Army Col. Wayne Grigsby and his 3,500 soldiers of the 3rd
Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade deployed to the region in March as
the third of five surge brigades, with orders to block the flow of
weapons, bombs and insurgents into Baghdad. Area residents are
about two-thirds Shiite and one-third Sunni. About 1.2 million
people live in its major cities.
"(Extremist) strongholds are no longer as strong as they used to
be in the Madain qadha," Grigsby said today, speaking to reporters
at the Pentagon via satellite. "As a matter of fact, ... they're
basically on the run right now."
The additional troops allowed the commanders to set up outposts
and keep troops in the communities they cleared. Before, troops
drove from a forward operating base in Baghdad to patrol the region
and then returned at the end of their missions.
Grigsby's forces have now set up a forward operating base, two
patrol bases, four combat outposts and three joint security sites,
all in the major population centers within the Madain qadha. The
constant community presence has made the difference in the shift in
the security situation, Grigsby said.
"We don't drive or commute to work," Grigsby said. "We live in
the towns with the people that we are here to help. We walk to
work."
As an example of progress, the commander cited Nahrawan, a town
of about 100,000 that used to be a Shiite extremist sanctuary. Now
it is a thriving community with a new clinic and a marketplace, he
said. Also, because of the security gains, contractors are more
willing to work in the area. They are improving roads and working
to improve water flow, critical to the agriculturally oriented
region.
By December, Grigsby reported a two-year low for murders in the
region. Murders in 2007 dropped to 232, from 631 in 2006 and 355 in
2005.
Two national police brigades now operate in the region, as well
as more than 6,000 Sons of Iraq, formerly called concerned local
citizens, within the Madain quadha. More than 500 of the Sons of
Iraq have put in their packets to become Iraqi police, Grigsby
said.
Now, the final trouble spot is Salman Pak, a town of about
300,000 about 15 miles south of Baghdad, Grigsby said.
"This area used to be a resort town where Baathist Party and
Iraqi army leaders would go get away from the bustle of Baghdad. As
we began our deployment, Salman Pak was strangled by extremist
influence," Grigsby said.
Recent operations in the area have resulted in 149 enemy fighter
deaths and more than 500 suspects detained. Troops have cleared 164
bombs, seized 89 weapons caches, destroyed 170 boats and 3,000
buildings, and searched 13,000 vehicles, Grigsby said.
An additional battalion of soldiers from the former Soviet
republic of Georgia are partnering with Grigsby's units and will
help expand his reach, he said.
Still, the colonel said, the progress is not irreversible, and a
U.S. brigade is scheduled to fall in on the territory once
Grigsby's brigade finishes its tour. The troop levels are needed to
continue developing the infrastructure, government and economy
there, he said.
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