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WASHINGTON D.C. (January 10, 2008) - President Bush's new
strategy for Iraq, announced one year ago today during a televised
speech to the nation, is accomplishing many of its goals and laying
important groundwork for initiatives yet to be fulfilled, military
and defense officials agree.
Bush unveiled the strategy amid growing sectarian violence that
he acknowledged had overwhelmed Iraqis' political gains and created
an "unacceptable" situation in Iraq. The plan called for more than
20,000 additional U.S. troops on the ground in Baghdad and Anbar
province, increased responsibility for the Iraqi government and
Iraqi security forces, and more diplomatic and economic
initiatives.
A year later, officials cite solid evidence that the strategy
has achieved what Bush called the most urgent priority in Iraq: to
stop the violence and create the stability needed for the country's
new government to succeed.
Last month, during his sixth visit to Baghdad since taking
office, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates noted vast security
improvements under the strategy. He cited "recent months of
dramatic change in the security situation across the nation, a
decline in violence to levels not seen since the Samarra mosque
bombing nearly two years ago" during a joint news conference with
Iraqi Defense Minister Abd al-Qadir al-Mufriji on Dec. 5.
Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force
Iraq, reported in his end-of-year letter to troops in Iraq that
attacks per week are down about 60 percent from June 2007 and are
now at a level last seen consistently in the early summer of
2005.
Petraeus also noted that civilian deaths are down approximately
75 percent from a year ago, dropping to a level not seen since the
beginning of 2006. In addition, coalition forces found and cleared
more than 6,658 weapons caches in 2007, well over twice the amount
cleared in 2006.
Bush cautioned when he announced the strategy that it wouldn't
bring an immediate end to violence in Iraq. "Our enemies in Iraq
will make every effort to ensure that our television screens are
filled with images of death and suffering," he said. "Yet, over
time, we can expect to see Iraqi troops chasing down murderers,
fewer brazen acts of terror, and growing trust and cooperation from
Baghdad's residents."
Petraeus told the Pentagon Channel this week that the new
strategy in Iraq -- with more coalition and Iraqi troops helping
quell violence in and around Baghdad and operations that promote
closer cooperation with the Iraqi population -- has helped
stabilize once-violent areas.
Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, commander of Multinational Corps
Iraq, said during a Jan. 8 conference call with military analysts
that by living, eating and patrolling with Iraqi forces throughout
the country, U.S. troops are getting known by the Iraqi people they
are working to protect. "When I go out on a patrol, the Iraqis will
start asking about folks who aren't with us," Odierno said.
"They'll ask 'Where's Sergeant Z today?' And they actually ask why
that person isn't out. So the relationships are building."
This presence helped gain the trust and confidence of the Iraqi
people, and ultimately, their support as well, Petraeus told the
Pentagon Channel. They began "turning in the bad guys in their
midst, ... pointing out the weapons caches or identifying
improvised explosive devices, and ultimately volunteering to help
with security as neighborhood watches, concerned local citizens and
so forth," he said.
Bush emphasized a year ago that a successful strategy for Iraq
goes beyond military operations. "Ordinary Iraqi citizens must see
that military operations are accompanied by visible improvements in
their neighborhoods and communities," he said.
This week, the president hailed provincial reconstruction teams
operating in Iraq as vital partners in the strategy that has
improved security and helped create conditions for the Iraqi
government to succeed. Speaking in the White House Rose Garden
after a Jan. 8 meeting with PRT members and their brigade
commanders, Bush praised the members for progress they've helped
make possible during the past year and emphasized the important
work they're doing in communities throughout Iraq.
Bush called the PRTs an important part of the strategy that
ensures terrorists don't succeed in Iraq and that the Iraqi people
are able to live in peace. He praised PRT members who "are helping
improve the lives of citizens they never met before" as they serve
on the front lines in the war on terror.
"In so doing, they're making this country more secure, and
they're helping lay down a foundation for peace," he said.
A year ago, Bush said introducing the new strategy and bumping
up the U.S. troop presence would help the Iraqis succeed so U.S.
troops can begin drawing down. "If we increase our support at this
crucial moment and help the Iraqis break the current cycle of
violence, we can hasten the day our troops begin coming home," he
said.
Petraeus noted this week that the drawdown already is beginning.
With one brigade combat team and a Marine expeditionary unit
already gone without being replaced, and four more BCTs and two
Marine battalions to leave by late July, he said he believes
there's "a solid plan" to maintain the momentum they helped to
build.
Petraeus said he's buoyed by successes made and momentum built,
but recognizes the job is far from over. "There will be more tough
moments ... and bad days" as the coalition and Iraqis continue to
pursue extremists and prevent them from establishing new safe
havens," he said. "There are some tough enemies out there, and
innumerable obstacles and challenges.
"So it will not be easy," he added. "But we believe that we can
indeed continue to build on what we have accomplished so far."
Bush emphasized last year the importance of the mission in Iraq
to security in the region and in the United States. He said the
struggle there "will determine the direction of the global war on
terror and our safety here at home."
Petraeus said this week he's hopeful others will be able "to see
that there is progress, to see that there is hope, and decide to
continue to support what is really a very, very important endeavor
for the United States, ... for all the countries of the coalition,
... and of course, (for) Iraq and the region."
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