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WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 9, 2008) - Iraq experienced the lowest
number of acts of violence in more than four years last week, a
spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq said in Baghdad today.
Security progress in Iraq is unmistakable, Army Maj. Gen. Kevin
Bergner said. Civilian deaths around the country were at their
lowest point in three years, the general told reporters, adding
that the reduction in violence is allowing the Iraqi government and
the coalition to put in place projects that improve the quality of
life in the country and create jobs for Iraqis.
The general said the security improvements are due in large part
to growth in the size and capabilities of the Iraqi security
forces, the gains in capabilities fueled by coalition forces
working in partnership with their Iraqi counterparts. The coalition
and Iraqi surge has been effective, as Iraqi security forces have
grown from some 400,000 to more than 560,000 members, and coalition
forces deployed five brigades to improve population security and
conduct offensive operations, Bergner said.
Though al-Qaida in Iraq has been handled severely in the past
year, no one is declaring victory, Bergner said. "It's important to
note that even with the progress being made against al-Qaida, they
remain capable of high-profile attacks, and they continue to resort
to barbaric tactics to inflict violence on the Iraqi people," the
general told reporters.
Iraqi and coalition operations continue to target al-Qaida in
Iraq's operational, financial and propaganda networks, and this
also contributes to security success, he noted.
Recent operations have killed or captured 12 al-Qaida leaders,
Bergner said, including leaders in Salahuddin province, in the city
of Beiji and in the northern city of Mosul. The Iraqi and coalition
allies also have crippled the financial networks in these areas and
destroyed the propaganda cells in Baghdad, the general added.
In the south, Iraqi soldiers and police are clearing criminal
activity -- illegal militias and criminal gangs -- and finding and
destroying weapons caches. Bergner said the Iraqi security forces
in and around Amarah have found 600 rockets, 3,000 mortar rounds,
270 roadside bombs, 250 rocket-propelled grenades and more than
1,000 mines.
The last of the five U.S. brigades deployed for the surge in
operations -- the 3rd Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team
-- will return to Fort Stewart, Ga., by the end of this month. This
is in addition to two Marines battalions and a Marine expeditionary
unit that already have returned to their home bases.
The security progress made possible by the sacrifices of
soldiers and Marines has had a carryover effect into other crucial
areas, Bergner said. Yesterday, Iraqi officials laid the
cornerstone for the Baghdad airport road revitalization project, he
said. The $50 million project will repave the road, fund lighting
and plant new trees. The airport road is known to U.S.
servicemembers as Route Irish, and reporters once called it the
"most dangerous road in Iraq."
While there has been tremendous progress over the past year,
much work remains, Bergner said. Neighboring countries are
beginning to increase their support for the Iraqi government, he
said, and Iraqi forces are becoming increasingly capable. The
progress in the country "will also be sustained by the will of the
Iraqi people and their capacity to carry on," the general
added.
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