|
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 7, 2008) - Success is building on success
in Iraq, a senior military official said yesterday at a news
conference in Baghdad.
Navy Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll, a spokesman for Multinational
Force Iraq, said the total number of security incidents in Iraq now
sits at 2004 levels.
"As the [Iraqi security force] enforces the rule of law and
improves security in places like Basra, Mosul, Amarah and Sadr
City, the people are finding new confidence in those that lead and
protect them," Driscoll said. "Iraqis see security forces in their
neighborhoods providing protection, and they are increasingly
providing the army and police with valuable information that
enhances safety."
The police and army have been able to enter neighborhoods where
they could not always operate in the past, Driscoll explained.
"The Iraqi security forces are taking more weapons off the
street, which further limits the ability of criminals and
terrorists to conduct violent attacks against Iraqi citizens, Iraqi
security forces and coalition forces," he said.
Operations in Basra have taken thousands of weapons off the
streets. In late March, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
ordered Iraqi security forces in to the southern city. Since then,
Iraqi soldiers and police have captured more than 6,200 mortars,
almost 8,000 artillery rounds, more than 20 surface-to-air
missiles, some 750 rockets, nearly 200 rocket-propelled-grenade
launchers, almost 340 roadside bombs and more than 50 bombs
specifically designed to pierce armor-hulled vehicles, Driscoll
said.
In Mosul, Iraqi and coalition forces seized 33 weapons caches
during the last week of June alone, and in Baghdad, Iraqi and
coalition forces found and safely cleared 67 weapons caches during
the same period, he said.
The same is true in other areas of the country. Since Iraqi army
operations intensified in Sadr City, forces have seized 217 arms
caches. In Amarah on June 29, Iraqi soldiers seized a significant
weapons cache that included enough shaped, charged components to
build between 40 and 50 of the deadly armor-piercing bombs, and 400
blocks of C-4 explosives and small arms, Driscoll said. On July 3,
Iraqi soldiers found another weapons cache with 152 copper disks
that are the key components of the armor-piercing bombs.
"We have taken a lot of the enemy weapons off the battlefield,
and it's making for significantly improved security," Driscoll
said. "We still face a tough fight. And it is increasingly an Iraqi
effort, with the [Iraqi security forces] most often in the lead and
coalition in support with key enablers."
Essential services follow in the wake of these security
operations. In Baghdad's Mansour district, the Iraqi government
opened the capital city's largest public works substation. The
facility will provide the community with its own center that
supports street cleaning, sanitation and garbage removal, Driscoll
said. The embedded provincial reconstruction team of the 101st
Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team supported much of the
work.
In the south, work continues on the Basra Children's
Hospital.
"When this hospital is completed next year, it will be a highly
advanced pediatric cancer treatment center, a truly valuable
resource for families in need in the region," the admiral said.
"The recent operations undertaken by the government of Iraq in
Basra are improving the prospects that this hospital will open and
provide children of Iraq with a world-class medical center."
Much work remains, but the Iraqi government is proving it's up
to the job, Driscoll said, noting that coalition forces will
continue to help the Iraqi security establishment accomplish its
missions.
"We continue to pressure those who want to destroy rather than
rebuild Iraq, and coalition forces are committed to supporting the
Iraqi security forces in preserving our hard-fought gains," he
said.
|
