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WASHINGTON D.C. (March 27, 2008) - Coalition and Iraqi forces
are making progress in Iraq's Diyala province through three lines
of operation, a military official there said yesterday.
Significant enemy activities in Diyala over the past eight
months have dropped by 70 percent, Army Col. Jon Lehr, commander of
the 2nd Infantry Division's 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, said
in a teleconference with online journalists and "bloggers."
Lehr said the Iraqi army has made vast improvements and is
capable of conducting unilateral operations with some assistance
from coalition forces in terms of artillery, attack aviation and
close-air support.
Progress for the Iraqi police has been a bit more challenging,
Lehr acknowledged.
"We do not have the numbers that are required across the
province, and there's a problem with the training level or, as we
like to refer to it, the 'professionalization' of the force," he
explained. "We're working through that right now."
The improvement of the Iraqi security forces and the presence of
coalition forces have made it increasingly difficult for al Qaeda
to stage attacks in Diyala, Lehr said. And insurgents seem to be
relying less on improvised explosive devices in their efforts to
thwart progress and grab headlines, he added. "From the enemy
perspective, I would say the current weapon of choice is starting
to shift a little bit from the IED to the suicide vest," Lehr
said.
Though al Qaeda is still using IEDs, Lehr said, Iraqi and
coalition forces have become proficient at finding and clearing the
explosives. "It is mitigating the risk that was once associated
with the (IED," he said.
Coalition and Iraqi forces have had a profound effect on the
enemy in the province, the colonel said.
"I believe al Qaeda in Diyala province is on the ropes," Lehr
said. "They're very scared right now and confused on what's going
on with the combination of Iraqi security force operations,
coalition force presence, and the awakening that's taking place
across the Diyala province."
Before entering Diyala, Lehr said, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat
Team conducted operations in Salahuddin and Baghdad provinces,
where the soldiers used the same system they are using in Diyala.
Lehr said the approach focuses on three tenets: eroding the enemy's
resources, disintegrating enemy capability, and separating the
enemy's leadership from insurgents and insurgents from their
support base.
In addition to the Iraqi security forces and coalition forces,
Lehr addressed the support from citizens assisting in the security
effort.
"The Sons of Iraq, or concerned local citizens, are not a
permanent security solution; however, they have been an integral
part of our strategy," Lehr said.
"We're running al Qaeda off," Lehr continued. "I'm not saying
they're gone, but we've got them on the ropes."
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