Surge working: top US general (Petraeus)

[sabra]

Source: the australian

THE US troop surge in Iraq has thrown al-Qa'ida off balance and produced a dramatic reduction in sectarian killings and a drop in roadside bombings.

David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, said the build-up of American forces in Baghdad since late January had produced positive outcomes. These included the killing or capture of al-Qa'ida fighters, causing the terrorist group to lose influence with local Sunnis.

The strategic gains against insurgents would lead to a changed and possibly longer-term role for Australian troops, shifting from security operations to a focus on training Iraqi soldiers and police.

General Petraeus told The Australian during a face-to-face interview at his Baghdad headquarters there had been a 75 per cent reduction in religious and ethnic killings since last year, a doubling in the seizure of insurgents' weapons caches between January and August, a rise in the number of al-Qa'ida "kills and captures" and a fall in the number of coalition deaths from roadside bombings.

"We say we have achieved progress, and we are obviously going to do everything we can to build on that progress and we believe al-Qa'ida is off balance at the very least," he said.

Read more: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22337285-601,00.html

[Buzz Clik]

1. Great. Petraeus is floating trial balloons in the international press.

He should have his spin in fine working order when he finally addresses the issues in the US.

[saigon68]

17. Petraeus = NEOCON War Puppet and War Criminal

I'd love to see him in a Jump Suit at the Hague

[AzDar]

2. LIES. Absolutely gotta admire how they've now managed to brand

ALL Iraqis defending their homes (as I'm sure ALL of us would do in such circumstances) as 'al-Qa'ida'.
Motherfuckers.:mad: :puke:

[mallard]

7. Re: LIES

He's just doing exactly what he was assigned by this successful war president to do - nevermind his leaving off right where his actual job desciption begins.

[Kagemusha]

3. There has been a drop in violence... due to it being damned hot.

Once the temp cools down the tempo will heat back up.

[The_Casual_Observer]

4. Here's the strategery: The surge is working so we have to maintain

it - forever.

[harun]

11. Dem's need to say, good... surge worked, come home now.

If it gets the troops home by allowing B*sh and the crazies to save face, so be it.

[Magleetis]

5. They got lies so big

they don't make a noise. They tell'em so well, like a secret disease.

It never ceases to amaze me how they all contract the disease at the same time.

The GOP is one big lie machine, and they will be pouring it on in the next 2 weeks.

The sad part is that it will work.

[pingzing58]

6. Does any agency have any statistics to the contrary? I want to know the truth and other the factors

that make the surge look like it is working (i.e., millions of people have fled the country - less people to kill; neighborhoods and districts have been segregated by sects - less violence in those neighborhoods or districts; etc.).

[EFerrari]

13. People aren't coming home. That should be a reliable metric.

AP
Group: 1.14M Iraqis have been displaced
By DAVID RISING, Associated Press Writer Sun Aug 26, 6:30 AM ET

BAGHDAD - The number of Iraqis who have fled their homes under threat of sectarian violence has more than doubled since the start of the year, despite the increase in American troops that began in February, a humanitarian organization said.

The number of displaced Iraqis shot upward from 447,337 on Jan. 1 to 1.14 million on July 31, the Iraqi Red Crescent Organization said Saturday.

Though the addition of some 30,000 U.S. troops since February has brought down violence in Baghdad, it also led to increased clashes with militants.

"Does this surge have anything to do with it? We don't know," said Saeed Haqi, head of the Iraqi Red Crescent — the local partner organization of the International Committee of the Red Cross. "But they're leaving because of the security situation in general."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070826/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_displaced_people

[pingzing58]

15. Thanks. That's the info that congress should have to interpret the report.

[radfringe]

8. Is he reading from the white house rough draft or finished report? n/t

[still_one]

9. It is a shell game, the truth is most of the bench marks were NOT met

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070830/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq

[IsItJustMe]

10. Corporate war profiteers must want this war to go on no matter the cost. Greed is a bitch.

[EFerrari]

12. WH Communications: "Propaganda Surge working -- we hope!" n/t

[krispos42]

14. All to no end

The escalation surge is only 'working' if it makes stability for the Iraqi government to establish political reconciliation, exert it's lawful authority, and begin improving conditions in Iraq and Baghdad. This takes might, and time. The escalation surge is not big enough to begin to accomblish that, and we don't have enough fresh troops to maintian the escalation surge for the years needed for true stability and reconstruction to happen.

The only was for the escalation surge could work is if we followed General Petraeus' own recommendation and put 600,000 troops in the country.

We have 165,000 troops in there, on 15-month deployments, and no untapped troops left to send in.




If the Republicans were serious about 'winning' in Iraq, they would be calling for a draft, war taxes, and nationalization of the military-industrial complex.

[Tempest]

16. Malaki says it's not

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/19317.html

"The positive development in the security situation is owed to national reconciliation much more than to our security forces or coalition troops. Some would want to hide this fact, but it is a fact not to be hidden," he said.

[Javaman]

18. Well communism works too...on paper. nt