'Surge' Complete: 5th and final brigade arrives for the party

[sampsonblk]

GW Bush's troop 'surge' is now complete. We have all the troops that we are supposed to have over there. Let's see what happens now.

Fifth, Final 'Surge' Brigade Now In Iraq
http://www.kcci.com/news/13414317/detail.html

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. military said Wednesday that the fifth and final brigade of the so-called troop surge ordered by President George W. Bush has arrived in Baghdad and should be fully operational by mid-July.


The news comes as the White House stepped back a little from earlier reports about U.S. troops being stationed for years in Iraq, in a manner similar to that of South Korea.


"We are starting to see a shift in momentum that comes with having additional forces on the ground," said Army Brig. Gen. Perry Wiggins.

The troops are tasked with trying to clamp down on the violence in Baghdad's northern and southern belts.

"What we're trying to do through the 'clear, hold and retain' (strategy) is take those particular areas away from the insurgents and al Qaeda, make it more difficult for them to travel, at least freely," he said. "So some of those forces will stretch in Baghdad."

Iraqi and coalition forces captured 47 suspected terrorists, including some suspected terror-cell chieftains, and seized contraband weaponry during operations across Iraq over the past few days, military officials reported Wednesday.

A capture of alleged weapons traffickers in Sadr City is sure to disrupt the flow of weapons into Iraq, officials said.

Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commanding general of Multinational Force Iraq, is slated to update military and civilian leaders on the Baghdad security plan's progress in September.--/-/--

[David__77]

1. Insurgents don't need to "win" militarily.

They only need to maintain resistance. The US will withdraw.

[lyonn]

2. The surge seems to be working well, let's see, 2 of our soldiers

kidnapped; Briton has 5 kidnapped; our copters are being shot down; U.S. troop deaths way up for past 2 months. Can we stand much more success with this surge?

[wake.up.america]

3. I can't understand how Bush gets away with this. The surge is not over..

more troops will be sent without putting a dent into the resistance.