Will Iraq squander the gains of the surge?

[unhappycamper]

Will Iraq squander the gains of the surge?
By Robert H. Reid - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Sep 15, 2008 5:40:41 EDT

BAGHDAD — The U.S. troop surge did what it aimed: Calm Iraq down. But now, an increasing number of U.S. officials are worried that the hard-won drop in violence may be only temporary.

The fear: that Iraq may squander this period of relative calm, failing to reach the difficult political deals the surge was designed to allow — and thus setting the stage for another round of violence someday.

That worry is behind U.S. military leaders’ constant warnings that Iraq’s current calm may not endure. Defense Secretary Robert Gates was the latest, saying this week that U.S. military commanders do not yet believe “our gains are necessarily enduring.”

Their fears are sound.

Iraqi leaders face major challenges in the coming months, even as the effectiveness of the surge remains a hot-button topic in the U.S. presidential race.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/ap_iraqanalysis_091408/%2e



uhc comment: This appears to be the newest meme from the Reich wing.

[dipsydoodle]

1. Whether or not there have been any gains

is simply a matter of whether or not you believe what has been released by your Maladministration for human consumption.

Apparently the total number of troops is currently in excess of the pre-surge level. Is this a case of the hand deceives the eye ?

[dipsydoodle]

2. Odierno warning on Iraq security

Another link :

The new US military commander in Iraq, Lt Gen Ray Odierno, has said that recent security gains there are "fragile and reversible".

He was speaking in Baghdad at a ceremony to replace Gen David Petraeus.

Gen Petraeus, who implemented the "surge" of nearly 30,000 extra US troops in Iraq, is widely credited with driving down levels of violence there.

He has been promoted to oversee operations in Afghanistan and in the Middle East, including Iraq.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7618553.stm