New York Times: Commanders say Push in Baghdad Short of Goal

[Hawaii Hiker]

Well John McCain, Baghdad is looking oh so safe now isn't it.. :sarcasm:

BAGHDAD, June 3 — Three months after the start of the Baghdad security plan that has added thousands of American and Iraqi troops to the capital, they control fewer than one-third of the city’s neighborhoods, far short of the initial goal for the operation, according to some commanders and an internal military assessment.

Neighborhoods like Ameel, Baya, Jihad and Furat remain violent. More Photos »

The American assessment, completed in late May, found that American and Iraqi forces were able to “protect the population” and “maintain physical influence over” only 146 of the 457 Baghdad neighborhoods.

In the remaining 311 neighborhoods, troops have either not begun operations aimed at rooting out insurgents or still face “resistance,” according to the one-page assessment, which was provided to The New York Times and summarized reports from brigade and battalion commanders in Baghdad.

The assessment offers the first comprehensive look at the progress of the effort to stabilize Baghdad with the heavy influx of additional troops. The last remaining American units in the troop increase are just now arriving.

Violence has diminished in many areas, but it is especially chronic in mixed Shiite-Sunni neighborhoods in western Baghdad, several senior officers said. Over all, improvements have not yet been as widespread or lasting across Baghdad, they acknowledged.

The operation “is at a difficult point right now, to be sure,” said Brig. Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, the deputy commander of the First Cavalry Division, which has responsibility for Baghdad.

In an interview, he said that while military planners had expected to make greater gains by now, that has not been possible in large part because Iraqi police and army units, which were expected to handle basic security tasks, like manning checkpoints and conducting patrols, have not provided all the forces promised, and in some cases have performed poorly.
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EDIT: COPYRIGHT. PLEASE POST ONLY 4 OR 5
PARAGRAPHS FROM THE COPYRIGHTED NEWS SOURCE
PER DU RULES AND ALSO PROVIDE A LINK TO THE
SOURCE.

[fishnfla]

1. edit for copyright

DU rules of four paragraphs.

[BuyingThyme]

2. Funny how the word SURGE doesn't even appear once in this article.

Welcome to DU, Hawaii Hiker!

When it comes to copyrighted text, we're supposed to limit our posts to four paragraphs (and a link).

You can still edit your post, so no big deal.

:hi:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/04/world/middleeast/04surge.html

[BlooInBloo]

4. It was in the title of the article when I posted it last night.

[BuyingThyme]

5. Wow! Really? That might be a nice catch.

The word "surge" is still in the URL:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/04/world/middleeast/04surge.html

ONE EDIT: Would you be so kind as to direct me to your thread?

[BlooInBloo]

6. Ack - my bad - I mis-remembered my thread-titling for THEIR titling - apologies...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1037909

[BuyingThyme]

7. Oh, well. It's still interesting how they totally avoided

using the word with which the masses have become so familiar. It's like they've been forbidden from saying "the surge has failed."

ONE EDIT: Your title line was more appropriate.

[BlooInBloo]

8. Yup.

[BlooInBloo]

3. Wow - there's GOTTA be a rule against *that* - lol!