Surge working: top US general

[unhappycamper]

Surge working: top US general
Dennis Shanahan, in Baghdad | August 31, 2007


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.

General Petraeus's overview comes a fortnight before he is due to present a crucial report on military progress in Iraq to the US Congress and President George W. Bush.

Australian Defence Minister Brendan Nelson, after being briefed by General Petraeus in Baghdad, said he now had a clear picture of progress in Iraq. He said John Howard and Mr Bush would discuss future military requirements for the conflict when they met at the APEC summit in Sydney next week.


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uhc comment: Petraeus (so far) is correct. We've had only 81 soldiers killed this month in Iraq. Of course their families may be feeling bad, but come on, you've gotta break a few eggs to make an omlet. :sarcasm:

[hobbit709]

1. He HAS to say this BS

Otherwise he would make his boss look like the fool he is and get himself fired. It's like looking at the rubble of your house after a tornado and saying "Well it's not a total loss-the foundation is still here"

[annabanana]

2. AGAIN: The PURPOSE of the surge was to allow for POLITICAL

progress. . As we know from the GAO report... there isn't any. The reason for the surge is glaringly absent from all this reporting...

[cali]

3. Yeah?

Then explain the 4.2 million refugees, and more continue to stream out each day.

[BulletproofLandshark]

4. I think we all knew that's what Gen. Petraeus would say.

Being the Official Presidential Water-Carrier in Iraq doesn't leave much room for truth.

[CoffeeCat]

5. Is anyone actually going to believe this?

I think the American people can see for themselves, that this is a failed war.

We don't need a kow-towing, mealy-mouthed, Bush henchmen to define reality for us.

One of the worst things about this administration--is how stupid and gullible they
assume Americans are. They think that they can take their catastrophic, failed, lie-based
war and turn it into a sparkling wellspring of success---just because one of their
yes-men filed a perverse, dishonest report.

I'm insulted that they believe that America might actually buy into this.

...and Patraeus, what a frickin pansy sellout. Anyone who dares to toe the "But we're
REALLY making progress THIS TIME...no SERIOUSLY!" line for BushCo--at this point---
is a total wuss who has nothing better to do than prostitute himself.

[Ganja Ninja]

6. Working or not what's the end result we hope to achieve?

You might be able to hold down the violence for a year or 18 months but if you can't produce a stable unified government what good will it do?

Not only that but we're spending 3 billion a week and even when we do pull out how much are we going to spend to prop-up a government that is incompetent, unrepresentative and so shakey it could fall within weeks?

[Maggie_May]

7. Of course they say its working

If you took a surge of police in the worst crime area in United States crime would be down but what about the other areas.
What also happens when we can not sub stain that many troops. Our military forces have been strained to be able to keep up this surge than what happens. The Iraq people have all fled Bush has created a whole new army of insurgents that hate that Americans are on Middle East soil and will fight till we are gone.

[Breeze54]

8. One problem, the WH wrote the report !!!!

:nuke:

It's ALL propaganda!! :grr:

[spanone]

9. B U L L S H I T.......

well, the surge in deaths is undeniable.

dear congress, wake up, you're being had again

[radfringe]

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