You don’t hear much about Anbar Province anymore. That’s because this area, once the scene of the heaviest fighting in Iraq, has turned remarkably quiet of late. Attacks are down 80 percent since last year. If there is any cause for optimism in Iraq this is it: If an area as troubled as Anbar could be turned around so quickly, then no part of Iraq can truly be said to be hopeless.
Rock of the Marne!John W. CharltonCOL, Infantry Commanding CampAr Ramadi, Iraq
Security here in Ramadi continues to improve as the Iraqi police and army forces work daily to keep the population safe. When we arrived in February, we were averaging 30 – 35 attacks per day in our area of responsibility. Now our average is one attack per day or less. We had an entire week with no attacks in our area and have a total of over 65 days with no attacks. I attribute this success to our close relationship with the Iraqi security forces and the support those forces receive from the civilian population. The Iraqi police and army forces have uncovered hundreds of munitions caches and get intelligence tips from the local population every day. Our biggest challenge with the Iraqi police is getting them fully equipped, paid, and consolidated in police stations. The support system that begins with the MOI [Ministry of the Interior], and extends through the provincial police chief, is still a work in progress. As a result, the Iraqi police still rely heavily on coalition logistics and support. We expect the equipment issue to improve soon, and we are working hard to get their logistics and command and control systems in place. One thing that is not lacking is the courage and the dedication of the Iraqi police in al Anbar. For them, this fight is personal. They know that al Qaeda is targeting them, their families and their tribes. Some of our most recent successes have been in the areas of reconstruction and governance. The city government didn’t exist before April of this year, but has grown steadily over the past few months, and is now providing essential services to the population. In areas that were battlefields only a few months ago, city electrical employees are now repairing transformers and power lines. Sanitation workers are fixing sewer leaks caused by hundreds of buried IED’s [improvised explosive devices]. The Iraqis now have repaired the electrical grid in about 80 percent of the city and about 50 percent of the rubble has been removed. We expect to have all rubble removed in the next 90 – 120 days, which will allow for many parts of the city to start rebuilding.
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/contentions/index.php/boot/657
That is amazing! And it gets even better if you keep on reading. Now even assuming Anbar dosen't get much better then this in terms of violence and insurgent activity. It would still be one of the most peacefull provinces in Iraq. Assuming reconstruction and security efforts progress more. I think Anbar could easily be transferred to Provincial Iraqi Control by December or January. Furthermore, 4000 marines were deployed to Anbar as part of the surge. Once it reaches Provincial Iraqi Control, those 4,000 marines could be withdrawn from the country or transferred to Baghdad, Diyala, Qaudisiyah or Salluh Ad Din provinces if needed. A combat force of 4000 marines can do a lot. As recently shown in Anbar. Anbar could also be a great testing place for solar power in Iraq. Its a peacefull province as of now, it has plenty of isolated villages. Those villages could be great places for solar power, since it would take the construction of miles and miles of transmission lines to provide them with power from the central grid. Another great thing is their power would not be as vunerable to insurgent attacks.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Possibilities in Iraq
Possibilities in Iraq
Right now most of Iraq is relativly peacefull, the only violent provinces are Anbar, Diyala, and Baghdad. Anbar is getting better because the tribes are uniting against Al Qaida, Baghdad is getting better because American and Iraqi forces are not under political pressure to not engage militia's. And Diyala right now is experiencing more attacks, this hopefully will end soon with the coming increase of US troops in that province. The only thing the US should be doing in Iraq that we aren;t doing is transferring provinces over to the Iraqis. For example this article http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/25/AR2006082501237.html
talks about two provinces that should of been turned over in september. The article goes further to say that they were moved back to be tranferred in January or Febuary of this year. January and Febuary have gone by and they still haven't been transferred. Another good example is in the northern Kurdish area's three provinces Dahuk, Sulamaniyah and Irbil have been ready for transition since July of last year and still haven't been transferred yet. These are troops that could be going home or supporting the intensified opereations in Baghdad, Anbar or Diyala. As Americans I believe we should bring our concerns about these problems to the main media. The main media could bring this to the attention of congress and the senate and make it an issue that they have to work on. Other then our strategy seems to be working deaths in Baghdad have gone down 50% since the operation began. Were also building joint security stations in neighborhoods and patroling more to provide security for the population of Baghdad.
Right now most of Iraq is relativly peacefull, the only violent provinces are Anbar, Diyala, and Baghdad. Anbar is getting better because the tribes are uniting against Al Qaida, Baghdad is getting better because American and Iraqi forces are not under political pressure to not engage militia's. And Diyala right now is experiencing more attacks, this hopefully will end soon with the coming increase of US troops in that province. The only thing the US should be doing in Iraq that we aren;t doing is transferring provinces over to the Iraqis. For example this article http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/25/AR2006082501237.html
talks about two provinces that should of been turned over in september. The article goes further to say that they were moved back to be tranferred in January or Febuary of this year. January and Febuary have gone by and they still haven't been transferred. Another good example is in the northern Kurdish area's three provinces Dahuk, Sulamaniyah and Irbil have been ready for transition since July of last year and still haven't been transferred yet. These are troops that could be going home or supporting the intensified opereations in Baghdad, Anbar or Diyala. As Americans I believe we should bring our concerns about these problems to the main media. The main media could bring this to the attention of congress and the senate and make it an issue that they have to work on. Other then our strategy seems to be working deaths in Baghdad have gone down 50% since the operation began. Were also building joint security stations in neighborhoods and patroling more to provide security for the population of Baghdad.
A strategy in Baghdad that is working
BAGHDAD, Feb. 28 -- American soldiers are leaving their sprawling fortress-cities and establishing many small outposts in the capital's most violent neighborhoods in a major tactical shift under the two-week-old Baghdad security plan.Informed by counterinsurgency theory that calls for placing units full-time among the people they want to sway, U.S. troops are using their new bases to work with their Iraqi counterparts, uncover more battlefield intelligence and reinforce, by their sustained presence, the message that they will not allow militants unfettered freedom of movement. A new U.S.-Iraqi base in the Jamiyah neighborhood of western Baghdad, a platoon of American soldiers guards the front gate and watches from the rooftop."These little combat outposts, they are more exposed: Your routes in here are very limited, and they're definitely watching us," Staff Sgt. Marcel Weaver, 35, said of the insurgents operating in the neighborhood around the base. A grenade "attack is coming, I can guarantee that."U.S. soldiers have opened 15 of about 30 planned "joint security stations" in the capital. They have also set up an unspecified number of smaller "combat outposts." U.S. military spokesmen did not respond to requests for information about how many such outposts are operating in Baghdad or how many times they have been attacked.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/28/AR2007022802217.html
Since the start of this new offensive the death toll in Baghdad has dropped 50 %! The main success of this is because the political situation is getting better, we don't have to worry about political pressure not to enter the Shiite neigborhoods. Another great idea is the joint security station plan, since Iraqi and US troops are living and patrolling together they don't have to worry about Iraqi soldiers not intervening in mass kidnaps because of secretatian ties. This gives the Iraqi soldiers and the civilians time to get to kno and trust each other. It also means their is less chance of secretian violence in the form of kidnappings and killings because Iraqi and US forces are patrolling in the neighborhoods constantly. In my opinin Joint Security stations should be established in Diyala and we should deploy a force of about 10,000 extra troops to counter the flow of Shiite Death sqauds and insurgents from Baghdad coming into Diyala.
Since the start of this new offensive the death toll in Baghdad has dropped 50 %! The main success of this is because the political situation is getting better, we don't have to worry about political pressure not to enter the Shiite neigborhoods. Another great idea is the joint security station plan, since Iraqi and US troops are living and patrolling together they don't have to worry about Iraqi soldiers not intervening in mass kidnaps because of secretatian ties. This gives the Iraqi soldiers and the civilians time to get to kno and trust each other. It also means their is less chance of secretian violence in the form of kidnappings and killings because Iraqi and US forces are patrolling in the neighborhoods constantly. In my opinin Joint Security stations should be established in Diyala and we should deploy a force of about 10,000 extra troops to counter the flow of Shiite Death sqauds and insurgents from Baghdad coming into Diyala.
Three Iraqi Provinces transfered
ARBIL, Iraq -- In a blaze of pomp showcasing Kurdish military muscle, US forces handed over responsibility for security in Iraq's three northern provinces to the Kurdish regional government WednesdaySeven Iraqi provinces, including Najaf, Muthanna, Dhi Qar, and Maysan, now have responsibility for their own security - a third of the total. The US hopes to add more as Iraqi forces grow in capability. "Reinforcing the security of Kurdistan is reinforcing the security of Iraq," insisted Rubaie. Unlike the rest of the war-torn country, the Kurdish provinces and their comparative security have attracted the interest of foreign investors, which has fuelled a construction boom in the region's cities. "You are an example for the rest of Iraq," Major General Benjamin Mixon, the commander of US troops in northern Iraq, told the assembled dignitaries.http://www.metimes.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20070530-025429-2320r
I wonder how many troops we will be able to pull out of those three provinces. Either way as I see it, its great news. Only 11 more provinces to go!!! Also depending how many troops pull out, I'm guessing around at least 10 thousand, we can reinforce Baghdad or Diyala if we need to. And as we transferr more provinces we can increase the numbers of troops in those provinces. I have to say those three northern provinces are pretty sweet, they have like sweet hotels, and cafes and such. And apparently are attracting a lot of foreign investment. I hope the rest of Iraq can shape up like these provinces.
I wonder how many troops we will be able to pull out of those three provinces. Either way as I see it, its great news. Only 11 more provinces to go!!! Also depending how many troops pull out, I'm guessing around at least 10 thousand, we can reinforce Baghdad or Diyala if we need to. And as we transferr more provinces we can increase the numbers of troops in those provinces. I have to say those three northern provinces are pretty sweet, they have like sweet hotels, and cafes and such. And apparently are attracting a lot of foreign investment. I hope the rest of Iraq can shape up like these provinces.
Marines provide solar power to Iraqi School
A Maine company will soon be providing the U.S. Marines with a solar energy system. At the same time, the owners of the Solar Market in Arundel are hoping to help out Iraqi school children.About four weeks ago, the Marines contacted the Solar Market, searching for a solar unit that could power a school they’re rebuilding in the western Iraqi desert. He sold them a system, along with 12 solar panels.He was told that for now, at least, solar energy is the only hope for powering many of Iraq’s remote regions.http://www.wmtw.com/news/4910767/detail.html
Well its good to know that the marines are thinking up solutions for power problems in Iraq. Hopefully this thinking will catch on. I personally think that the US government should use CERP (Commander Emergency Response Funds) to fund more special projects like this.And according to this website CERP funding is rising. From 350 million in 2007 to 767 million dollars in 2008. If CERP funding grew at this rate for 5 consecutive years it would reach 2 billion 435 million dollars in 2012. These funds could help with funding shortfalls in the heath care sector and contribute solar power to Iraq.http://useu.usmission.gov/Article.asp?ID=87650cb1-5ff6-4ee4-931a-19ef09b3456a
Well its good to know that the marines are thinking up solutions for power problems in Iraq. Hopefully this thinking will catch on. I personally think that the US government should use CERP (Commander Emergency Response Funds) to fund more special projects like this.And according to this website CERP funding is rising. From 350 million in 2007 to 767 million dollars in 2008. If CERP funding grew at this rate for 5 consecutive years it would reach 2 billion 435 million dollars in 2012. These funds could help with funding shortfalls in the heath care sector and contribute solar power to Iraq.http://useu.usmission.gov/Article.asp?ID=87650cb1-5ff6-4ee4-931a-19ef09b3456a
Iraqi province to be turned over in August
Speaking about Iraq’s Nineva province, the general said the provincial government and security forces there continue to grow and improve. Mixon said he has observed the 2nd and 3rd Iraqi Army Division and Iraqi police providing security to provincial residents requiring scant coalition assistance. "Based on this assessment, I have recommended that Nineva province go to provincial Iraqi control in August," he said. Though a handover to the provincial government is a sign of progress, Mixon added that it alone won’t usher in a reduction of U.S. troops, who will continue to partner with Iraqi security forces there, he said.http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=46718
This is awesome! Tranferring Nineva province will have the same or more significance then when we transferred Najaf in December. With this coming provincial transferr we will be able to shift some of our forces from Nineva to Diyala and or Salluh Ad Din provinces. And with Anbar province getting better we might even see a shift of troops from there to Baghdad and or Qaidisiyah province. I just love this troop surge! Its going to give us capabilities we've never had.
– Insurgent attacks in Iraq’s Ninewah province have dropped significantly, and if the trend continues, fewer U.S. troops will be needed in the region, an Army commander in the area said today.
A sign of the improved security situation in the province is the fact that the province -- which includes Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city -- will transfer to Iraqi provincial control sometime next month, said Army Col. Stephen Twitty, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division’s 4th Brigade, during a briefing with Pentagon reporters via telephone. On the security side, the two Iraqi divisions in the province are already under the command of Iraqi Ground Forces Command. “We still continue to see a need for the (provincial reconstruction team) to be here and will probably see a need for some type of coalition forces up here,” Twitty said. “That may or may not be a robust force like I have, and it's going to be based on the security situation here.” He said the security situation is showing great promise. When his brigade moved into the area in December, there were between 15 and 18 attacks per day. Today, that number is down to between seven and nine. “But we must not call victory yet, and we must continue to look at the situation up here,” he said. He said he will look at the possibility of reducing coalition forces in the province. About 19,000 Iraqi police and 20,000 Iraqi army soldiers are in Nineveh and are taking on the job of fighting and defeating terrorism, Twitty said. He described an example of Iraqis shouldering the burden that occurred May 16, when terrorists launched a car-bomb offensive. “The Iraqi security forces stood their ground and destroyed the majority of the (car bombs) … so they could not reach their final destination, decisively defeating the attack,” he said Iraqi government plans call for another 3,000 policemen and standing up three new Iraqi army battalions to augment the current forces, Twitty said. “These additional forces will solidify the current effort in the province,” he said. The terrorists have reacted to the success with confusion. “The insurgents have been plagued with infighting amongst several groups of the Islamic State of Iraq, and it continues to attempt to influence operations here in Nineveh,” Twitty said. “This infighting caused decreased effectiveness of insurgent attacks in June. This month, insurgent forces received little to no financial and logistics support due to the strong Iraqi police, Iraqi army and coalition force presence and operations. These operations have resulted in the seizure of 11 caches and the capture of several insurgent leaders.”
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=46856
Wow this is sweet, its basically confirmation of what I said would happen. My prediction is once they get it to a 1 or 2 attacks a day level then we will withdraw a significant portion of our forces from Nineveh. Its amazing to me how much Iraqi security forces they have trained and equiped in that province. 39,000! And they want 3,000 more police, and the same amount of Iraqi Army Soldiers. All in all thats 45,000! For one province! The next think they should start doing is creating regional Iraqi Special Forces battalions.
This is awesome! Tranferring Nineva province will have the same or more significance then when we transferred Najaf in December. With this coming provincial transferr we will be able to shift some of our forces from Nineva to Diyala and or Salluh Ad Din provinces. And with Anbar province getting better we might even see a shift of troops from there to Baghdad and or Qaidisiyah province. I just love this troop surge! Its going to give us capabilities we've never had.
– Insurgent attacks in Iraq’s Ninewah province have dropped significantly, and if the trend continues, fewer U.S. troops will be needed in the region, an Army commander in the area said today.
A sign of the improved security situation in the province is the fact that the province -- which includes Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city -- will transfer to Iraqi provincial control sometime next month, said Army Col. Stephen Twitty, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division’s 4th Brigade, during a briefing with Pentagon reporters via telephone. On the security side, the two Iraqi divisions in the province are already under the command of Iraqi Ground Forces Command. “We still continue to see a need for the (provincial reconstruction team) to be here and will probably see a need for some type of coalition forces up here,” Twitty said. “That may or may not be a robust force like I have, and it's going to be based on the security situation here.” He said the security situation is showing great promise. When his brigade moved into the area in December, there were between 15 and 18 attacks per day. Today, that number is down to between seven and nine. “But we must not call victory yet, and we must continue to look at the situation up here,” he said. He said he will look at the possibility of reducing coalition forces in the province. About 19,000 Iraqi police and 20,000 Iraqi army soldiers are in Nineveh and are taking on the job of fighting and defeating terrorism, Twitty said. He described an example of Iraqis shouldering the burden that occurred May 16, when terrorists launched a car-bomb offensive. “The Iraqi security forces stood their ground and destroyed the majority of the (car bombs) … so they could not reach their final destination, decisively defeating the attack,” he said Iraqi government plans call for another 3,000 policemen and standing up three new Iraqi army battalions to augment the current forces, Twitty said. “These additional forces will solidify the current effort in the province,” he said. The terrorists have reacted to the success with confusion. “The insurgents have been plagued with infighting amongst several groups of the Islamic State of Iraq, and it continues to attempt to influence operations here in Nineveh,” Twitty said. “This infighting caused decreased effectiveness of insurgent attacks in June. This month, insurgent forces received little to no financial and logistics support due to the strong Iraqi police, Iraqi army and coalition force presence and operations. These operations have resulted in the seizure of 11 caches and the capture of several insurgent leaders.”
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=46856
Wow this is sweet, its basically confirmation of what I said would happen. My prediction is once they get it to a 1 or 2 attacks a day level then we will withdraw a significant portion of our forces from Nineveh. Its amazing to me how much Iraqi security forces they have trained and equiped in that province. 39,000! And they want 3,000 more police, and the same amount of Iraqi Army Soldiers. All in all thats 45,000! For one province! The next think they should start doing is creating regional Iraqi Special Forces battalions.
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