General: U.S. to hand over Anbar to Iraqis in March
posted at 5:00 pm on January 10, 2008 by Allahpundit
A sweet announcement on a bittersweet anniversary with today’s Iraq news dominated by a bitter report about the U.S. turning in frustration to “Iraqi solutions” that may not be solutions at all. There’s been progress in other parts of Iraq, of course (Baghdad foremost among them) but nowhere as much as in Anbar. That’s where Al Qaeda’s back was broken before it crawled off to Diyala and that’s where the proof of a flourishing multisectarian Iraqi society will be found, if the Sunnis and the Shiite government can and ever do settle their differences peacefully. A year ago it was unimaginable; congratulations to Gen. Petraeus.
Iraq’s western province of Anbar, origin of the Sunni Arab insurgency that arose in the early months of U.S. occupation, will be returned to Iraqi control in March, a senior U.S. general said Thursday…
Marine Maj. Gen. Walter E. Gaskin, commander of the roughly 35,000 Marine and Army forces in Anbar, said levels of violence have dropped so significantly — coupled with the growth and development of Iraqi security forces in the province — that Anbar is ready to be handed back to the Iraqis.
He said in a telephone interview that a provincial security committee under Anbar’s governor has been established and has rehearsed procedures for handling any security crisis that might develop.
Under a plan accepted by the Iraqi government as well as the top two American authorities in Iraq — Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Gen. David Petraeus — the U.S. military will transfer control of Anbar to provincial authorities in March, followed by a ceremony in April, Gaskin said…
Visiting Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul-Qader al-Obeidi, appearing with Gates, also mentioned the turnaround in Anbar. He asserted that the situation has improved to the point where Iraqi forces are able to fight on their own, although that is a view not shared by U.S. commanders.
Are the Iraqis ready? They’re more ready than they were.
Blowback
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Hmmm…could the Bush administration be planning to have Iraq on its way to political finish by the elections?
MadisonConservative on January 10, 2008 at 5:04 PM
I wonder if Time magazines Mr. Pepper knows about all this?
bernzright777 on January 10, 2008 at 5:05 PM
Did you read the WaPo piece? Doubtful.
Allahpundit on January 10, 2008 at 5:06 PM
Hence why I said political victory, as opposed to actual victory. He could well be setting up talking points for the next republican candidate, since the war will be a sticky issue for the right.
MadisonConservative on January 10, 2008 at 5:08 PM
Looks like we hit them pretty hard south of Baghdad today.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8U38ERG2&show_article=1
BrianBoru on January 10, 2008 at 5:16 PM
To General Petraeus and the brave fighting men and women under his command.. Salute!
normsrevenge on January 10, 2008 at 5:16 PM
Preseeeent… ARMS!
Frozen Tex on January 10, 2008 at 5:18 PM
That isn’t very many troops when you think about it.
Wonder where they will go?
bnelson44 on January 10, 2008 at 5:23 PM
The low key competence of General Petraeus puts these lightweights trying to be his boss to shame.
RobCon on January 10, 2008 at 5:26 PM
He’s a professional.
bnelson44 on January 10, 2008 at 5:27 PM
What a difference a year makes.
ThePrez on January 10, 2008 at 5:30 PM
It’s so good to hear positive news coming out of Iraq for a change. If things continue like this, it’ll surely help out the Republican cause in the elections this Fall.
Luckedout on January 10, 2008 at 5:32 PM
One step at a time.
Tony737 on January 10, 2008 at 5:50 PM
Thanks for keeping the progress in Iraq on Hotair. Everyone else is ignoring it
Drtuddle on January 10, 2008 at 5:55 PM
I wonder if things have cooled off over there because things have cooled off, literally, for the winter. I hope spring and the warm weather doesn’t bring with it budding problems with Sadr’s guys. I hope we don’t give too much back too soon just to appease the nattering neighbobs of negativity.
Thank you for serving, troops!
NTWR on January 10, 2008 at 6:01 PM
It strikes me that much of our problems in Iraq stemmed from disbanding their army and de-Bathification — essentially firing a bunch of guys with guns and telling them there was no place for them in the new Iraq — and then being caught unawares when a full-blown insurgency broke out (I know, I know, hindsight…).
Props to both Petreaus and Crocker for what they’re doing to clean up that mess.
Spolitics on January 10, 2008 at 6:03 PM
A history of US Casulties in Iraq is here:
http://icasualties.org/oif/HNH.aspx
bnelson44 on January 10, 2008 at 6:10 PM
you forgot about al-Qaeda. al-Anbar was al-Qaeda’s headquarters last year.
bnelson44 on January 10, 2008 at 6:11 PM
That’s an impressive decline. Thanks for the link.
NTWR on January 10, 2008 at 6:22 PM
you forgot about al-Qaeda. al-Anbar was al-Qaeda’s headquarters last year.
bnelson44 on January 10, 2008 at 6:11 PM
No doubt. But disbandment and de-bathification worked to al-Qaeda’s advantage.
Spolitics on January 10, 2008 at 6:22 PM
But we shouldn’t get too complacent. We are no where near done yet.
bnelson44 on January 10, 2008 at 6:23 PM
Maybe, maybe not. Now we are in the realm of speculation and Saddam’s army officers were mostly there for the money they got in bribes and were not what we think of as an officer and a gentleman. Saddam had no NCO corpse and his enlisted men were mostly Shiite conscripts.
bnelson44 on January 10, 2008 at 6:26 PM
Iraqis problems weren’t from dibanding the army they were from a lack of trust from being left behind before. People made there best guesses on who to follow thinking we would leave. It was a horrible yet understandable mistake.
tomas on January 10, 2008 at 6:32 PM
That’s to my point. Disbandment and de-Bathification created a surplus of unpaid soldiers who were just in it for the money. When the government stopped paying, they linked up with those who would pay (not only AQ but the Iranians, too.)
Anyway, everything’s debatable in the absense of a counter example. One of my pet peeves is with cheap shot arguments from the left about “mistakes” — always safe to make in hindsight. I don’t be anymore guilty of that than I already am. I mostly just wanted to give Crocker his due, too, for helping rectify what I always thought was a bad policy.
Spolitics on January 10, 2008 at 6:41 PM
So far,so good in Irag,I would hate to see
the Liberal’s in the White House,they seem
to have a track record of taking what the
Republican’s have done,and Liberal style
try to make improvements,and always ending
in a disaster.
canopfor on January 10, 2008 at 7:55 PM
You obviously do not read milblogs, to say something like this. Blackfive, Mudville Gazette, Long War Journal, Michael Yon, Small Wars Journal, Michael Fumento, Michael Totten, just to name a few of tens, hundreds out there who report these things every day.
Michael in MI on January 10, 2008 at 8:10 PM
And I can’t forget Op-For, where the VMI gentlemen there are always giving great analysis, including from one of their own who is currently deployed.
If there is one thing that I don’t count on HotAir doing, it is keeping up with the ongoing progress and success in Iraq. Granted, HotAir is first and foremost focused on politics and posts to generate blog hits. But that is why we have milblogs. You should check them out.
Michael in MI on January 10, 2008 at 8:14 PM
Speaking of which, we have this good news coming from Bill Roggio at The Long War Journal, thanks to a post by Deebow at Blackfive: Report: Osama bin Laden’s security coordinator captured in Pakistan
Michael in MI on January 10, 2008 at 8:23 PM
USA – 1 Democrats – 0
custer on January 10, 2008 at 8:37 PM
Actually, the Iraqis surged more than we did this last year. 110,000 (not including the 70,000 CLCs) were added to ISF and they are not leaving. That compares to the paltry 30,000 US that will be gone by July. I would say that a three Iraqi for one US replacement rate should do the trick.
E.G. The two Iraqi Divisions in Anbar (1st/7th) increased manning by 200% in 2007 and the 7th Div is getting a 4th Brigade as a PIC present (March IOC).
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2007/12/measuring_security_a.php
DJ Elliott on January 10, 2008 at 10:17 PM
I am thrilled at the progress in Anbar, but does anyone else have the nagging feeling that we are in the eye of the hurricane, so to speak, and that al-Qaeda and the insurgency are simply laying low and waiting for just such an announcement. I know only time will tell and it is all speculation, but this feeling has been haunting me since the violence starting dropping so dramatically.
labrat on January 11, 2008 at 2:31 AM
My worry is not so much Al Qaeda: they have been smashed and discredited on the field of battle.
I fear that we now are down to the meat of the problem: will Shiites and Sunnis unite in a national government? I don’t know how this one will turn out.
joewm315 on January 11, 2008 at 3:18 AM
Roger that. The sectarian issue continues to paralyze the Iraqi government. The more I learn about Islam, the less hope I have of that ever being resolved. But, as in any country, reform hardly if ever happens from the top down, it always starts at the grassroots.
labrat on January 11, 2008 at 4:01 AM
How will America hear about this? MSM? Bwaaaaaaaaahhh! This will be on the 32nd page of the NYtimes, just like every positive story that comes out of Iraq.
kcd on January 11, 2008 at 10:34 AM
See? I rest my case, this should be breaking news, all over every single network and newspaper. But it wont be.
kcd on January 11, 2008 at 10:36 AM