Gen. Petraeus off to reasonably good start

[DanS]

I've been waiting to see how effective General Petraeus will be in his new role as head of MNF-Iraq. He seems to be one of those few in the military who identify the problems in Iraq as a classic insurgency, and relish the military's counter-insurgency role. It's my sense that the US military has assiduously avoided cultivating such people since Vietnam, mainly because they didn't want to be spending their time fighting insurgencies.

Here's an early February article from the WaPo about the group of folks who Petraeus has attracted to Iraq to fight the insurgency...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/04/AR2007020401196.html

And here are some of the very early returns...

Baghdad security crackdown seriously curbs killings of US soldiers
MIL-IRAQ-US SOLDIERS
Baghdad security crackdown seriously curbs killings of US soldiers

BAGHDAD, March 14 (KUNA) -- The rate of killings of US troops in Iraq has been on the decline, down by 60 percent, since the launch of the new security measures in Baghdad, according to statistics revealed by the Multi-National Force -Iraq Combined Press Information Centre.

Only 17 members of the US military in Iraq have been killed since February 14 till March 13, compared to 42 from January 13 to February 13; the rate was on the decline during the first month of the security crackdown, compared to a month before.

Two of the 17 soldiers died at US Baghdad camps of non-combat causes.

The remarkable decrease in killings among the US troops came at a time when more of these troops were deployed in the Iraqi capital, especially in districts previously regarded as extremely hazardous for them such as Al-Sadr City, Al-Azamiyah, and Al-Doura.

Meanwhile, US attacks on insurgent strongholds north of Baghdad curbed attacks against helicopters. Before the new security plan, many such craft were downed leaving 20 soldiers dead.

The US army in Iraq had earlier said that sectarian fighting and violence in Baghdad had dropped sharply, by about 80 percent, since the launch of the plan.

The statistics excluded US troops killed in other governorates such as Al-Anbar, Diyala, and Salahiddin.

As to the latest human losses, the US army announced Wednesday that two American soldiers had been killed, one in southern Baghdad and the other northeast of the capital.(end) ahh.
msa
KUNA 141130 Mar 07NNNN

[Kidlicious]

Let the good times roll

[C0ckney]

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Kidicious
Let the good times roll

[snoopy369]

Good news.

[lord of the mark]

when I was a kid, adults avoided saying how great things were going. If someone asked them how things were going, and things WERE going well, they said "we're well, keneynehara"


Keneynhara means "stay away, evil eye" (yiddishized Hebrew) Because, you know, the evil eye is always looking for where things are going to well, to make it get bad. You dont want to attract the attention of the evil eye, and if you must, you want to warn the evil eye away.

This is superstition, of course. Theres no evil eye. The evil eye was a levantine concept that the Jews took with them to europe (europeans alien to the Middle East, my foot).

But sometimes its also wisdom.

A wisdom not found among those who proclaimed mission accomplished.

Im quite sure Gen Petraeus is less focused on the good signs thus far, and more on the difficult tasks that lie ahead.

I hope that violence decreases in Diyala as well as Baghdad. I hope the decline in violence in Baghdad is confirmed to be real, and continues. I hope the oil deal is ratified, and further poltiical progress is made.

But I dont assume anything, nor do I celebrate now. I watch and wait.

[Arrian]

Indeed.

The question is whether a period of calm will in fact allow the Iraqi government to sort itself out and take control... or if in the end this will just be a footnote.

-Arrian

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Originally posted by lord of the mark
when I was a kid, adults avoided saying how great things were going. If someone asked them how things were going, and things WERE going well, they said "we're well, keneynehara"


Keneynhara means "stay away, evil eye" (yiddishized Hebrew) Because, you know, the evil eye is always looking for where things are going to well, to make it get bad. You dont want to attract the attention of the evil eye, and if you must, you want to warn the evil eye away.

This is superstition, of course. Theres no evil eye. The evil eye was a levantine concept that the Jews took with them to europe (europeans alien to the Middle East, my foot).

But sometimes its also wisdom.

A wisdom not found among those who proclaimed mission accomplished.

Im quite sure Gen Petraeus is less focused on the good signs thus far, and more on the difficult tasks that lie ahead.

I hope that violence decreases in Diyala as well as Baghdad. I hope the decline in violence in Baghdad is confirmed to be real, and continues. I hope the oil deal is ratified, and further poltiical progress is made.

But I dont assume anything, nor do I celebrate now. I watch and wait.

Agreed. It's the equivalent of wondering out loud if your goalie is going to have a shut out. It's simply not stated.

As for the mission accomplished meme so often trumpeted people do realize that is standard operational procedure for any ship coming back from deployment. The intention being an honoring of the veterans on that ship and a successful deployment moreso than a statement of accomplishment on the status of the larger operation.

The homeward bound pennant is a Navy tradition, dating back to the days of sail. It is flown on the last leg of her homebound voyage by a ship that has been overseas for nine months or more, prior to arrival at the first U.S. port. The length is one foot for each person, officer or crew, who has been aboard for 9 months or more, providing the length does not exceed the ship's length. On arrival in homeport, the pennant is cut up. The blue is presented to the captain, and the remainder is divided among the men. U.S. Navy photo by Senior Chief Photographer’s Mate Mahlon K. Miller.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Ogie Oglethorpe
As for the mission accomplished meme so often trumpeted people do realize that is standard operational procedure for any ship coming back from deployment. The intention being an honoring of the veterans on that ship and a successful deployment moreso than a statement of accomplishment on the status of the larger operation.

I don't remember any banners and I was on several deployments.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

It's US naval tradition not USSR.

Seriously, were your naval deployments greater than 9 months?

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Ogie Oglethorpe
It's US naval tradition not USSR.

I was in the USN.

[Lord Avalon]

Is it such a "remarkable decrease in killings" when the militas/insurgents/whoever knew we were adding troops, so probably many of them will just store their weapons and go to ground until we leave/decrease troop levels?

So some of the decrease is due to the surge, and some due to less activity. Not so remarkable, IMO.

[Arrian]

It does seem rather logical that the insurgents will lie low for a little while, perhaps even until the surge is over, and then come back full-bore when the troop numbers start dropping again.

Then again, if they do that, perhaps in the meantime the Iraqi government will have gotten stronger. That's the hope, anyway...

-Arrian

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Arrian
Then again, if they do that, perhaps in the meantime the Iraqi government will have gotten stronger. That's the hope, anyway...

-Arrian

It may get stronger, but one thing is for sure the insurgency is not going to stop anytime soon.

[DanS]

Originally posted by Arrian
It does seem rather logical that the insurgents will lie low for a little while, perhaps even until the surge is over, and then come back full-bore when the troop numbers start dropping again.

I agree with this, but at least it's nice to see some actions being taken that are proactive rather than reactive. From an outsider's perspective, it seems like it has been quite a while since we have done anything proactive in Iraq, or even have had any notion of what to do. If telegraphing the moves had an impact in reducing the extreme violence of last year (several bombs killed scores a day in Baghdad), then that should be included in an evaluation of how effective Petraeus' leadership is.

One thing that I have mistrusted is seeing Petraeus spend so much time with the US/global media. But maybe he figures that he needs to take proactive steps there as well in order gain and maintain a mandate.