Posted on 09/07/2005 8:06:35 AM PDT by smoothsailing
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 07, 2005
Welcome signs of Iraqi confidence
Progress in stabilizing Iraq is being achieved in small steps, as witnessed Tuesday by the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the once embattled holy city of Najaf.
As Brig. Gen. Augustus L. Collins, commander of the 155th Brigade Combat Team, said in remarks reported by The Associated Press: "This is indeed a very important day for the province of Najaf. It gives me great pleasure to say the Iraqi army in Najaf can control the area." His words were echoed by Col. Sa'adi, the commander of the Iraqi forces who will take over from American soldiers and Marines. "It is a great day for the people of Najaf and the nation of Iraq. We have trained and worked long hours to reach this moment," he said.
Lt. Col. James E. Oliver, who commands the 1st Battalion, 198th Armor and coalition forces in Najaf, hailed the progress achieved since fierce fighting ended a year ago yesterday: "Over the past several months we have witnessed a new birth of freedom and prosperity in this great city and believe that Najaf will continue to grow and flourish under the protection of the Iraqi Security Forces represented here today."
The handover augurs well for progress on the political front, where there are also signs of confidence. The announcement Sunday that Saddam Hussein will go on trial on Oct. 19, four days after Iraqis vote on the new constitution, indicates that the interim government is increasingly sure of itself. That impression was underlined by the announcement Tuesday by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani that the former dictator has confessed to some of the crimes he has been charged with. The president told Iraqi television that the investigating judge had been "able to extract confessions from Saddam's mouth" about crimes "such as executions" which the ousted leader had personally ordered.
U.S. troops will remain nearby in a base just outside Najaf, indicating that confidence is tempered with caution. But the watchdog presence of U.S. and coalition forces does not take away from the enormous advance made in stabilizing the city since the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has twice led armed uprisings against U.S. troops, mobilized his powerful Mahdi militia in a bid to control Najaf a year ago.
It is also a sign of confidence that the planned withdrawal of U.S. troops from Najaf was not called off in the wake of last week's stampede of Shiite pilgrims on a bridge leading to a holy site in Baghdad that cost the lives of more than a thousand people. The relative calm and improved security in Najaf may explain why the tragedy has not been exploited politically by al-Sadr.
The progress made in putting security in the hands of Iraqi forces is key to success in advancing the political process. For democracy to be consolidated, Iraqis must take control both politically and militarily. Yesterday saw a small but important step toward these tandem objectives.
This article was printed via the web on 9/7/2005 10:55:09 AM . This article appeared in The Post and Courier and updated online at Charleston.net on Wednesday, September 07, 2005.
Some quagmire. Kennedy should have been forced to be there for the handover.
Great news.
Bump
Did US and Iraqi forces retake Qaim yet?
BTTT
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