Posted on 09/02/2006 4:43:51 PM PDT by Gucho
By Jim Garamone - American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sep. 1, 2006 – Violence in Iraqi is up, but there has been progress on the political and economic fronts, according to the Defense Department’s quarterly report to Congress, released today.
The report measures stability and security in Iraq, looking at political, economic and security progress in the nation. Officials called it a “sober report that lays it all on the table.”
The Feb. 22 bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra is Abu Mussab Zarqawi’s “legacy” to the Iraqi people, said Peter Rodman, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. Rodman and Rear Adm. Bill Sullivan, the Joint Staff’s vice director for strategic plans and policy, spoke to reporters about the report, and conditions in Iraq.
Zarqawi – the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq – wanted a civil war between Sunni and Shiia Arabs in the nation. The bombing of the Golden Mosque certainly spurred sectarian violence to the point that DoD officials now regard it as a greater threat than Al Qaeda in Iraq. “Since the Samarra bombing in February, we’ve seen an increase in sectarian violence. We all know that and this report discusses it,” Rodman said.
On the political side, the last quarter saw the national government getting on its feet, the assistant secretary said. In June, the parliament approved the three national security ministers, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki introduced a national reconciliation plan to the Council of Representatives and the council began tackling legislation particularly in the economic area. “The point is that you have a national government that is functioning,” Rodman said. “It is a national government that includes the leaders of all the major communities.”
The fact that the national government is functioning is “one relevant data point” that shows Iraq is not engaged in a civil war, he said.
The Iraqi economy is moving along. Estimates put gross domestic product growth in the country at about 4 percent for the year. “The economy is not performing as we hoped it would, but there is modest growth,” Rodman said.
Crude oil exports are up, as well as electricity generation. Rodman said that roughly 80 percent of the citizens of Baghdad have access to private generators.
The major change noted in the report, compared to the last one, is on the security side. “Our commanders on the ground call the security situation in Iraq today the most complex it’s ever been since the beginning of the war,” Sullivan said.
Violence is up, with most of the incidents being Iraqi-on-Iraqi attacks in and around Baghdad. Most of the attacks are in only four of the 18 provinces, the report notes. Fourteen provinces remain fairly peaceful and in one – Muthanna in the south –no coalition forces are operating.
Sullivan said training and equipping of Iraqi forces continues on track. Iraqi security forces are at about 278,000 trained and equipped in the Iraqi Army, National Police and local police. This is an increase of about 14,000 since the May report, he said.
What’s more, Iraqi forces are assuming the lead in their areas. This allows coalition forces to take a more supporting role. “There are currently five Iraqi divisions, 25 brigades and 85 battalions that are in the lead in their areas,” Sullivan said. “This is a 32 percent increase since the last report.”
Coalition trainers in Iraq are now focusing their attention on combat support, combat service support capabilities – medical, logistics, maintenance and so on. “That will allow the Iraqis to be more independent in their operations,” Sullivan said. “There is also a focus on improving the capabilities of the Ministry of Defense and the Interior Ministry which is required over the long for the Iraqis to assume full responsibility.”
The report speaks about the danger Iraqi militias play. “We share government’s concern about the militias,” Rodman said. “They undermine the central authority of the government and in some cases they are providing services to local populaces and something needs to be done about them.”
The assistant secretary said the report gives a balanced picture of the overall security situation. Al Qaeda in Iraq is still a threat. Insurgents are still a threat. Tribal disagreements and criminal gangs are still a threat, he said.
“But politically, the preoccupation we have now is the sectarian violence,” Rodman said. “The issue we’re all focusing on is the sectarian violence because it poses a more serious danger to the structure of stability which depends so much on government institutions.”
By COMBINED FORCES COMMAND – AFGHANISTAN, COALITION PRESS INFORMATION CENTER - KABUL, AFGHANISTAN
Sep 2, 2006
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – The headmaster and staff at the Tiarra School welcomed soldiers from Delta Company, 1-32 Infantry Battalion on Aug. 31.
The school, which has more than 350 students, is a regular stop for 1st. Lt. Michael Harrrison, Delta Company platoon leader and his soldiers.
“We visit the school every three to four days,” said Harrison . “It helps the children relate to us as actual people, by seeing us in their community. “
A list of supplies the school could use, including school uniforms, soccer balls, notebooks and chairs for teachers, was given to Delta Company so they could bring them on their next visit.
The school is one of the few in the region that has both boys and girls in the same class. Students who choose to attend this school walk about seven to 10 miles daily both ways.
CAIRO, Egypt, Sept. 2, 2006 -- Al Qaeda's deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri issued a new videotape Saturday along with a man identified as an American member of the terror network, inviting Americans to convert to Islam.
The 41-minute video, posted on an Islamic militant Web site, had footage of al-Zawahri and a man the video identified as Adam Yehiye Gadahn, who has appeared in past al Qaeda videos with the nom de guerre of Azzam al-Amriki. more....
By Staff Sgt. Kevin Lovel - 363rd MPAD
Sep 2, 2006
Soldiers from 16th Eng. Bde. monitor Iraqi soldiers during ‘Capstone’ lanes training
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – Engineer soldiers from the 6th Iraqi Army Division proved their prowess on the latest methods of route clearance, patrolling and improvised-explosive device detection Friday during “Capstone” training conducted here by Soldiers from Multi-National Division – Baghdad’s 5th Engineer Battalion, 16th Engineer Brigade.
The ability of IA engineers to fight terrorism and keep the roads safe for local residents is important for the future of the Iraq, said Sgt. 1st Class Richard Seville, assistant operations sergeant and combat engineer, 5th Eng. Bn., 16th Eng. Bde.
“They’re the future for their country. The more (IEDs) they find, the more it validates our training,” said Seville. “The lane training is important to tie everything in. It’s better for them to learn from their mistakes here, take the learning to heart and improve. They’re hard workers and they want to make a difference. I get on them just like my own troops. They’re learning and that’s the main thing.”
The U.S. engineers agreed that the future of Iraq depends on the ability of Iraqi Security Forces to become fully capable of stabilizing the country so the Iraqi government can stand on its own and work towards democracy.
“Every day that we do (training), you see them using more and more of what they have learned in class,” said Capt. Luis Gonzalez, combat engineer and explosive ordnance disposal advisor to the 6th IAD.
“We’re getting these guys trained so that they can be effective in the greater Baghdad area,” said Gonzalez.
IA explosive ordnance disposal soldiers take part in the training as well. When their counterpart IA combat engineers find an IED and secure the area, they are called to eliminate the threat, said Gonzalez.
“We have EOD embedded in their engineer formation, just like in our Army,” he said.
Many of the IA soldiers appreciated the experience, knowledge, expertise and the camaraderie MND-B Soldiers shared with them.
“I see some special guys (MND-B Soldiers). They are disciplined, polite and they give us experience and knowledge that they have,” said Col. Ahmed Khalifa, commander, 6th IAD Engineers.
Khalifa said his soldiers enjoyed working with their MND-B counterparts.
“They love the training. They can’t wait until morning when they can train again,” said Khalifa.
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – Col. Ahmed Khalifa, commander, engineers, 6th Iraqi Army Division, watches during "Capstone" training here Friday conducted by Soldiers from Multi-National Division – Baghdad's 5th Engineer Battalion, 16th Engineer Brigade. IA soldiers showed their prowess on route clearing, patrolling and IED detection and disposal during lanes training. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Kevin Lovel, 363rd MPAD)
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – An Iraqi army engineer soldier checks the side of the road here Friday for improvised-explosive devices during "Capstone" training provided by Soldiers from Multi-National Division – Baghdad's 5th Engineer Battalion, 16th Engineer Brigade. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Kevin Lovel, 363rd MPAD)
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – Iraqi army engineer soldiers provide security while their fellow soldiers check the area for improvised-explosive devices here Friday during "Capstone" training provided by Soldiers from Multi-National Division – Baghdad's 5th Engineer Battalion, 16th Engineer Brigade. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Kevin Lovel, 363rd MPAD)
By COMBINED FORCES COMMAND – AFGHANISTAN, COALITION PRESS INFORMATION CENTER - KABUL, AFGHANISTAN
Sep 2, 2006,
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – A chain of four improvised explosive devices were discovered and destroyed by Coalition forces in Paktika Province on Aug. 31.
The first IED was discovered on the side of a road and a U.S. explosive ordnance disposal team examined the device and detonated it in place, revealing three more IEDs, which had been placed 10-15 feet apart in the middle of the road. Those IEDs were also destroyed in place.
“Coalition forces have once again neutralized the threat of roadside bombs in Afghanistan ,” said Lt. Col. Paul Fitzpatrick, Combine Joint Task Force-76 spokesman. “An increasing number of IEDs are being discovered by Coalition forces or turned in to Afghan security forces before they can be used to harm others.”
No injuries or damages to civilians or Coalition forces were reported.
“Taliban extremists went to great lengths attempting to entrap Afghan and Coalition forces with multiple IEDs, but it didn’t work,” said Fitzpatrick. “Both military forces and the Afghan people are safe today thanks to the outstanding, training, valor and professionalism of Afghan and Coalition forces.”
Afghans should report suspicious activity to their Provincial Coordination Center , Afghan or Coalition security forces.
Assault strengthens force’s resolve in fight against rebels
Command Sgt. Maj. Michael P. Eyer stands outside an Iraqi police station that was attacked by insurgents on Aug. 21. Eyer, 51, had just left the compound minutes before the suicide bomber detonated his vehicle. (Monte Morin / S&S)
Charred debris surrounds an Iraqi police station north of Ramadi after a recent suicide car bomb attack. (Monte Morin / S&S)
By Monte Morin - Stars and Stripes Mideast edition Sunday, September 3, 2006
CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, Iraq — It was a fiery message from insurgents to the farming tribes north of Ramadi: Either quit building an Iraqi police force or die.
The communication came in the form of an explosives-laden dump truck that was detonated on the doorstep of a newly built Iraqi police station in the lush, canal-veined Jazirah region of Anbar province. The truck, which featured a new and chilling design, directed an enormous channel of flames over the station’s walls and into the tiny compound.
Next, insurgents gunned down the patriarch of the Abu Ali Jassim tribe — the clan that makes up much of the area’s new police force. The sheik had just left a meeting in which he tried to enlist the cooperation of other area tribes, when he, his son and a bodyguard were executed at an insurgent roadblock.
The attacks, which occurred on Aug. 21, are typical of the tactics used by insurgents to intimidate Iraqis and sabotage hopes of a new democracy. While similar assaults have triggered the collapse of entire Iraqi police and Iraqi army units, U.S. military commanders and advisers here say they were shocked by the response of Iraqi police in Jazirah.
Instead of fleeing, officers refused to budge. They even declined to take refuge at Camp Blue Diamond. Within hours of the attack, police officers raised a new Iraqi flag on their station’s scorched flagstaff and set about repairing the outpost.
“I was shocked and proud at the same time,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Eric Baker, a police transition team leader who was himself injured in the noontime attack.
The police station falls within a 400-square-kilometer swath of territory patrolled by the Baumholder, Germany-based 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, or Task Force 1-6. The area is considered by U.S. commanders to be a “bedroom community” for those terror cell leaders who plan, fund and supply insurgent attacks in nearby Ramadi.
“Their desire was to take this new police station and shut it down, and they’ve gotten the exact opposite reaction,” said Maj. Matt Eichburg, executive officer of the 1-6.
While a percentage of tribes in the Sunni Arab region have responded coolly to U.S. invitations to join the police force, or have actively taken up arms against coalition forces, the Jassim and Abu Diyaab tribes have answered the call with particular enthusiasm.
On Wednesday, the commander of the station said the attack had only strengthened their resolve to fight the insurgents.
“The people who did this, they want to destroy our country, they want to destroy our people,” said Iraqi police Lt. Col. Ad’nan Abid Al Hamid, through an interpreter. “We are ready to chase them down anywhere they hide. … We are ready to do anything to get the terrorists out of Iraq.”
The attack killed an Iraqi police officer as well as a civilian motorist in a truck behind the suicide bomber. Dozens more suffered light to serious injuries.
A military police officer with the Wiesbaden, Germany-based 501st Military Police Company, Baker is currently attached to the 1-6. He said he was standing in the open, within the walled compound, when he was deafened by an explosion.
“I used to be a combat engineer and I’m used to explosions,” Baker said. “But this was the loudest I’ve ever heard. My ears went numb.”
The 24-year-old Wauchula, Fla., native said he thought the compound was being mortared and took a knee. When he looked up however, he was shocked to see an orange wall of flames heading directly for him. Baker turned away from the blast and felt the flames sweep over his back, neck and head.
“I kind of laid low, because I thought the flames would go out, but it was just beating down on me,” he said. “It was getting worse.”
He began sprinting from the flames when he felt himself lifted by an invisible force and thrown some five feet into a pile of burning debris. From there, he scrambled into a nearby building while the flames subsided and then helped evacuate the compound and treat casualties.
“I never realized they could direct a blast like that,” said Baker, who is recovering from burns at Camp Blue Diamond. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m getting chills just talking about it.”
Hours after the attack, U.S. troops monitoring feeds from an unmanned surveillance aircraft located an individual they believe may have been involved in the construction of the truck and captured him.
Efforts by U.S. troops to constitute an Iraqi police force suffered an enormous blow in January, when a suicide bomber killed more than 40 Iraqis and two U.S. personnel during a recruitment drive at a Ramadi glass factory. Not long after that, insurgents followed with the assassination of seven tribal sheiks who had been talking with U.S. forces about ways to increase security in the province.
Yet, even despite the terror campaign, Iraqis continue to enlist in the police force. A recent provincial recruiting drew more than 500 volunteers, all of whom were immediately transported to the Iraqi Police Academy in Baghdad.
Their enthusiasm for serving in the police force is explained partially by a desire to offset the presence of Shiite Muslim soldiers in the Iraqi army, but also by a desire to honor those family members and friends who have been killed by insurgents, police officers say.
“It’s something that’s really surprised us, especially after the glass factory,” Eichburg said.
Iraqi police Lt. Col. Lt. Col. Ad’nan Abid Al Hamid said a recent car bomb attack on his station in the Jazirah area of Anbar province has only strengthened his officers’ resolve to root out insurgents in western Iraq. (Monte Morin / S&S)
Sgt. Eric Baker, 24, of Wauchula, Fla., suffered second- and third-degree burns to his right arm and burns to the back of his head and neck during a car bomb attack on an Iraqi police station near Ramadi recently. (Monte Morin / S&S)
Stars and Stripes - European edition
Sunday, September 3, 2006
The Air Force has begun precision-guided cargo drops in Afghanistan, an Air Force news release says.
On Aug. 31, a C-130 Hercules airplane with the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron made the first airdrop using the global positioning system, which also helps guide smart bombs, the news release says.
“The system did exactly what it was designed for and delivered ammunition and water to ground troops here in Afghanistan,” said Maj. Neil Richardson, chief of the combat programs and policy branch at Air Mobility Command.
The system uses global positioning receivers that guide steering mechanisms, which use a para-foil to fly the cargo to its intended target, the news release says.
“On the ground side, the precision of the airdrop systems themselves allows the guys to pick up all the stuff right around the desired point of impact, as opposed to being dispersed or scattered across the entire drop zone,” said Maj. Neil Richardson, chief of the combat programs and policy branch at Air Mobility Command.
“They’re not risking their lives gathering the loads.”
Both the Air Force and the Army have been developing the Joint Precision Airdrop System since 1993, the news release says.
Eventually, the Air Force hopes to have four variations of the system: extra light, light, medium and heavy, the news release says.
The heavy version of the system, which is still under development, is expected to be able to deliver up to 60,000 pounds of cargo.
Overseas voters need to fill out paperwork now
An airman fills out the Registration and Absentee Ballot Request-Federal Postcard Application Form. (S&S file photo)
By Leo Shane III - Stars and Stripes Mideast edition
Sunday, September 3, 2006
WASHINGTON — Troops overseas who want to vote in November need to start their paperwork this week, according to federal election officials.
While some states will allow voters serving abroad to receive and submit ballots up until the day before the election, many require citizens to request a ballot at least one month before voting day. This year’s midterm elections take place Nov. 7.
In addition, most states need more time to process requests, mail out ballots and get back troops’ actual tallies, said Scott Wiedman, deputy director of the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP). more.....
14 held in anti-terror raids in London
Saturday, September 2nd, 2006
London - Anti-terrorism officials of Scotland Yard have arrested 14 men during overnight raids, with 12 of the suspects taken into custody from a ‘Halal Chinese’ restaurant in London.
The arrests came hours after Peter Clarke, head of the Metropolitan police’s anti-terrorism branch, stating that the police and MI5 were thousands of British Muslims for suspected involvement in possible terrorist involvement.
Clarke said this in an interview to a BBC2 documentary, ‘Al Qaeda: Time to Talk’, which investigates British Muslim connections with the terror network.
The 14 arrests in London were made during raids that were described as ‘planned, intelligence-led operation’. But the police said they were not connected to the alleged transatlantic jet bomb plot or the July 7 attacks in London.
The police said the men were arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
Raids were also conducted in other parts of London.
The ‘Halal Chinese’ restaurant owner Madi Blyani told BBC: ‘It was surprising actually, because plenty of them suddenly came in all together. There were more than 50 or 60 of them.
‘They suddenly came inside because they were suspicious of some of the customers, and they talked to them. They talked to them (for) more than one hour, two hours. And they arrested some of them. So it was obviously surprising for me, my staff, for everyone anyway.’
Clarke said: ‘What we’ve learnt since 9/11 is that the threat is not something that’s simply coming from overseas into Britain. What we’ve learnt, and what we’ve seen all too graphically and all too murderously, is that we have a threat which is being generated here within Britain.’
Asked roughly how many Muslims were being looked at, Clarke said: ‘I don’t want to go down the numbers game, I don’t think it’s helpful … all I can say is that our knowledge is increasing and certainly in terms of broad description, the numbers of people who we have to be interested in, are into the thousands.’
He added: ‘That includes a whole range of people, not just terrorists, not just attackers, but the people who might be tempted to support or encourage or to assist.’
http://indiaenews.com/2006-09/20803-14-anti-terror-raids-london.htm
IndiaeNews
Connally Was Last Remaining Survivor In Kennedy Limousine
Nellie Connally, widow of former Texas Gov. John Connally, is shown in San Antonio, Texas in this Nov. 3, 2003, file photo. Connally, the last remaining survivor who was riding in President Kennedy's limousine when he was assassinated, has died, a family friend said Saturday, Sept. 2, 2006. She was 87. Connally, the widow of former Gov. John Connally, died in her sleep late Friday or early Saturday at Westminster Manor in Austin, said Julian Read, who served as the governor's press secretary in the 1960s. (AP Photo/J. Michael Short, file)
UPDATED: 5:19 pm CDT - September 2, 2006
AUSTIN, Tex. -- Nellie Connally, the widow of former Gov. John Connally and the last remaining survivor who was riding in President Kennedy's limousine when he was assassinated, has died, longtime family friend Julian Read said. She was 87.
She died late Friday at Westminster Manor in Austin, where she had been living for about a year after moving from Houston, said Read, who had served as press secretary to Gov. Connally in the 1960s.
"Total surprise," he said. "She has been extremely active and vital the past few days and weeks....It's a shock to all of us."
Connally had said the most enduring image she had of that day in November 1963 in Dallas was of a mixture of blood and roses.
"It's the image of yellow roses and red roses and blood all over the car... all over us," she said in a 2003 interview with The Associated Press. "I'll never forget it. ... It was so quick and so short, so potent."
As the limousine carrying the Connallys and the Kennedys wound its way through the friendly crowd in downtown Dallas, Nellie Connally turned to President Kennedy, who was in a seat behind her, and said, "Mr. President, you can't say Dallas doesn't love you."
Almost immediately, she heard the first of what she later concluded were three gunshots in quick succession. Connally slumped after the second shot, and, "I never looked back again. I was just trying to take care of him," she said.
Anniversaries and inevitable media interviews followed the Connallys for decades to come.
She was active in numerous fundraising organizations. In 1989, Richard Nixon, Barbara Walters and Donald Trump turned out for a gala to honor her and help raise money for diabetes research.
"I've never known a woman with Nellie's courage, compassion and character," Walters said at the ceremony. "For all her ups and downs, I've never heard a self-pitying word from her."
The "downs" that Walters spoke of were when the Connallys found themselves in financial difficulties.
Private business ventures after 1980 were less successful than Connally's career as a politician and dealmaking Houston lawyer. An oil company in which he invested got into trouble, and $200 million worth of real estate projects went sour.
He filed for reorganization of his personal finances under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code and for liquidation, under Chapter 7, of the Barnes/Connally Partnership, the Austin-based real estate venture that he founded with former Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes.
The auction paid only a fraction of the $93 million in debts Connally listed with the bankruptcy court in Austin.
Nellie Connally celebrated her 80th birthday with fellow breast cancer survivors at a ceremony in the Nellie B. Connally Breast Center at Anderson hospital in Houston. It had been 10 years since overcoming breast cancer.
She served on the M.D. Anderson Board of Visitors since 1984, and a fund in her name raised millions for research and patient programs.
She is survived by her daughter, Sharon Connally Ammann of Marble Falls; and two sons, John B. Connally III of Houston and Mark Connally of Dallas.
Funeral services are pending.
Associated Press
President John F. Kennedy rides in a motorcade with his wife Jacqueline, right, Nellie Connally, left, and her husband, Gov. John Connally of Texas in Dallas, Texas., in this Nov. 22, 1963, file photo, prior to President Kennedy's assassination. Nellie Connally, the last remaining survivor who was riding in President Kennedy's limousine when he was assassinated, has died, a family friend said Saturday, Sept. 2, 2006. She was 87. Connally, the widow of former Gov. John Connally, died in her sleep late Friday or early Saturday at Westminster Manor in Austin, said Julian Read, who served as the governor's press secretary in the 1960s. (AP Photo, file)
President's Saturday Radio Address
September 2, 2006
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning.
This week, I spoke to the American Legion in Salt Lake City. I thanked the military veterans for their lifetime of service to our country. And I gave them an update on the war that America is now fighting in defense of freedom in our time.
We're approaching the fifth anniversary of the September the 11th attacks -- and since that day, we have taken the fight to the enemy. Yet this war is more than a military conflict; it is the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century. On one side are those who believe in freedom and moderation -- the right of all people to speak, worship, and live in liberty. On the other side are those driven by tyranny and extremism -- the right of a self-appointed few to impose their fanatical views on all the rest. We did not ask for this war, but we're answering history's call with confidence -- and we will prevail.
We are using every element of national power to defeat the terrorists. First, we're staying on the offense against the terrorists, fighting them overseas so we do not have to face them here at home. Second, we made it clear to all nations, if you harbor terrorists, you're as guilty as the terrorists, you're an enemy of the United States, and you will be held to account. And third, we have launched a bold new agenda to defeat the ideology of the enemy by supporting the forces of freedom and moderation in the Middle East and beyond.
A vital part of our strategy to defeat the terrorists is to help establish a democratic Iraq, which will be a beacon of liberty in the region and an ally in the global war on terror. The terrorists understand the threat a democratic Iraq poses to their cause, so they've been fighting a bloody campaign of sectarian violence, which they hope will plunge that country into a civil war. Our commanders and diplomats on the ground believe that Iraq has not descended into a civil war. They report that only a small number of Iraqis are engaged in sectarian violence, while the overwhelming majority want peace and a normal life in a unified country. America will stand with the Iraqi people as they protect their new freedom -- and build a democracy that can govern itself, sustain itself, and defend itself.
Working side-by-side with Iraqi forces, we recently launched a major new campaign to end the security crisis in Baghdad. This operation is still in its early stages, yet the initial results are encouraging. The people of Baghdad are seeing their security forces in the streets, dealing a blow to criminals and terrorists. According to one military report, a Sunni man in a diverse Baghdad neighborhood said this about the Shia soldiers on patrol: "Their image has changed. Now you feel they are there to protect you." Over the coming weeks and months, the operation will expand throughout Baghdad -- until Iraq's democratic government is in full control of the capital. This work is difficult and dangerous, but Iraqi forces are determined to succeed -- and America is determined to help them.
Here at home, some politicians say that our best option is to pull out of Iraq, regardless of the situation on the ground. Many of these people are sincere and patriotic -- but they could not be more wrong. If America were to pull out before Iraq can defend itself, the consequences would be disastrous. We would be handing Iraq over to the terrorists, giving them a base of operations and huge oil riches to fund their ambitions. And we know exactly where those ambitions lead. If we give up the fight in the streets of Baghdad, we will face the terrorists in the streets of our own cities. The security of the civilized world depends on victory in the war on terror, and that depends on victory in Iraq, so America will not leave until victory is achieved.
For all the debate, American policy in the Middle East comes down to a straightforward choice: We can allow the Middle East to continue on the course that led to September the 11th -- and a generation from now, our children will face a region dominated by terrorist states and radical dictators armed with nuclear weapons. Or we can stop that from happening, by rallying the world to confront the ideology of hate, by supporting the forces of liberty and moderation in the region, and by helping give the people of the Middle East a future of hope. And that is the choice America has made.
The path to victory will be uphill and uneven, and it will require more patience and sacrifice from our Nation. Yet we can be confident of the outcome, because America will not waver -- and because the direction of history leads toward freedom.
Thank you for listening.
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