[pierrem15]

We cannot allow Anbar to become a safe haven for al-Queda, and I do not believe the Shia or the Kurds will continue to tolerate attacks emanating from Sunni Arabs in Iraq.

I also think, in retrospect, that this is one report being hyped by the Compost: most of Anbar (apart from Ramadi) is fairly quiet, though I suspect that is the case because we are sitting on them. And I don't see much alternative to simply waiting until we have enough trained and logistics-enabled Iraqi Army units available to turn it over to them.

[kabar]

Roughly the size of North Carolina, Anbar is the largest province by area in Iraq and is home for between 1.3 million and 1.4 million people, mostly gathered in the Euphrates River valley. The largest city and provincial capital - and his command's biggest challenge -- is Ramadi.

Iraq has a population of approximately 25 million. If there is a problem, it must be put in context.