Posted on 08/04/2007 8:35:32 AM PDT by SevenMinusOne
Al-Qaeda has no presence in Ramadi anymore -- US Commander
MIL-US-IRAQ-QAEDA Al-Qaeda has no presence in Ramadi anymore -- US Commander
WASHINGTON, Aug 3 (KUNA) -- A US Commander in Iraq said on Friday that al-Qaeda has no presence in Ramadi anymore in spite of its efforts to claim back the capital of Anbar province.
"I can safely say that throughout my area of operations, which is essentially the central portion of Al Anbar, al-Qaeda has been defeated. There are no operational cells within the city, and there are no areas out surrounding the city that have any al-Qaeda influence," said the Commander of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Colonel John Charlton via videoconference from Ramadi.
In a Pentagon briefing, the US Commander pointed out that on June 30 there was clashes between US troops and al-Qaeda after intelligence reports disclosed that between 60 and 70 terrorists were planning an attack ordered by senior al-Qaeda leadership in Iraq to reclaim back Ramadi as the capital of the Islamic State of Iraq. "If this force had made it into the city, it would have been a tremendous victory for al-Qaeda", said Charlton while affirming that his troops defeated al-Qaeda militants driving two trucks attempting to enter the city through its south gate. He highlighted the security progress in Ramadi, noting that the daily average of attacks dropped from 30-35 last February till one or less today.
"We have experienced entire weeks with zero attacks in our area and have more than a total of 80 days with no attacks in the city," he said praising the cooperation of Iraqi security forces and "close personal relationships" with tribal leaders in the province. His Brigade was deployed in Iraq eight months and assumed last February its responsibilities in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, known to be a predominantly Sunni area.
Charlton summarized his brigades mission in conducting counterinsurgency operations, defeating al-Qaeda, and setting the conditions for transfer of security to the Iraqi government.
He noted that the US military intends to establish "a permanent security presence" jointly with Iraqi security forces in order to stabilize the area and provide "an overt security presence." Charlton said that last year there was only 200 police officers operating in two stations of Ramadi and the number today is 7,400 distributed in over 30 police stations in the area along with 6,000 US soldiers and 4,7000 Iraqi army, reiterating the weakness of logistics for Iraqi security forces and praising their courage.
"For them, this fight is personal. They know that al-Qaeda is targeting them, their families and their tribes," noted Charlton. "If a tribal leader tells members of the tribe to join the security forces, they will join the security forces. I could spend an entire day emphasizing the importance of security and the need to join the police and army but get nowhere" he added.
Charlton said he is "hesitant" to set any date for transfer of security to Iraqis as their security forces in the area needs "a while to mature and get its legs underneath it in order to sustain itself." The US Commander admitted that there "was lot of misunderstandings" and "a bit of animosity" between the coalition forces and the tribes in the past.
The lack of virtually 90% of our success and AQ's massive defeat in this section of Iraq by the MSM simply continues to show how shameful our MSM is today. They are pathetic.
All American's should be aware of this progress and shown the light of what staying the course can (and will) accomplish with time and resolve.
Way to go troops, you make us very proud!! You are winning and making this a better world! Here that Newt? You must be disappointed since you claim we are fighting a phony war on terror and not winning, jerk. US troops our best and bravest, my family is very proud of you for your courage and sacrifices. Thank you all.
We've made tremendous head way....Our commanders and troops are outstanding. ;o)
dims discombobulated
My son was in Ramadi for his second tour and from conversations with him I would say that what the Colonel had to say is accurate.
On July 2nd while patrolling south of the city looking for remnants of these terrorist my sons unit was able to confront several of them in 2 separate firefights.
7 Dead terrorists......2 WIA Marines....
my son said he would take that outcome any day.....
Yes, al Anbar Province, once the problem child of Iraq is now al Anbar Province, an example of what perseverance can accomplish.
Ramadi ping.
Staggering success of our military during this surge operation...
General Patreaus emerging as the.. 21st century Patton...
The MSM remains silent... Wow...
I just posted this to drudge with the following:
Matt,
This is amazingly good news from the front lines in the War On Terror. Gneral Patraeus is emerging as the 21st Century version of General George Patton and the U.S. MSM remains silent on the news... Why do we have to go to the Kuwaiti news agency to find this good news? If our media is intentionally ignoring reporting positive news out of Iraq and yet it reports bad news instantly then it is in fact being complicit in supporting enemy propaganda and is serving as a form of Pravda for the Liberals and Anti-War left....
They're peeing all over themselves at the success taking place in Iraq. Today, they have NO ability to stop this news. They can spin it in a negative way....which they do 24/7 i.e. death of troops...but this truth is seeping out and Americans are hearing it.
Wonderful news. Our brave military is keeping us safe and free by cleaning out terrorist hellholes and destroying those who would kill us. And as an additional bonus, this war on terror will be the end of not only islamofascism but also the MSM.
God bless our troops, General Petraeus and President Bush!
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=26535&only&rss
I don’t get all the nitpicking over the soldier being in uniform. He was defending his country, after all.
p.s. Wesley Clark is a weasel and a traitor.
It's official: Dave Petraeus, one of the U.S. Army's most impressive leaders, is headed back to Baghdad to take charge. The assignment means a fourth star and the chance to save a desperate situation - or preside over a grim strategic failure.
With back-to-back tours of duty in Iraq behind him and the most positive image among Iraqis of any U.S. leader, military or civilian, Petraeus is a natural choice. His intelligence, drive, devotion to service and negotiating skill make the lean, young-looking general seem perfect.
The general has a winning public demeanor - when he led the 101st Airborne Division in northern Iraq in 2003, he proved such a superb diplomat that the Kurds called him "Malik Daoud" - King David - as a mark of respect. He listened patiently, spent money wisely, used force intelligently and truly did win hearts and minds.
He went on to tackle the reconstruction of Iraq's security forces - no easy task, given the ruinous legacy of L. Paul Bremer's term as viceroy. Where others had faltered, Petraeus appeared to succeed.
The Pentagon brought him back to Ft. Leavenworth for a breather - formally to imbue the Army's educational system and doctrine production with knowledge from the front, but also to give him a break before he worked himself to death.
Petraeus is the sort of soldier who would have stayed on indefinitely in Iraq, setting aside all personal concerns in the interests of the mission. President Bush respects him and even the media admire him.
Only few did, the good Patriots :)
God bless our brave troops and President Bush.
More excellent news.
Amen, you simply cannot hide Victory. Liberals and their media will try very hard to do it, but at the end they are going to fail miserably.
Now, they are doing all they can to hide our progress there - and hide the enormous defeat of AQ there from our American public -
Hell, there were a great number of FR'ers who used to point to the battles in Ramadi as a reason we had to cut-n-run - Of course we don't see them on here now touting this great progress / success (leadpenny comes to mind).
I was so happy to hear this.
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