Posted on 03/24/2008 4:23:34 PM PDT by SandRat
ADHAMIYAH, Iraq, March 24, 2008 Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers here witnessed the changes and progress in the area and its bustling market during a joint dismounted patrol with the Iraqi army on Chem Street.
The U.S. soldiers are working with their Iraqi counterparts and putting them in the lead so the people can see their countrys army is out there to help security as much as we are, said Army Capt. Erik Kjonnerod, commander of Troop A, 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment. We wanted to show them their Iraqi security forces are out there as much we are. Theyre not sitting on checkpoints doing nothing. They go out on patrols, just like the Americans do, he said. Security in the area has led to the awakening of the market on Chem Street. When we first got here, we could see an average of 15 to 20 shops open, said Army Staff Sgt. Germaine Seabrook, a cavalry scout in Troop A, 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment. With the help of Iraqi forces, we helped keep the security tight. Most of the Iraqi people started coming back, opening up shops, and the economy started rolling better. The people from Adhamiyah can see how safe it is now. The joint dismounted patrols allow soldiers to talk to people and assure them they are there for security and that they do care about their concerns. In the beginning of our work here, the streets were pretty much desolated, said Army 1st Lt. Matthew Jensen, a platoon leader in Troop A. We didnt see many people walking around. People were scared to get out of their homes. Through civil affairs, micro-grants, the Sons of Iraq and our presence, people started coming out. Most of the stores on Chem Street are opened now. (Army Spc. Elvyn Nieves serves in Multinational Division Baghdad with the 4th Infantry Divisions 3rd Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office.) |
Related Sites: Multinational Corps Iraq |
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THE IRAQ PLANNING GROUP'S PHASE IV REPORT
Start: | Monday, March 24, 2008 1:30 PM | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
End: | Monday, March 24, 2008 3:00 PM | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location: | Wohlstetter Conference Center, Twelfth Floor, AEI 1150 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 Directions to AEI |
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Online registration for this event is closed. Walk-in registrations will be accepted. Fourteen months ago, President Bush launched the surge strategy in Iraq. Since then, violence has decreased dramatically: fewer American troops died in December 2007 than in any month since the beginning of the war; civilian casualties in December numbered less than a quarter of those one year prior; and terrorism claimed 178 lives in January 2008, compared to 1,087 in February 2007. Moreover, political progress, fostered by these security gains, has finally manifested itself in the form of amnesty and budgetary measures passed by the Iraqi parliament. Yet these breakthroughs should not precipitate hasty action. Despite a planned return to pre-surge troop levels by July 2008, many have called for further reductions later this year. Would such drawdowns endanger security and political progress? How will the Sons of Iraq, the often-armed neighborhood watch associations that buttressed the turnaround in Anbar province and other areas, integrate into the Iraq Security Forces? What can be done to deter Iran from continuing to equip, train, and bankroll Shiite factions in Iraq? Is it possible to reorient our Middle East policy to rely on Iraq as a democratic ally instead of on traditional authoritarian allies, such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia? Please join AEI for the release of Iraq: The Way Ahead, the fourth and final report of the Iraq Planning Group. AEIs Frederick W. Kagan and the Brookings Institutions Michael OHanlon and Kenneth Pollack will discuss these questions, among others, and the future of U.S. policy toward Iraq. |
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Forum
U.S. Policy Toward Iraq
American Enterprise Institute
Washington, District of Columbia (United States)
ID: 204523 - 03/24/2008 - 1:32 - $29.95
View in Video Library
O'Hanlon, Michael E. | Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution, Foreign Policy Studies | ||
Pollack, Kenneth M. | Senior Fellow & Research Dir., Brookings Institution, Saban Center for Middle East Policy | ||
Kagan, Frederick W. | Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute, Defense and Security Policy |
Panelists talked about the release of Iraq: The Way Ahead, the fourth and final report of the Iraq Planning Group.
We won this war. God bless our brave troops and President Bush.
Thanks Ernest.
It’s not over yet, however...but things are moving in a positive direction IF WE HANG IN THERE FOR a Bit LONGER....
Again, Thanks!
I saw some stupid woman SMILING as she announced the 4,000 number on CNN last night and I wanted to reach through the screen and slap that stupid smile off of her evil, leftist face.
Did CNN report on how many terrorists we killed in return? I’m guessing you could only hear crickets when they got to that part.
I have to get my car fixed, clutch pedal literally went limp on the way home from work last night. Will review what is contained in this post later today.
I don’t take cable. And I’m very glad I don’t.
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