Free Republic

BAGHDAD, May 27, 2006 – The seating of the permanent Iraqi government was a "decisive moment" in the struggle in Iraq and may be "the defining moment" for the future, a senior Multinational Division Baghdad official said today. The official, speaking on background, said progress is being made in security operations across the area of operations around Baghdad. The area includes the Iraqi provinces of Baghdad, Karbala, Najaf and Babil. The official said that by the end of the summer security operations in Najaf and Karbala will be handled locally. In Babil, the process will go into the fall. In...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2, 2005 – Defense officials outlined political, security and economic considerations in remarks on the way forward in U.S. national strategy toward Iraq at a policy forum here Dec. 1. "I think we need to be very clear: Iraq's future will either embolden terrorists and expand their reach and ability to re-establish a caliphate, or it will deal them a crippling blow. For us, failure in Iraq is just not an option," Eric Edelman, undersecretary of defense for policy, said during a Council on Foreign Relations roundtable. "The overall objective of our Iraq strategy is to help the...