mudwhistle

WASHINGTON — Violence is down about 60 percent in Iraq since the June troop surge, and the top military commander in Iraq recently said that he wants the trend to continue in 2008.
"Every trend we watch is down roughly about 60 percent: civilian deaths, numbers of attacks, and thankfully our casualties are down as well," said Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multi-National Force - Iraq, on "Fox News Sunday."

"As we go into the new year, we clearly want to build on the momentum that has been achieved by our forces working closely together with Iraqi forces."

Petraeus said Iraqi forces also had a surge this year, with 110,000 new Iraqi Soldiers and police.

Petraeus appeared on the morning news program to discuss the release of this week's quarterly report, “Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq”. With the success of the surges comes the question of reducing the number of U.S. forces in Iraq while maintaining the positive trends, he said.

"We want to reduce the strain on our ground forces as much as we can while recognizing that what has been achieved here remains tenuous and is still fragile in a number of areas," the general said. "We have laid out a plan that will take us through the end of July, and it will result in the reduction without replacement of about one-quarter of our combat forces."

Petraeus was cautious about committing to further troop reductions and reiterated that al-Qaida remains a significant threat. "Al-Qaida remains a very dangerous and very lethal organization, and it is one that will continually try to reconstitute and one that we must pursue tenaciously and relentlessly, and that is what we and our Iraqi partners are doing," he said.

When reporter Chris Matthews asked the general why success in Iraq is not newsworthy, noting a Media Research Center report that news stories from Iraq dropped in the evening nightly network newscasts from 178 news stories in September to 68 stories in November, the general said he sees that as a positive sign.

"In a sense, no news is good news, and we're not reluctant to see that," Petraeus said. "The only reluctance would be that America continues to remember its Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and civilians who are serving out here in this very important endeavor."

As the interview concluded, Petraeus praised the men and women he leads in Iraq. "Especially at this season, we all should be grateful for what these great young men and women are doing and for the sacrifices of their families who are enduring separations back home. It is a privilege to serve with America's new greatest generation here in Iraq."

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?op...16093&Itemid=1

StillNoScript

You believe that Bush shill?

Shake

Back when attorneys were being fired for their politics, they served at the pleasure of the President. It's the same concept here - the General is pleasuring the President by telling lies.

mudwhistle

The media won't report on success in Iraq and liberals deny it.

BillCosby

__________________
Preventive war is not war!!!!Counter-terror is not terror

mudwhistle

Surrender is not success. Only the twisted mind of a liberal would suggest such a thing. This is success:

Coalition Forces in Iraq Kill 5 Terrorists, Detain 14
American Forces Press Service


WASHINGTON, Dec. 28, 2007 – Coalition forces killed five terrorists and detained 14 suspects today during anti-al Qaeda operations in central and northern Iraq, military officials reported.
Four terrorists were killed north of Muqdadiyah, where coalition forces targeted an al Qaeda network operating in the northeast region of the Diyala River Valley. Six suspected terrorists were detained.

Near Salman Pak, coalition forces killed a suspected terrorist and detained another person while targeting an alleged al Qaeda leader involved in gun-running and attacks on coalition and Iraqi forces in the Arab Jabour region.

Near Samarra and Baghdad, coalition forces detained seven more suspected terrorists as part of the continuing campaign to disrupt al Qaeda in Iraq operations.

“These operations are examples of our continued success against al Qaeda,” said Army Maj. Winfield Danielson, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman. “Iraqi and coalition forces are disrupting their operations and diminishing their pool of manpower, but they still pose a threat to innocent Iraqis.”

In other news, Iraqi commandos and U.S. advisors detained a suspected al Qaeda in Iraq leader and three additional suspects during two separate raids Dec. 26. In Baghdad, Iraqi and U.S. troops detained the leader of an al Qaeda terrorist cell. Reports indicated the cell is responsible for several bombings and sniper attacks against Iraqi and coalition forces, as well as kidnapping and torturing innocent Iraqis. In Balad, Iraqi and U.S. Special Forces detained three suspects during a raid targeting al Qaeda in Iraq leadership.

In Dec. 25 Iraq operations:

-- Iraqi national police and U.S. soldiers discovered an improvised explosive device in eastern Baghdad. Responding to a report of the possible bomb, Iraqi police and U.S. soldiers found and disposed of the bomb.

-- U.S. soldiers discovered a weapons cache in the Rusafa sector of eastern Baghdad. An infantry patrol found the cache, which included nine 60 mm mortars, 30 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, four grenade canisters and a rocket-propelled grenade.

-- Acting on a tip, Iraqi national police seized a large munitions cache near Tameem. The cache contained 20 projectile fuses, 10 60 mm mortars, eight 122 mm artillery shells, eight 82 mm mortars and other unidentifiable explosives. The police turned over the cache to members of the U.S. 1st Cavalry Regiment’s 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team.

(From Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/news....aspx?id=48538

Kanadesaga

12/29/07 Reuters: Child killed by roadside bomb in Kirkuk
A child was killed and two wounded, including one soldier, by a roadside bomb near an Iraqi army checkpoint in Kirkuk on Friday, police said.

12/29/07 Reuters: Roadside bombs wound 7 people in Mosul, 2 in Kirkuk
A car bomb wounded seven people on Friday in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, police said...A roadside bomb wounded two people when it exploded in a village near the city of Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

12/29/07 Reuters: Decomposed bodyfound in Hilla
Police said they found the decomposed body of a man dumped in an orchard in the city of Hilla, 100 km (60 miles) south of Baghdad.

12/29/07 Reuters: Gunmen kill 1, wound 2 others in Sulaiman Pek
Gunmen killed one person and wounded two others when they shot at a civilian car on Friday in the town of Sulaiman Pek, 160 km (100 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

12/29/07 Reuters: U.S. forces detain six suspects
The U.S. military said its forces detained six suspected 'special groups criminal element members', a term it often uses to refer to rogue Mehdi Army militiamen with ties to Iran, in southern Iraq.

12/29/07 Reuters: Mortar rounds kill 1, wound another in eastern Baghdad
A mortar round killed one person and wounded another in eastern Baghdad's Mashtal neighbourhood on Friday, police said

12/29/07 Reuters: Three bodies found in Baghdad on Friday
The bodies of three people were found in different areas of Baghdad on Friday, police said.

12/29/07 Reuters: Nineveh police spokesman wounded, bodyguard killed in Mosul
Nineveh police spokesman, Brigadier-General Saeed Ahmed, was wounded when gunmen opened fire at them as he was conducting a television interview outdoors in the city of Mosul...One of his bodyguards was killed and a second was wounded in the attack.

12/29/07 Reuters: Police kill five insurgents, detained five others in Tal Afar
Police killed five insurgents and detained five others in a clash in the town of Tal Afar, about 420 km (360 miles) northwest of Baghdad, the town's police chief Ibrahim al-Jubouri told Reuters.

12/29/07 LATimes; Car bomb kills 8, injures 64 in Baghdad
A car bomb exploded in the city’s busiest intersection Friday, killing at least eight and injuring 64 others, underscoring the violence still facing Iraq despite a steep drop in attacks in recent months.

12/29/07 MCT: Iraq touts gains against terror group
Iraq's interior ministry spokesman said Saturday that 75 percent of al-Qaida in Iraq's terrorist network had been destroyed this year, but the top American commander in the country said the terror group remained his chief concern.

12/28/07 AP: Shopowners flee mixed Baghdad neighbourhoods
Shiite taxi driver Aly Kaabi used to fear for his life each time his Mercedes needed a spare part. The place to seek replacements was a Sunni-dominated Baghdad neighbourhood ruled at the time by militants from "al-Qaida in Iraq."

12/28/07 AP: First Signs of Hope Appear in Iraq
Former Sunni insurgents are signing up to fight al-Qaida, Shiite militias have toned down attacks, commerce is reviving and monthly casualty counts are falling. But the failure of Iraq's leaders to strike power-sharing deals raises questions...

12/28/07 MCT: Suicide shocks Montana into assessing vets' care
Chris Dana came home from the war in Iraq in 2005 and slipped into a mental abyss so quietly that neither his family nor the Montana Army National Guard noticed.
12/28/07 NPR: Adjusting to War's Physical Trauma
What does it take to heal — and live with — the physical trauma of war? Dr. Tracy Ringo, a medical corps officer with the Army National Guard, was sent to Baghdad to work with wounded soldiers in 2004. Now, Dr. Ringo is back in the United States...

12/28/07 LATimes: U.S. arrests suspects in case of missing soldiers
It was one of the more chilling attacks on U.S. troops: an ambush on an isolated highway that left four American soldiers and their Iraqi interpreter dead and three Americans missing.

12/28/07 LATimes: Baghdad savors its film festival
Armed guards frisked attendees at two separate checkpoints and foreign directors skipped the four-day event out of safety concerns. But with its red carpet, half a dozen television crews circling like paparazzi and a roster of 58 films...

12/28/07 MCT: Four bodies found in Baghdad on Thursday
Police found four bodies in Baghdad, one in New Baghdad, in Qahira, in Zafaraniyah and in Amil.

12/28/07 Reuters: Body found in Mosul
The body of a man was found with gunshot wounds on Thursday in western Mosul 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

12/28/07 Reuters: - U.S. forces kill five gunmen and detain 14 others
U.S. forces killed five gunmen and detained 14 others during operations targeting al Qaeda in central and northern Iraq, the U.S. military said.

12/28/07 AP: Car bomb in Baghdad kills 11; wounds 64
A car bomb detonated in the middle of a busy market in central Baghdad on Friday, killing at least 11 people and wounding 64, police and hospital officials said. At least one woman and a child were killed in the blast, a police officer said...

12/28/07 KUNA:Al-Qaeda extremist arrested in Iraq
Iraqi Army forces arrested one of Al-Qaeda extremist during heavy clashes in southern Baghdad, the law enforcement plan spokesmen Brigadier Qasem Atallah said on Friday.

12/27/07 WaPo: Turkish Warplanes Again Cross Border To Bomb in N. Iraq
Turkish warplanes on Wednesday bombed suspected Kurdish rebel bases in northern Iraq for at least the third time in the past 10 days, while the Bush administration urged Turkey to act with restraint in its intensified cross-border offensive...

12/27/07 AP: Bin Laden to release message on Iraq
Terror leader Osama bin Laden will release a new Internet message that focuses on Iraq, a terrorism monitoring group said. The SITE intelligence group said Thursday it has learned that the al-Qaida leader will discuss Iraq and the insurgent group...

12/27/07 Reuters: U.S. forces kill 12 insurgents, detain 37 suspects
U.S. forces killed 12 insurgents, detained 37 suspects and freed one hostage during a multi-day operation on Dec. 22 to 25 to disrupt al Qaeda networks near Muqdadiya, 90 km (55 miles) northeast of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.

12/27/07 AP: Virginia AMVETS post named for Iraq veteran who committed suicide
Noah Charles Pierce...was an Army specialist who served with the Third Infantry Division in Kuwait and Iraq. After being discharged from the military, he battled post-traumatic stress disorder before taking his own life in July.

12/27/07 eprisenow: Fort Rucker Soldier awarded Purple Heart
Chief Warrant Officer 3 James Williamson...eceived the Purple Heart in front of family, friends and comrades Dec. 5 at Aviators’ Landing for wounds he sustained while deployed with 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment...

12/27/07 focus: Turkish troops attack PKK rebels near Iraqi border
Turkish forces, backed by helicopter gunships, launched fresh operations against Kurdish separatist rebels in southeastern Turkey on Thursday, military sources said, Reuters informs.

12/27/07 Reuters: Roadside bomb wounds 2 others in central Baghdad
A roadside bomb wounded two people in the Karrada district of central Baghdad, police said.

12/27/07 Reuters: Roadside bomb kills 2, wounds 10 in eastern Baghdad
A roadside bomb exploded near a mini-bus, killing two of its passengers and wounding 10 in the Baladiyat district of eastern Baghdad, police said.

12/27/07 AP: 3 Iraqi kids killed on way to school
a bomb explosion in Ninevah killed three children and wounded another two, the U.S. military said, quoting Iraqi police.

12/27/07 AP: Iraqi Hairdressers Forced Underground
Umm Doha cuts hair and waxes eyebrows in secret from her living room because making women look pretty can get a person killed in her Sunni-dominated Baghdad neighborhood.

__________________

BillCosby

Well as I have had to remind you often.. I am not a lib...... I would appreciate it you stop saying it............ Your cliche' comeback does not apply to everyone here or everyone that disagrees w/ your views...........

Leaving IraQ is equal to surrender.......... So then we never leave.....

COrrect.........

That is why we are still in Japan.. Germany. ENgland. SPain etc....... etc....... etc........................ Like 160 countries or more.......


They-neither party is going to leave IraQ any more then they would leave Japan or Germany......... More so in fact now.........

You can swallow the company line about winning & surrender if yea like....... That has nothing to do w/ it. THis is not football here.... Ppl are dying for control of the resources there......... Winning & losing has nothing to do w/ it..........

IF the usa wins American oil companies pump oil... That has already been accomplished..............

__________________
Preventive war is not war!!!!Counter-terror is not terror

Shake

How is it a loss if the Hussein regime already fell? Are we that invested in the puppet government we installed?