Ground View
From a bad place getting better. Ralph Peters at NYPost brings us 1/4 Cav’s LTC Crider in Dura:
Our initial experiences upon arrival in March ‘07 were very discouraging. The enemy controlled the ground - the people - in southwest Baghdad. I saw more combat in the first six weeks than in the entire year of Operation Iraqi Freedom I.
We realized that we’d never kill or capture every enemy, so our goal was to change the conditions on the ground that allowed the insurgency to flourish. Three key factors contributed to our success:
A sufficient number of troops to deny the enemy a sanctuary.
A focus on security where the people live.
The restoration of essential services - it was a revelation that the people viewed us as the government, so when there was no electricity, garbage pick-up, etc., it was our fault in their eyes.
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Our personal relationships with the Iraqi people are solid. They love American soldiers. This is a significant achievement - it’s important that we don’t let them down.
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Initially, the enemy’s greatest strength was the ability to hide in plain sight - by co-opting or intimidating the people. We turned the tables. People in our area are now pointing out insurgents who did their deeds one or two years ago. They can hide from us, but not from their neighbors.
The enemy’s greatest remaining strength is the central government’s slow pace, measured against the impending US troop draw-down. If the people get discouraged, they’ll turn elsewhere.
Topics: Iraq, ground views, military
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 9:29 am on Saturday, December 1, 2007
One Response to “Ground View”
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December 1st, 2007 at 3:19 pm
“The enemy’s greatest remaining strength is the central government’s slow pace, measured against the impending US troop draw-down.”
What no one seems to be noticing is that the Iraq gov’t, despite it’s snail’s pace, is moving much faster than our own government, at least for the past year.