Posted on 02/28/2007 8:26:44 PM PST by jmc1969
The car window wound down and a man with a knowing leer on his face looked out. "I am the Madhi army," the driver told the Iraqi soldier manning a checkpoint.
What happened next was shocking, not only for the driver but also the American army units operating in the area. The soldier barked an order: "Get out of the car and put your hands behind your head."
The Madhi army has been the dominant security force in eastern Baghdad for two years. The American and Iraqi "surge" of forces to establish order in the Iraqi capital had notched up a singular victory.
The man arrested at the checkpoint on Zafaraniyah Freeway expected to move with impunity on streets where the militia's black flag billows from nearly every building. The deployment of the new Iraqi army's 1-4-1 infantry battalion, formerly based in the Sunni insurgent hotspot of Fallujah, changed the equation. Capt Andy White of America's 2-17 Field Artillery Regiment said the detention of the man was a significant breakthrough.
"We were planning on actioning this guy on a lengthy list of charges, he was a dangerous man," he said. "That the Iraqis were able to pick him up is great. They've got the dialect advantages, they can detect from within the culture. This is a significant pick-up for the combined forces."
Capt William Billeter claims that the level of street activity has soared. "It's exciting for us to see things change. Before when we saw an empty street that was a signal that a bomb was there and people had pulled their kids in. We want to see crowds. It's a good thing."
Phase one of the plan to transform Baghdad's security has brought a startling drop in crime — as much as 80 per cent, according to estimates.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Good news.. I hope that all the rats have not just gone underground to wait us out.
Good post. Thanks.
Great read, thanks for posting. The Dems and MSM are saddened by such articles.
Ping
Yes, WE ARE Winning PING.
The Surge is working. Confidence is starting to develop among the Iraqi Soldiers.
Good stuff.
Thanks....love these kinds of stories...
Many, especially the mucky mucks, have gone to ground in Iran. We'll probably have to dig, or blast, them out their holes there. Assuming the 'Rats at home don't cut off the funding for the excavation work.
Thanks for the ping!
Good news, indeed.
bttt
Phase one of the plan to transform Baghdad's security has brought a startling drop in crime — as much as 80 per cent, ...
Thanks for the ping!
Message for Mookie - don't even think about coming back.
Ping
"Good news.. I hope that all the rats have not just gone underground to wait us out."
That's exactly what they've done. Tho there's been a number of them who didn't go underground fast enough and got caught or killed.
I am praying that they do not have the nerve to do that. Hopefully the more sane in the group will prevail.
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