Progress in Iraq’s Anbar “breathtaking”: US general

AFP ^ | April 26 2007

[noname247]

The US commander of multinational forces in Iraq, General David Petraeus, said Wednesday that efforts to quell unrest in the western Sunni province of Anbar have made almost “breathtaking” progress.

Speaking to reporters about the new US strategy to curb sectarian violence in Iraq launched two months ago, based on a US troop increase, Petraeus said: “We are ahead, I think, with respect ... to the reduction of sectarian murders in Baghdad.

“Progress in Anbar is almost something that’s breathtaking,” he added.

The general illustrated his positive evaluation by citing the killing Friday of an Al Qaeda kingpin, identified by the US command as the “security emir” for the east of Anbar province.

[Tennessean4Bush]

Good news.

[campg]

The soldiers understand why they are over there, but the media can always find individuals that fit the Murtha template. Extensions hurt a lot. I know personally marriages that have folded, babies that were born with Dad’s missing the first year with their child and one couple that married and spent less than 2 weeks together over the past year. The latter is my son. Yet these soldiers keep on perservering and care deeply about the Iraqi people. Stories of courage and sacrifice of Iraqis and Americans are largely undocumented. I hope once Iraq is out of woods these stories will surface, but don’t hold your breath. America sure needs inspiration and all we get from the MSM is inspiration for the terrorists and how wrong headed the whole effort has been. It’s shameless and unbecoming America, but there are many on FR not close to giving up. We owe it to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to hang tough.

[colorado tanker]

Agreed.

We really need to get going with expansion of the Army and Marine Corps. This tempo of deployments is just too much for many families.