Few would argue the surge of U.S. troops into Iraq in the spring/summer of 2007 greatly reduced violence in Baghdad. What is debatable, however, is the effect the surge had on violence throughout Iraq. After all, of the 20,000 troops assigned during the surge, only 4,000 were deployed outside of Baghdad.
Barack Obama has suggested in interviews this week that security gains in Iraq have come from a variety of sources, including the surge. But he asserted that not all the security gains were a result of U.S. troop deployment. Responding to calls to admit he was wrong to assert the surge would not be effective, Obama told ABC News he
"did not anticipate, and I think that this is a fair characterization, the convergence of not only the surge but the Sunni awakening in which a whole host of Sunni tribal leaders decided that they had had enough with Al Qaeda, in the Shii’a community the militias standing down to some degrees. So what you had is a combination of political factors inside of Iraq that then came right at the same time as terrific work by our troops. Had those political factors not occurred, I think that my assessment would have been correct."
Well, suffice to say, Republicans are indignant. They're now claiming Barack Obama is denigrating the accomplishment of the American troops and denying the effectiveness of the surge.
So, for the record:
- February 2006: Muqtada al-Sadr orders an end to execution-style killings by Mahdi Army death squads.
- August 2006: Sadr announces a broad ceasefire, which he has maintained ever since.
- September 2006: The Sunni Awakening begins. Tribal leaders, first in Anbar and later in other provinces, start fighting back against al-Qaeda insurgents.
- March 2007: The surge begins. (Link)
From the Washington Post, December 7, 2007
Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq, said Thursday he applauds Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr for helping, through a cease-fire, to reduce violent attacks in Iraq by 60 percent since June. It was unusual praise by a U.S. official for a relentless critic of the American role here.
From General Petraeus' testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, April 8, 2008
Another important factor has been the attitudinal shift among certain elements of the Iraqi population. Since the first Sunni Awakening in late 2006, Sunni communities in Iraq increasingly have rejected Al Qaeda-Iraq's indiscriminate violence and extremist ideology. These communities also recognize that they could not share in Iraq's bounty if they didn't participate in the political arena. Over time, Awakenings have prompted tens of thousands of Iraqis, some former insurgents, to contribute to local security as so-called Sons of Iraq.
Credit should be given where credit is due. American forces have stablized Baghdad beyond most folks greatest hopes and deserve great credit and appreciation. It's a mystery why some this week will not be satisfied with our troops doing the job that was asked of them, but willchoose to deliberately mislead and revise facts to make political points.
Comments