Ramadi optimism

DefenseLINK:

Anti-insurgent efforts in the Iraqi city of Ramadi are beginning to bear fruit, a senior U.S. military officer said today.

"We're in a transition point in the fight for Ramadi. There's still a lot to do, but we're on the right track," Army Col. Sean B. MacFarland said from his headquarters in Ramadi during a satellite teleconference with Pentagon reporters.

MacFarland is the commander of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. The 1st Brigade assists Iraqi soldiers and police in defeating insurgents within the unit's area of operations, he said. Ramadi is the capital of Anbar province and is located west of Baghdad. The 1st BCT contains members from all of the U.S. armed services, MacFarland said.

The 1st BCT was initially deployed to the Tal Afar area in western Ninevah province in January, MacFarland said. The unit moved and took up anti-insurgent operations in Anbar on June 11, he said.

MacFarland said his troops work in partnership with Iraqi soldiers and police in the area.

Ramadi was known as a hotbed of insurgent activity. But today, "we're beginning to take the city back from the insurgents," MacFarland said. "And, now, it's important for us to hold what we've got and to begin to build where we hold."

The efforts of Iraqi police and soldiers are the key to ultimately securing Ramadi, MacFarland said. "And, they're make good progress, and we're committed to helping them get to where they need to be."

Ramadi's residents are historically known for their recalcitrant views in regard to authority, MacFarland said. This situation likely accounts for some of the insurgent activity in the area.

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This is a place where there has not been much optimism lately. I find it interesting that the unit came from Tal Afar, where we had a successful operation to get the terrorist out of the city, yet people keep talking about the Fallujah operation when they discuss the enemy in Ramadi. Some consider the success at Fallujah to have been the turning point in the war, comparing it to the battle at Midway in World War II. It has some of the same elements and is an interesting analogy.