How the surge has worked in eastern Baghdad

MNFI:

The security situation in eastern Baghdad is improving, the Coalition commander for that region said today.

Attacks against Coalition force members and Iraqi civilians are down, said U.S. Army Col. John Castles, commander of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.

“From where I’m sitting, things are starting to look pretty good,” he told Pentagon reporters via teleconference from Camp Taji, Iraq. “Overall throughout the area of operations, the security situation has been improving.”

Castles’ unit is responsible for security operations in Baghdad’s Adhamiyah and Sadr City areas. Adhamiyah is a Sunni-dominated area in eastern Baghdad and has been a stronghold of al-Qaeda in Iraq. Sadr City is a Shiia section of the city where the influence of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is paramount. All together, the 4,000-member brigade is responsible for the security of 3.5 million people.

The Falcon brigade was the first surge brigade to arrive in Baghdad, in February. The unit has five combat outposts in the security region and three joint security stations. “For seven months, we’ve had paratroopers out living in the sector, living with the people they protect,” Castles said.

He said people in the region have become more comfortable with U.S. Soldiers. “We’ve seen a steady trend downward of attacks,” he said.

Attacks against civilians, car bombs, indirect fire attacks, kidnappings and sectarian killings are all down, he said. For example, there were more than 60 mortar or rocket attacks in May. In July, that number dropped to about 40, he said.

In some places the brigade is ahead of expectations, Castles said. Paratroopers have participated in more than 7,500 patrols and conducted more than 300 named operations. The Soldiers have been destroying and disrupting terrorist cells and special-action groups and have turned over 300 detainees and the evidence against them to Iraqi authorities.

Iraqi soldiers and police are active partners and Iraqi units often take the lead, Castles said. For example, Iraqi Security Forces are responsible for protecting the 3 million to 4 million people making a religious pilgrimage to Baghdad this week to commemorate the death of Imam Musa Ibn Jaafar Al-Kazim, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.

“They have done an outstanding job,” said Castles, whose brigade is standing by to support the Iraqi troops if needed.

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This sounds like a classic counterinsurgency use of force that is working as planned. It is interesting to see how much can be accomplished with the removal of around 300 people from a population of over three million. While our people have often talked about the small numbers of enemy forces, it is clear how disruptive they can be if we don't make the effort to remove them. It is also clear that the Democrat strategy of returning our troops to the forward operating bases would have been a disaster.