The turnaround in Rawah, Anbar

Der Spiegel:

...

At the beginning the population supported the fight "against the occupiers," says Chief of Police Subhi. But that changed when the citizens themselves became targets of the insurgents. "Terrorists wanted to make Rawah the center for al-Qaida and took their revenge for those who opposed it," Subhi says. More than 20 were unlucky enough to be killed in attacks on the Marines, but many others were slaughtered at night in their homes by Iraqis and foreigners belonging to al-Qaida of Mesopotamia. The 16 men who joined the police force shortly after the US invasion found themselves in an especially precarious position; five of them were murdered. One was beheaded, his head thrown into a banana crate in the market square. The father of one of the other officers was killed when his house was blown up. For fear of what else might befall their families, most of the other officers gave up, leaving only four to combat the overwhelming violence. "To be a police officer was a death sentence," Subhi says.

So what changed? Why, suddenly, do 79 men apply to join the police in a single day? Rawah has, relatively speaking, become a peaceful place once again. The last attack -- an insurgent threw a hand grenade over the wall of a barracks where some 60 Marines were stationed -- took place over a month ago. And life on the streets seems to be returning to normal. During the day there are boys running around on the streets; in the café of the little market hall, young men play pool. Mothers take their daughters shopping. Even at night there are people outside on the streets. One night recently, a group stood outside of a well-lit hair salon warming their hands over a little fire. And just talked.

"At some point, people simply had enough," Subhi says. The men in the town wanted a future for their families and decided the path to that future involved working with, rather than against, the Americans. Whereas before, people had been paralyzed with fear, they began informing US troops about insurgents' activities. Others would speak up if they saw suspicious-looking characters on the streets of Rawah.

The situation, Subhi is quick to point out, remains explosive, and he opens up a few photos on his laptop. They're images of weapons and troves of explosive material confiscated in the past few weeks -- enough material for a dozen car bombs and IEDs, enough assault rifles and ammunition for a long fight. Things are not as peaceful in Rawah as they look. The enemy is not gone, he's just out of sight for the moment. "Of course they're still out there," Subhi says.

The end of the reign of terror in Rawah was made possible by the so-called "Sunni awakening" in Anbar Province. Influential sheiks in the province decided to change their allegiances in the middle of the year, and Rawah followed suit. This situation, noticeably eased, enabled the Marines to change their tactics. Whereas before they could only drive around in armored vehicles, they could now patrol on foot.

"To win hearts and minds," the slogan goes. And the people of Rawah seem to have developed a certain amount of trust in the heavily-armed, still-daunting US soldiers in their midst. The Americans, accordingly, have given the growing number of police more responsibilities: they are now accountable for the town's security -- for the security of their families -- themselves. The Marines came to Rawah to guarantee security and then hand over the job to the Iraqis, says First Sergeant Brobyn. "We are here to make ourselves superfluous."

That this seems to be working became clear when Police Chief Subhi got an urgent message late one night. A police report came in that scouts had spotted a local al-Qaida heavyweight at a farm outside of town.

What happened next shows how responsibility is being transferred. At first, the Iraqis suggested that the Marines take the lead, going in first with their armored vehicles. But the US officers politely pointed out that such vehicles are extremely loud and might tip off their quarry. The police go back to the drawing board and, in the end, come up with a plan in which the Marines appear only in a supporting role. A few hours later, the plan is carried out and the suspect is nabbed. A big little victory is what the Marines call it.

...

There is more. It should be pointed out that we are not to this point in Afghanistan. The awakening has not come to many of the tribes there. But it has clearly come to Anbar and elsewhere in Iraq and the Marines have shown the flexibility to work with the Iraqis to improve their own security. It is time for the Democrats to catch up with the German media and recognize that we are winning in Iraq. Hat tip to Small Wars Journal.