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Editor's Note: The Victory Caucus is pleased to announce that Richard S. Lowry, author of the award-winning history of the Iraq invasion Marines in the Garden of Eden, will be contibuting a series of columns bringing his knowledge of military affairs and history to bear on the often chaotic situation on the ground in Iraq. This week, he begins with the operation at the heart of the surge: Operation Fardh al-Qanoon, also known as the Baghdad Security Plan. The SurgeLast February, the situation in Iraq was dire. The country had nearly been ripped to shreds by the sectarian violence which had been instigated by the destruction of Samarrah's Golden Mosque in February of 2006. Baghdad had become an urban battleground. Nearly a million Iraqis had been forced out of their homes or had fled the city and many more had been killed. Armed militias roamed the streets and countryside. Al-Qaeda had free rain in most of the north and Shia sects were fighting for control in the south. America had nearly given up.
American dissention resided in two major camps, each with their own belief about our involvement in Iraq. The first group maintained that it was a mistake to go into Iraq; some even claimed the invasion was a violation of international law. This group had been against the war from the beginning. The second group believed that the war had been mishandled. In 2006, this group grew to the point that pollsters started to indicate that the majority of Americans were against the war. Regardless of their motivation, everyone wanted a change in course in Iraq.
By the end of 2006, planning was almost complete for a major shift in strategy in Iraq. First, Donald Rumsfeld was replaced and there was a major shakeup of the military leadership in Iraq. General David Petraeus, a former commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division, West Point graduate and father of the new Iraqi Army was appointed as the new Multi-National Force-Iraq commander. He immediately assembled an Army brain-trust of battle-tested commanders to include: Colonel H.R. McMaster, Australian Army Colonel and anthropologist, David Kilcullen, Generals Ray Odierno, Joseph Fil Jr., and Rick Lynch and a host of others drawn from the finest talent the Army had to offer. They quickly developed the "Baghdad Security Plan" and made their first recommendation - they needed 30,000 more troops on the ground. read more
Fardh al-QanoonAmerican commanders realized that as goes Baghdad, so goes Iraq. If the coalition could return security to the streets of Baghdad, they could take a giant step in quelling the sectarian violence and thus stop the spiral into full blown civil war. They also realized that America, and other coalition forces, could not maintain security on their own. They needed the help of the Iraqi Security Forces. Additionally, if the Iraqis could be brought up to speed, eventually we could leave Iraqi security to Iraqis.
So, in the early spring of 2007, General David Petraeus sent his first surge forces into Baghdad's most violent neighborhoods along with Iraqi Army forces and Iraqi police in the beginning of Operation Fardh al-Qanoon (enforcing the law). They moved in to Haifa Street on the west bank of the Tigris River and the slums in, and around, Sadr City. For the first time, they moved in to clear the neighborhoods and STAY in Joint Security Stations (JSSs). American combat forces, Iraqi Army troops and Iraqi police maintained a continued presence. They placed "a cop on every corner" twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
The results were almost immediate. Local Iraqis welcomed the Americans. After a few days, they began to realize that there might be some hope for the future. The Iraqi security forces welcomed the American support too. Their confidence skyrocketed. Civilians watched as their own police and soldiers worked, and lived, side-by-side with the Americans. Iraqi soldiers searched the mosques and dealt with the people, knowing that if they ran into trouble, the American military was there to overwhelm any enemy. Peaceful civilians began pointing out caches and insurgents that did not belong in their neighborhoods. American medics started making regular house calls. The bad guys went to ground and very slowly, people started returning to the streets.
Once everyone realized that the Multi-National Forces were in these neighborhoods to stay, the insurgents either came out to fight or they fled the city; local businesses started to reopen; children returned to school; and some brave families returned to their homes. Increased civilian activity brought new challenges to the coalition. Suicide bombers began bombing open-air markets, libraries and bridges to shock Americans and to terrorize Iraqis. General Petraeus moved quickly to barricade the open-air markets and neighborhoods to restrict the enemy's ability to move Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIEDs) into Iraqi neighborhoods. As more of the Surge Forces arrived, more JSSs were set up in other neighborhoods.
General Petraeus kept up the pressure on the enemy in each neighborhood. The Multi-National Forces went after Sunni and Shia extremists with equal enthusiasm. Pre-dawn raids, military searches and assaults have been conducted daily, rounding up and killing al-Qaeda and Mahdi Army irreconcilables, uncovering caches and destroying bomb-making factories. Foot patrols became commonplace.
It wasn't until mid-July that all the surge forces were in place in Iraq. By that time, enemy forces were "squirting" out of Baghdad to the north and south. Next week I will talk about operations in the countryside. But to conclude, I want to tell you all about what is currently happening in Baghdad. General Petraeus has said repeatedly that the solution is not completely military. The Iraqi Government has set aside $30 Billion of their own money to restore services in the city. As security is brought to each neighborhood, work is started to collect trash, restore electricity and potable water services. Sewers are being repaired and in some cases built. Businesses are reopening. The Iraqi government is holding job fairs. Local police are being recruited from each neighborhood so that the people can contribute to the security in their own neighborhood. Commerce, education and infrastructure are improving daily. The people will soon have real hope for their future.
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