Erasing the Remnants of al-Qaeda in Iraq

When military historians digest the events of the War in Iraq and the greater Global War on Terror, they will undoubtedly rewrite the books that show how to beat an urban insurgency. For the last year and a half, US forces have changed to tactics that first flushed AQI out and then supplanted them with US and Iraqi troops who won the hearts and minds of the locals. Many battles were bloody and difficult and the names of those who fought and died should be household names if the media shills had documented the war with any type of fairness.

The strategy was honed by General David Petraeus and his excellent staff working in close concert with the Iraqi Army and Police after years of training by US forces. The result, cities that are controlled and secured by Iraqi's with increasingly less assistance from coalition forces. This strategy was documented perfectly by embedded civilian and author Michael Yon.

The Sunday Times of London has an excellent piece today describing the eradication of the last sizable contingent of al-Qaeda in urban Iraqi areas:

American and Iraqi leaders believe that while it would be premature to write off Al-Qaeda in Iraq, the Sunni group has lost control of its last urban base in Mosul and its remnants have been largely driven into the countryside to the south.

Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq’s prime minister, who has also led a crackdown on the Shi’ite Mahdi Army in Basra and Baghdad in recent months, claimed yesterday that his government had “defeated” terrorism.

“They were intending to besiege Baghdad and control it,” Maliki said. “But thanks to the will of the tribes, security forces, army and all Iraqis, we defeated them.”

The number of foreign fighters coming over the border from Syria to bolster Al-Qaeda’s numbers is thought to have declined to as few as 20 a month, compared with 120 a month at its peak.

...Major-General Mark Hertling, American commander in the north, said: “I think we’re at the irreversible point.”

That is about as clear a statement of our successes as you will hear from an American military commander.

Coalition forces have battled Iraqi's, Iranians, Arabs from throughout the region, the media portrayal of them in the US, accusations of murder from a sitting Congressman and the insipid drivel spewed by the anti-American leftist groups such as Code Pink and Moveon. They've beaten all comers and will leave Iraq victorious once the job is finished to the continued dread of those who wanted us humiliated and beaten.

I would love to see George W. Bush call out every single politician who questioned our military and their abilities to win against and insurgency that looked as if it would be impossible to contain just two short years ago. Senate Majority Leader Reid, Speaker Pelosi, Rep. John Murtha and the myriad other Democrats who became weak-kneed when leadership was needed and then threw our troops under the bus for political expediency should be made to feel the shame that they so righteously deserve. Obama's recent flip-flop-flip on Iraq is a great example of exploiting our hard-fought victory for pure political gain.

We are on the verge of winning what once looked unwinnable and securing a democracy in a region of the world that has never enjoyed one. We will be in Iraq for years or decades--just as we've remained in Bosnia, South Korea, Japan and Germany--but the hardest tasks are being completed as we speak.

This is a shining example of what American resolve can accomplish, too bad the media has failed in dramatic fashion to live up to their responsibilities and report the facts straight.