(PV)The Surge is working..

[Judge]

Here's a post from Bill Roggio, who is in Iraq embedded with the troops:

On June 4, The New York Times released partial data from a classified memo which stated only 29 percent of Baghdad was secured, and provided little context to the status of the remaining 71 percent of Baghdad. The article was widely interpreted as heralding the failure of the Baghdad Security Plan, as four months into the operation, less than one third of Baghdad was secured. The New York Times also claimed that senior U.S. generals leaders stated Baghdad was expected to be secured by July, while General David Petraeus told this was never a realistic goal. As we noted at the time, the status of contest neighborhoods was important to understanding the state of Baghdad and the progress of the Baghdad Security Operation.


On June 29, Major General Joseph Fil Jr., the commanding general of Multinational Division Baghdad and the 1st Cavalry Division, briefed on the status of Baghdad, and provided the much needed context to the security situation in the city. Maj. Gen Fil noted there are 474 “mahalas” – or neighborhoods, and that operations go through four stages: disruption, clearance, controlling, and retention. Each phase could be understood as such:


Disruption: U.S. and Iraqi forces do not have forces established in the region or have not conducted clearing operations. Security forces are conducting raids and other shaping operations to “disrupt” enemy activity and gain intelligence on the networks.
Clearance: Security forces are in the process of conducting large scale operations, sweeps and searches to find and secure weapons caches, detain insurgents, and establish a permanent presence in the area.
Controlling: Security Forces have a presence in the area, and neighborhood watches, police forces have been established. The areas are considered secured.
Retention: Neighborhoods are under control and have been fully transitioned to Iraq control.


Maj Gen Fil compared the numbers from April to today. In April about 19 percent of Baghdad was secured, 41 percent of Baghdad was yet to be cleared and about 35 percent of Baghdad was in the process of being cleared. In May, as the The New York Times reported, the number of neighborhoods under control jumped to 29 percent, but there was no discussion of neighborhoods in the clearance and disruption phases.
The numbers have changed dramatically in the two months since April. Today about 48 percent of Baghdad is secured, with 7 percent under the control of the Iraqi security forces in the retain phase, 16 percent of Baghdad has yet to be cleared and about 36 percent of Baghdad is in the process of being cleared.


In a little over two months, the Baghdad Security Plan resulted in a jump of about 30 percent of the neighborhoods secured (19 percent in April to 48 percent in June), a drop of neighborhoods in the disruption phase of about 25 percent (41 percent in April to 16 percent in June) and a steady state of neighborhoods being cleared (about 35 percent).


With Operation Phantom Thunder ongoing against al Qaeda in Iraq's networks in the Baghdad Belts of Diyala, Northern Babil and eastern Anbar province, the pressure on the terror networks will increase. It would be unwise to look at operations to secure Baghdad -- to get to the control and retain phases -- as a linear function. As fewer neighborhoods are in the disruption phase, and operations in the Belts progress, the offensive oriented Iraqi and Coalition forces will become available to concentrate forces on the troubled areas of Baghdad, which is largely in the western Rashid district and Sadr City. But clearing Baghdad is only a start, the real work will come in holding these neighborhoods to keep al Qaeda from reestablishing bases in the capital.

[Etta Place]

I would say your sources are pretty biased. I don't know who Bill Roggio is, but it looks like his site is about promoting the "War on Terror." And the other site is a Defense Department-related site. What do you expect them to say?

Originally Posted by Judge

Here's a post from Bill Roggio, who is in Iraq embedded with the troops:

On June 4, The New York Times released partial data from a classified memo which stated only 29 percent of Baghdad was secured, and provided little context to the status of the remaining 71 percent of Baghdad. The article was widely interpreted as heralding the failure of the Baghdad Security Plan, as four months into the operation, less than one third of Baghdad was secured. The New York Times also claimed that senior U.S. generals leaders stated Baghdad was expected to be secured by July, while General David Petraeus told this was never a realistic goal. As we noted at the time, the status of contest neighborhoods was important to understanding the state of Baghdad and the progress of the Baghdad Security Operation.


On June 29, Major General Joseph Fil Jr., the commanding general of Multinational Division Baghdad and the 1st Cavalry Division, briefed on the status of Baghdad, and provided the much needed context to the security situation in the city. Maj. Gen Fil noted there are 474 “mahalas” – or neighborhoods, and that operations go through four stages: disruption, clearance, controlling, and retention. Each phase could be understood as such:


Disruption: U.S. and Iraqi forces do not have forces established in the region or have not conducted clearing operations. Security forces are conducting raids and other shaping operations to “disrupt” enemy activity and gain intelligence on the networks.
Clearance: Security forces are in the process of conducting large scale operations, sweeps and searches to find and secure weapons caches, detain insurgents, and establish a permanent presence in the area.
Controlling: Security Forces have a presence in the area, and neighborhood watches, police forces have been established. The areas are considered secured.
Retention: Neighborhoods are under control and have been fully transitioned to Iraq control.


Maj Gen Fil compared the numbers from April to today. In April about 19 percent of Baghdad was secured, 41 percent of Baghdad was yet to be cleared and about 35 percent of Baghdad was in the process of being cleared. In May, as the The New York Times reported, the number of neighborhoods under control jumped to 29 percent, but there was no discussion of neighborhoods in the clearance and disruption phases.
The numbers have changed dramatically in the two months since April. Today about 48 percent of Baghdad is secured, with 7 percent under the control of the Iraqi security forces in the retain phase, 16 percent of Baghdad has yet to be cleared and about 36 percent of Baghdad is in the process of being cleared.


In a little over two months, the Baghdad Security Plan resulted in a jump of about 30 percent of the neighborhoods secured (19 percent in April to 48 percent in June), a drop of neighborhoods in the disruption phase of about 25 percent (41 percent in April to 16 percent in June) and a steady state of neighborhoods being cleared (about 35 percent).


With Operation Phantom Thunder ongoing against al Qaeda in Iraq's networks in the Baghdad Belts of Diyala, Northern Babil and eastern Anbar province, the pressure on the terror networks will increase. It would be unwise to look at operations to secure Baghdad -- to get to the control and retain phases -- as a linear function. As fewer neighborhoods are in the disruption phase, and operations in the Belts progress, the offensive oriented Iraqi and Coalition forces will become available to concentrate forces on the troubled areas of Baghdad, which is largely in the western Rashid district and Sadr City. But clearing Baghdad is only a start, the real work will come in holding these neighborhoods to keep al Qaeda from reestablishing bases in the capital.

[Judge]

Actually, if you'd read instead of jumping into hyperbole mode, you'd see Roggio and Yon have both been very accurate about the war. They are two the only two I know of that 'embed' and go out with the troops into the various combat areas. The rest of the media don't venture out of the green zone and write something, only to have their editors back home re-write is for being too pro-war. But Roggio is there, in it, and he has the best sources and contacts. Yon was the first to describe the emerging civil war, which has faded away.

Then you've got the AP/Reuters/NYT/CBS faking news stories to make the insurgents look better and the US to look worse. I guess that's what you expect them to say....

Roggio and yon report the good and the bad. Reporting the good makes them "biased" in your book?? Reading your post, it's like your mad that the surge is working.... Sad.

Originally Posted by Etta Place

I would say your sources are pretty biased. I don't know who Bill Roggio is, but it looks like his site is about promoting the "War on Terror." And the other site is a Defense Department-related site. What do you expect them to say?

[justgotback]

Your right Judge. It is a sad position to be in, when your hopes are that the US military fails, and the economy tanks. That is the left's way to gain power. Hope and wish for the worst, so that they can continue to blame the President and try to gain power. God forbid the surge work and our economy continues to grow.

[Etta Place]

Lyndon Johnson was considered someone from the left and he was a big war hawk. So are many of the Democrats in Congress right now.

I don't consider myself a leftist. I hold some views considered conservative and some considered liberal or progressive. I am a Ron Paul supporter. He's not a leftist. In fact, he's about as conservative as you can get - the way conservatism USED to be defined. I consider myself anti-waste, anti-death and destruction, anti-corruption and cronyism by our government, and anti-consumerism.

More war means more power to the state. I guess if you like a big state, then you like a lot of war. If you like endlessly preparing for war, then you must like a lot of taxes, or getting some other country to finance it.

And, I have a decent job. The economy is working okay for me. But the system is designed to prosper people like Dick Cheney and his oil buddies. If you have a lot in common with them, then you're doing damn good!

Originally Posted by justgotback

Your right Judge. It is a sad position to be in, when your hopes are that the US military fails, and the economy tanks. That is the left's way to gain power. Hope and wish for the worst, so that they can continue to blame the President and try to gain power. God forbid the surge work and our economy continues to grow.

[xd4life]

I still think that we need to drop a couple of those MOABS (mother of all bombs) all around baghdad, in the desert, Drop one or two on the Iran/Iraq Border, And drop a couple into the mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The terrorist will then know that we are done ****&%g around with them.

You know what while we are at it drop one on the Headquarters if OPEC.

[justgotback]

Originally Posted by Etta Place

Lyndon Johnson was considered someone from the left and he was a big war hawk. So are many of the Democrats in Congress right now.

I don't consider myself a leftist. I hold some views considered conservative and some considered liberal or progressive. I am a Ron Paul supporter. He's not a leftist. In fact, he's about as conservative as you can get - the way conservatism USED to be defined. I consider myself anti-waste, anti-death and destruction, anti-corruption and cronyism by our government, and anti-consumerism.

More war means more power to the state. I guess if you like a big state, then you like a lot of war. If you like endlessly preparing for war, then you must like a lot of taxes, or getting some other country to finance it.

And, I have a decent job. The economy is working okay for me. But the system is designed to prosper people like Dick Cheney and his oil buddies. If you have a lot in common with them, then you're doing damn good!

Wow, you need to lay off the kool aid brother. Every point you just made came from the left's book of deception. I think you took the transcript from Hillary's last speech and cut and pasted most of it on your reply. Oh, and the Dick Cheney comment was classic.

[cmcarlile]

Where can I get one of these so-called "oil buddies?" Help a brotha out with some cheap petrol?

[newKid]

shouldnt this have a (PV). . .

[justgotback]

Originally Posted by newKid

shouldnt this have a (PV). . .

Absolutely Newkid..........