 "Photo: MCT Campus")
Last week, America received some wonderful news about the war in Iraq which largely went unnoticed due to the coverage of Hurricane Gustav and the Republican National Convention: The U.S. military handed over control of Al Anbar Province to the Iraqi government. Whether the region itself was ready to be handed over to the Iraqis is an issue of debate, but one fact is not.
Over the past two years, U.S. forces have, by and large, crushed the enemy and restored order in a province that was once the heart of the Sunni insurgency. According to a 2006 article by NBC's chief Pentagon correspondent, "A top secret report by a Marine Corps intelligence officer says there's no chance the U.S. military can end insurgent violence in al-Anbar, and no viable government institutions or chance for political progress anytime soon."
Hm, seems someone forgot to tell that to our troops fighting over there.
The province was once a major stronghold of insurgent and al-Qaida activity and was the province where a major, and remarkably successful, U.S. offensive occurred in Fallujah in 2004. However, thanks to the efforts of our troops and to a wiser, more intelligent battle strategy, the unbelievable improvements that have taken place in the province are proof of one thing: This war is winnable and insurgent terrorism can be permanently defeated in Iraq.
According to a U.S. military official quoted in the Christian Science Monitor, "Because of the operational tempo (of Iraqi and U.S. forces), al-Qaida doesn't have a main operating area where they can regroup, plan or resupply."
That's what fighting terrorism is all about, ensuring that it is not only difficult for al- Qaida to operate, but hazardous to their lives as well. Intense battles and aggressive offensives like the 2007 Operation Phantom Thunder and Operation Arrowhead Ripper, which killed over a thousand al-Qaida terrorists and captured thousands more, have helped to leave no doubt that this war is definitely not being lost. Not all the operations launched by the Americans have been spectacular successes, but what we have done is prove that we understand the secret to defeating the insurgency: attack, attack, attack.
This news concerning Al Anbar Province should be uplifting for the country because it has proven once again that Americans can succeed when most people, and even other Americans, told them something was impossible. It's quite clear that the troop surge has worked.
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