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The Surge at Work: Turnaround in Anbar Province
A few days ago, we noted that The Surge must be working if TIME mag is recognizing it. Well, double that for The Newshour With Jim Lehrer.
The Newshour reported yesterday what Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno said about the remarkable progress in Anbar province: “In May, the attacks in Anbar in 2006 totaled 811. In 2007, they were just barely over 400. In Ramadi in 2006, there were 254 attacks in the city of Ramadi; in 2007, there have been 30.”
Bing West, who along with his son Owen has been doing some of the best reporting from Iraq, was interviewed on The Newshour by Ray Suarez:
RAY SUAREZ: Well, General Odierno said yesterday 12,000 Anbar residents have joined the Iraqi security forces in the first five months of this year compared with 1,000 in all of 2006. Bing West, what caused this change? Why this shift to cooperating with the Americans instead of trying to kick them out?
BING WEST: Al-Qaida basically is a religious-based cult, and they had killed too many members of the Sunni tribes. And finally, the Sunni tribes listened to the Marines, because the Marines for several years have been saying, “Smarten up. One day, we’re gone, and al-Qaida is going to be in charge if you don’t stand up for yourselves.” And finally the message kicked in.
Click here to hear or read the full interview.