Progress in Iraq's Anbar 'breathtaking': US general

WASHINGTON- (AFP) - The US commander of multinational forces in Iraq, General David Petraeus, said Wednesday that efforts to quell unrest in the western Sunni province of Anbar have made almost "breathtaking" progress.

Speaking to reporters about the new US strategy to curb sectarian violence in Iraq launched two months ago, based on a US troop increase, Petraeus said: "We are ahead, I think, with respect ... to the reduction of sectarian murders in Baghdad.
"Progress in Anbar is almost something that's breathtaking," he added.
The general illustrated his positive evaluation by citing the killing Friday of an Al-Qaeda kingpin, identified by the US command as the "security emir" for the east of Anbar province.
He also pointed to the capture of the head of an important weapons network and advances in intelligence about Iranian involvement in the conflict.
Petraeus, speaking after meeting with representatives and senators in Congress, acknowledged that challenges remain in Iraq, particularly car bomb networks and suicide attacks.
His comments came several hours before the US House of Representatives voted to approve a war funding bill that includes a timetable for pulling US troops out of Iraq, ignoring a threat by President George W. Bush to veto it.
The narrow 218-208 vote by the Democratic-majority House links release of 124 billion dollars in military spending for Iraq and Afghanistan to a schedule for the pullout of American troops, beginning as early as October.
Lawmakers paid little heed to Petraeus, who during a closed-door session earlier in the day championed the troop "surge" strategy and appealed for time so it could show results.
"Tonight, the House of Representatives voted for failure in Iraq -- and the president will veto its bill," said a statement by White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.
The bill next faces a vote in the Senate, expected on Thursday, where it will likely be approved. Then it heads to Bush, who has repeatedly vowed to block it.
National Council of Resistance of Iran - Foreign Affairs Committee - Progress in Iraq's Anbar 'breathtaking': US general

Even though the General that had a unanimous vote appeals to the House, the "defeat-o-crats" decide to set yet another time table that will be vetod. Eventually they'll pass a bill with a non-binding resolution for pull-out.....LOL, wish to hell their daddy's would have done the same!:thumbsup:

They could always just say that they voted for it, after they voted against it, after they voted for it. :D

Have a good one!:s4:

This is just more propaganda from the Bush war machine. Independent news sources reveal this surge is a farce. the insurgents are just moving to avoid the US troops, Kinda like Whakamole.

Let's first recall the premise behind the troop surge into Iraq as laid out by the president in his address to the nation on January 10. He made two main points about why this operation would succeed where previous ones had failed. First, we would not cede territory after we'd gone in and cleared it of our enemies.

"Our troops will have a well-defined mission: to help Iraqis clear and secure neighborhoods, to help them protect the local population, and to help ensure that the Iraqi forces left behind are capable of providing the security that Baghdad needs."
Second, once we'd secured the capitol, the political process would resume in earnest.

"...we can expect to see Iraqi troops chasing down murderers, fewer brazen acts of terror, and growing trust and cooperation from Baghdad's residents. When this happens, daily life will improve, Iraqis will gain confidence in their leaders, and the government will have the breathing space it needs to make progress in other critical areas."
While these are admirable goals, they simply haven't panned out. Look at the developments in the past week of the surge. The heavily fortified parliament building was bombed, Moqtada al-Sadr called on his followers to resume fighting Americans, and scores of bombings in the last few days alone have brought the Baghdad death toll rate to pre-surge levels. These are not cherry-picked stories to score a liberal political point. We are not protecting the local population. We have not secured neighborhoods. We have not produced an Iraqi Army capable of providing security. As to the question of breathing room, who sees signs of even a hint of a political reconciliation between Sunni and Shia? It's just a sad fact, the surge isn't working.

umm ya im passing no judgement on the success or failure of the war in Iraq...
but dont u think we should view US army reports of "breathtaking" success directly after this controvercial troop surge with a bit of skepticism... i mean they kinda have an agenda and that agenda is kinda to make the war look as good as possible... Not to mention the fact that no real figures were stated there... so far it appears that killing a few high ranking officials in terrorist networks does little to upset their operations...

i unnow i guess we'll just see in a few months when we get some legitimate figures on the violence over there

I see they're building a "Berlin" wall through the city (Bagdad). Thats perfect. We came to liberate them and now we're walling them in, HO Ho Ho, the good humor man has arrived.

Things in Iraq are getting worse not better for instance the BBC has stated that their is more attacks on British troops this year than their was any previous year.Doesnt sound like progress to me,but maybe the neo-cons will pull some more useless figures out of their ass to justify this lost cause.The fat lady is singing and the score is insurgents 100 neocons 0.....