Such is the New York Times headline, which, surprisingly, makes some good points
The reduced violence in Iraq in recent months stems from three significant developments, but the clock is running on all of them, Iraqi officials and analysts warn.
“It’s more a cease-fire than a peace,†said Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, a Kurd, in words that were repeated by Qassim Daoud, a Shiite member of Parliament.
Officials attribute the relative calm to a huge increase in the number of Sunni Arab rebels who have turned their guns on jihadists instead of American troops; a six-month halt to military action by the militia of a top Shiite leader, Moktada al-Sadr; and the increased number of American troops on the streets here.
Well, it is good to know that, even though not mentioned specifically, The Surge is working. But, is it a cease fire, rather then a peace? Reading the whole article, we can easily see that the Times is hoping for a resurgence of violence, which would benefit Democrats. But, that does not necessarily make them wrong, as a political solution is needed. The question is, how long will it take? Because, let’s face it, Muslims are not the most peaceful people around, and if the extremist forces can once again ratchet up the violence, there could be many problems, and Iraq would probably be lost at that point.
Meanwhile, the locals are in fact continuing to be involved
Acting on a tip from Concerned Local Citizens, Coalition Forces discovered a weapons cache in the neighborhood of Madyriah Nov. 30.
Soldiers from Battery B, 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division conducted a foot patrol from Patrol Base W-1 to investigate numerous possible cache sites gained from intelligence provided by CLCs.
After finding no weapons at the first site, the Soldiers began to dig at the second site and found rocket-propelled grenades, 10 boxes of DSHKA rounds and a cylinder improvised explosive device of unknown origin that was approximately eight feet in length.
Keep it, folks!
The “Concerned Local Citizens” belong only to the Sunnis, these are the same people responsible for MOST of the American deaths. But now they are our best friends forever !
The money and arms that we have showered on them have stopped them from shooting at us and blowing us up.