AP: U.S. Reaffirms Presence in Iraqi City (Petraeus tours Hit)

[Eugene]

U.S. Reaffirms Presence in Iraqi City

By ROBERT H. REID
The Associated Press
Saturday, March 10, 2007; 4:24 PM

HIT, Iraq -- The top U.S. commander in Iraq strolled through the streets of
this dusty Euphrates River city Saturday, snacking on ice cream and promoting
cooperation between Americans and Iraqis in a Sunni Arab community where
insurgents have been driven out before _ only to return.

Gen. David Petraeus visited Hit, scene of bloody fights with insurgents for
the last three years, to affirm U.S. support for a nascent city administration
and to deliver a message that U.S. troops will remain here until Iraqi forces
are genuinely ready to provide their own security.

To demonstrate his confidence, Petraeus, accompanied by dozens of armed U.S.
troops and Iraqi policemen, strolled down the main street, stopping to buy ice
cream from a vendor and wandering through the city market, where snipers were
taking potshots at U.S. patrols just months ago.

-snip-

The plan is for U.S. and Iraqi checkpoints around the city to turn Hit (pronounced
Heet) into a "gated community" free of insurgents, Crissman said.

-snip-

The Americans are also encouraging the Shiite-run government in Baghdad to pay
more attention to mostly Sunni Anbar province, including authorizing funds to
pay for the extra police.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/10/AR2007031000746.html

[Amonester]

1. Ummmm... Methinks the house of saud may not be too happy to see this

-» The Americans are also encouraging the Shiite-run government in Baghdad to pay more attention to mostly Sunni Anbar province, including authorizing funds to
pay for the extra police.

Maybe darth should check his messages daily...

darth, or poppy...

[IndianaGreen]

2. To "show his confidence," Petraeus should have walked without an armed entourage

Who is this moron trying to fool? One of the commonalities between Iraq and Vietnam is that the opposition is gone while US troops are present in force, only to return later. Petraeus is engaged in an exercise in futility, and if he believes the shit he is spouting, then he is as deluded as his Kommandant in Chief.

[bemildred]

3. Staged PR events will not fix the problem in Iraq. nt