LAT: "Gated communities" planned for Baghdad

[RedEarth]

'Gated communities' planned for Baghdad
New U.S. strategy calls for creating zones of safety in the Iraqi capital, then working outward.
By Julian E. Barnes, Times Staff Writer
January 11, 2007

WASHINGTON — The military's new strategy for Iraq envisions creating "gated communities" in Baghdad — sealing off discrete areas and forcibly removing insurgents, then stationing American units in the neighborhood to keep the peace and working to create jobs for residents.

The U.S. so far has found it impossible to secure the sprawling city. But by focusing an increased number of troops in selected neighborhoods, the military hopes it can create islands of security segregated from the chaos beyond.

The gated communities plan has been tried — with mixed success — in other wars. In Vietnam, the enclaves were called "strategic hamlets" and were a spectacular failure.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-military11jan11,1,2372281.story?coll=la-headlines-frontpage&ctrack=1&cset=true

[leftchick]

1. the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over

and expecting different results. This is what they are doing now. I suppose once you destroy an Iraqi's home they will have to move somewhere.....



An Iraqi investigates the damage following a US raid. US President George W. Bush has met with his top aides to begin a tough sell of his plan to send more troops to Iraq to a war-weary public and an opposition-controlled Congress.(AFP/Wissam Al-Okali)