Military: 75% of Baghdad areas now secure

Military: 75% of Baghdad areas now secure
By Jim Michaels - USA Today
Posted : Friday Jan 18, 2008 9:38:59 EST

About 75 percent of Baghdad's neighborhoods are now secure, a dramatic increase from 8 percent a year ago, when President Bush ordered more troops to the capital, U.S. military figures show.

The military classifies 356 of Baghdad's 474 neighborhoods in the "control" or "retain" category of its four-tier security rating system, meaning enemy activity in those areas has been mostly eliminated and normal economic activity is resuming.

The data given by the military to USA Today provide one of the clearest snapshots yet of how security has improved in Baghdad since roughly 30,000 additional American troops arrived in Iraq last year.

U.S. commanders caution that the gains are still fragile, but at the moment U.S. and Iraqi forces "basically own the streets," said Army Col. Ricky Gibbs, a brigade commander in southern Baghdad.

The fight to control Baghdad is the centerpiece of the counterinsurgency strategy launched a year ago by Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq. The plan, popularly known as the "surge," seeks to reduce sectarian and other violence by moving troops off large bases and into dangerous neighborhoods to protect civilians.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/01/gns_baghdadsecure_080118/



uhc comment: I can't resist. We're coming up on five fucking years of invasion and occupation; we have spent between $2,400,000,000,000 and $3,500,000,000,000 on the invasion and occupation; we have lost 3,927 in Iraq; over 200,000 veterans are homeless every fucking night of the year; over 600,000 veterans have claims waiting at the VA and we control 75% of Baghdad?

At this rate it will be 2009/2010 until we reach 100%.