Iraqis take control of al Anbar province

U.S. Army Spc. Carlos Santos, of 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, surveys the streets of Jamia, Iraq, for insurgent activity July 29, 2007. DoD photo by Master Sgt. Brian L. Boone, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

Speaking on CNN in January 2007, this was Senator Obama's take on the situation in Iraq, in response to President Bush's discussion of "The Surge."   The Senator opined that he "did not see anything in the speech or anything in the run-up to the speech that provides evidence that an additional 15,000 to 20,000 more U.S. troops is going to make a significant dent in the sectarian violence that's taking place there."

Dangit. 

Anna Johnson of the AP noted: 

BAGHDAD - The U.S. military handed over control of the once brutally violent Anbar province to Iraqi forces Monday, marking a major milestone in America's plan to eventually send its troops home.

But American officials warned that the struggle against al-Qaida in Iraq and other insurgents was not over in the western region that was the scene of some of the bloodiest battles since the 2003 invasion.

"This war is not quite over, but it's being won and primarily by the people of Anbar. Al-Qaida has not been entirely defeated in Anbar, but their end is near and they know it," said Marine Maj. Gen. John Kelly, the top American commander in Anbar, during the handover ceremony.

As always, you should click through the link and see for yourself.  Oh, it's not perfect, certainly - we're not pulling the troops out of Anbar, but we are putting the Iraqis in the lead there - and making it their show, with us back-stopping them.

Back in July, Senator Obama opined that since the surge started, "the strain on our military has increased, our troops and their families have borne an enormous burden, and American taxpayers have spent another $200 billion in Iraq" and "the situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated." Moreover, Senator Obama argued, "Iraq’s leaders have not made the political progress that was the purpose of the surge. They have not invested tens of billions of dollars in oil revenues to rebuild their country. They have not resolved their differences or shaped a new political compact."

The White House had this to say today:

Iraqi's Take Responsibility For Security In Anbar Province

Once Considered A Province Lost To Al Qaeda, Today Anbar Becomes The 11th Out Of 18 Provinces To Return To Provincial Iraqi Control

Today, Iraqi authorities took the lead in all security operations for Anbar province. From this day forward, the people of Anbar will be in charge of their own security. American troops will leave the major cities and return to bases where they will stand ready to assist their Iraqi counterparts if needed. This achievement in Anbar province is a credit to the courage of our troops and the many brave Iraqis who fought alongside our forces against Al Qaeda.

Al Qaeda Has Suffered A Military And Ideological Defeat In Anbar

In the fall of 2006, Anbar was the most violent province in Iraq , and Al Qaeda threatened almost every major population center. As part of the surge, last year President Bush sent 4,000 additional Marines to Anbar to assist local citizens who had already begun to stand up to Al Qaeda. Today, Anbar has been transformed. 
 

•  Once a Sunni terrorist stronghold, Anbar has been transformed and reclaimed by the Iraqi people. This achievement is a credit to the courage of our troops, the Iraqi Security Forces, and the brave Sunni tribes and civilians who work alongside them. 

• Today, there are 24,000 police on the rolls. The number of police recruits exceeds the available training slots, and every city and town has a functioning police force. The Provincial Council took its traditional seat of power in Ramadi last summer, and today, virtually every city and town in Anbar has a mayor and a functioning municipal council. 

• Economic and social life is returning to normal. Local markets have re-opened and there is a flourishing trade in consumer goods. Provincial Reconstruction Teams are helping local leaders create jobs and economic opportunity.

The Blows We Have Struck Against Al Qaeda In Anbar Have Implications Far Beyond Anbar's Borders

The success we see in Anbar is being replicated in other parts of Iraq – from Diyala Province , to Baghdad , to Basra , to Mosul . Iraqi forces from the Anbar province are now deploying in other regions of Iraq to help battle the terrorists and extremists.

 

• As security has improved, reconciliation is taking place across the province. Together, local citizens, Iraqi forces, and American troops systematically dismantled Al Qaeda across the province. In Anbar, the surge provided a security umbrella and thereby demonstrated American commitment to Iraqis already standing up to terrorists – encouraging expansion of the Anbar Awakening and Sons of Iraq. Tribal leaders openly cooperate with us and support Iraqi police recruitment drives. Local citizens who previously shunned contact with Coalition Forces today openly socialize with them.

Senator Obama's observations about Afghanistan are correct, like it or not, since we're not willing to fully mobilize (nor should we, in my view) for war, Afghanistan has to be an "economy of force" operation until Iraq is stabilized.  Yes, there has been great strain on the forces and the families that support them, and there is a heck of a bill coming due to reconstitute the force. Heh.  Just look at the picture - an Armor soldier patrolling as Infantry.  And we've learned some other limits to our power, as the birds of Kosovo and Bosnia come home to roost in South Ossetia, Abhkazia, and Georgia.

And there's lots of lessons we've learned, not least among them, we now have a much better idea of how to fight this kind of war than we did going in.  Among those lessons is a lesson hard-learned before by the General's and the Politicians who use them - light, lethal, and agile is great for a smash-and-grab.  But if you're going to really *alter* something, there's no substitute for boots on the ground.  Lots of boots.  Messy, and expensive, as that is.

And the Privates are always the ones who pay the bill for the learning - or re-learning - of the lessons.

U.S. Army Spc. Carlos Santos, of 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, surveys the streets of Jamia, Iraq, for insurgent activity July 29, 2007. DoD photo by Master Sgt. Brian L. Boone, U.S. Air Force. (Released)