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Skriven 2007-06-28 23:31:00 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (070628a) for Thu, 2007 Jun 28
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Fact Sheet: The New Way Forward in Iraq: An Update
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary June 28, 2007

Fact Sheet: The New Way Forward in Iraq: An Update

ÿÿWhite House News

ÿÿÿÿÿ Accompanying Iraq Maps ÿÿÿÿÿ President Bush Visits Naval War College,
Discusses Iraq, War on Terror ÿÿÿÿÿ In Focus: Renewal in Iraq

Today, President Bush Made Remarks At The Naval War College In Newport,
Rhode Island. The President provided an update on the strategy the U.S. is
pursuing in Iraq and outlined some of the indicators that will tell us if
we are succeeding.
  þ General David Petraeus And Ambassador Ryan Crocker Are Leading A
    Strategy In Iraq The President Announced In January. The top priority
    of this strategy is helping the Iraqi government and its security
    forces protect their population from attack  especially in Baghdad.
    America has sent reinforcements to help Iraqis secure their population
    by going after terrorists, insurgents, and militias that are inciting
    sectarian violence.
  þ The Last Of The "Surge" Reinforcements Arrived In Iraq Earlier This
    Month And The Full Surge Has Now Begun.
  þ The Goal Of Our Strategy Is To Help The Iraqis Make Progress Toward
    Reconciliation And Build A Free Nation That Respects The Rights Of Its
    People, Upholds The Rule Of Law, And Is An Ally In The War On Terror.

We Are Taking The Fight To The Enemy Both In Baghdad And Surrounding
Regions

At This Beginning Stage Of The Offensive We Are Seeing Some Hopeful Signs.
  þ Within Baghdad, our military reports that despite an upward trend in
    May, sectarian murders in the capital are now down substantially from
    what they were in January.
  þ We are finding arms caches at more than three times the rate of a year
    ago.
  þ The total number of car bombings and suicide attacks has been down in
    May and June.
  þ Because U.S. and Iraqi forces are living among the people they secure,
    many Iraqis are now coming forward with information on where the
    terrorists are hiding.
  þ Just this week, our commanders reported the killing of two senior al
    Qaeda leaders north of Baghdad  one who operated a cell that helped
    move foreign fighters into Iraq.
  þ General Petraeus recently described what he called "astonishing signs
    of normalcy" in Baghdad professional soccer leagues, amusement parks,
    and vibrant markets.

Operation Phantom Thunder Includes Offensive Operations Outside of Baghdad.
This operation focuses on defeating al Qaeda terrorists, insurgents, and
militias by denying them safe havens and breaking up their logistics,
supply, and communications.
  þ Diyala - To the north of Baghdad, Iraqi and American troops have surged
    into Diyala Province and are fighting block by block to deny al Qaeda a
    major bastion in Baqubah.
  þ Southeast Of Baghdad - To the southeast of Baghdad, we are going after
    al Qaeda in safe havens they have established along the Tigris River.
  þ Anbar - To the west and northwest of Baghdad, Operation Phantom Thunder
    is going after al Qaeda's remaining outposts in Anbar Province.

In Baghdad, The Additional Forces Have Allowed Us To Establish A Presence
In Areas Where Terrorists And Insurgents Had Embedded Themselves Among The
People.
  þ In the past two weeks, our troops in Baghdad have captured five militia
    cells.
  þ Places like Adamiyah, Rashid, and Mansour represent so-called sectarian
    fault lines  locations where Shia extremists and al Qaeda terrorists
    are attempting to reignite sectarian violence through murder,
    kidnappings, and other violent activities.
  þ Until these areas and others like them are secured, the people of
    Baghdad cannot be protected.

We Can Expect More Casualties As Our Forces Enter Enemy Strongholds That
Have Never Been Challenged Before. We have suffered tragic losses and our
troops face many other challenges, but General Petraeus and our commanders
have a carefully laid out plan that needs time and support to succeed.

Outsiders Continue To Exploit Sectarian Tension And Distrust In Iraq.
  þ Iran continues to supply deadly IED explosives that are being used
    against American forces and is providing training, funding, and weapons
    to Iraqi militants.
  þ Syria continues to be a transit station for al Qaeda and other foreign
    fighters on their way to Iraq.

We Are Succeeding In Anbar

Working With The Iraqis, We Have Succeeded In Reversing The Situation In
Anbar Province. Last September, Anbar was seen as "lost" and an example of
America's failure in Iraq, but situation has changed.
  þ While some were writing off Anbar, our troops were methodically
    clearing the capital city of Ramadi of terrorists, and winning the
    trust of the local population.
  þ In parallel with these efforts, a group of tribal sheiks who were tired
    of the murder and mayhem and knew exactly who the terrorists were
    launched a movement called "The Awakening" and began cooperating with
    American and Iraqi forces.
  þ To capitalize on this opportunity, the President sent more Marines into
    Anbar, where they gradually have been helping the locals take back
    their province from al Qaeda.

Operations In Anbar Are Showing Good Results. Our forces are going into
parts of Anbar where they could not operate before and local Sunni tribes,
with the help of Iraqi and Coalition forces, have driven al Qaeda from most
of Ramadi.
  þ Attacks are now at a two-year low.
  þ Recruiting for Iraqi police forces now draws thousands of candidates,
    compared to a few hundred just a few months ago.
  þ This month, Anbar opened its first police academy.
  þ Overall attacks in Anbar are sharply down from this time last year.

Despite These Successes, Anbar Province Remains A Dangerous Place. Al Qaeda
wants its base of operations back, and it is working to assassinate tribal
sheiks and intimidate the local population. So we must prepare ourselves
for more violence and setbacks ahead.

We Are Encouraged By Progress On The Local Level

Looking At Iraq From The Bottom Up Shows Encouraging Signs. We are seeing:
  þ Citizens forming neighborhood watch groups.
  þ Young Sunnis signing up for the army and police.
  þ More tribal sheiks joining the fight against al Qaeda.
  þ More Shia rejecting militias.

Iraq's Security Forces Are Improving. With the help of our troops, the
Iraqi Security Forces are growing in number, becoming more capable, and
coming closer to the day when they can assume responsibility for defending
their own country.
  þ Increase In Brigades. Prime Minister Maliki promised to provide three
    brigades to support the operations in Baghdad and he came through.
  þ Authority. Iraqi leaders promised to give military commanders the
    authority they need to carry out the new strategy, and they for the
    most part have.
  þ Reducing Sectarian Violence. Iraqis have helped reduce sectarian
    violence and established joint security stations.
  þ Improving Logistical Capabilities. The Iraqi Ministry of Defense is
    working hard to improve its logistical capabilities and it will spend
    nearly two billion dollars from its own funds to equip and modernize
    its forces.

We Are Keeping The Pressure On Iraqi Leaders To Meet Political Benchmarks.
The slow pace of Iraqi lawmakers is frustrating, but the Iraqi Parliament
is composed of members representing many different religions and
ethnicities  all members of a country that is being attacked by
extremists. On the benchmarks not related to legislation, the Iraqis have
done better.

Much Of The Progress We Are Seeing In Iraq At The Local Level Is The Result
Of The Work Of Our Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs). These teams
bring together military and civilian experts to help local Iraqi
communities pursue reconciliation, strengthen moderates, and speed the
transition to Iraqi self-reliance.
  þ PRTs in Anbar are working with Iraqi judges to restore the rule of law.
  þ The PRT in Ramadi helped the provincial council pass a budget that
    appropriates more than $100 million for capital expenditures so that
    people can begin rebuilding.
  þ The PRT in Kirkuk is extending micro-loans to finance reconstruction
    and help stimulate job creation.
  þ The PRT in Ninewah has created more than 1,000 jobs through new
    infrastructure projects that range from renovating a hospital and
    paving roads to building a new soccer field.

It Is Critical That We Not Withdraw From Iraq Before The Government Can
Defend Itself Against Al Qaeda

Al Qaeda is the main enemy for Shia, Sunni, and Kurds alike. Al Qaeda is
responsible for the most sensational killings in Iraq.
  þ Our Commanders Say That 80 To 90 Percent Of The Suicide Bombings In
    Iraq Are The Work Of Foreign Fighters.
  þ Al Qaeda Uses Human Beings As Bombs To Create Grisly Images For The
    World To See In Hopes It Will Overwhelm The Quiet Progress On The
    Ground.

The Consequences Of Withdrawing Before The Iraqi Government Can Defend
Itself Would Be Disastrous. The extremists in the Middle East know that if
the Iraqis succeed, it will be a terrible blow to their ambitions.
  þ We would yield the future of Iraq to terrorists like al Qaeda  and we
    would give a green light to violent extremists throughout the Middle
    East.
  þ In Iraq, sectarian violence would multiply on a horrific scale that
    could engulf the entire region in chaos.
  þ We could soon face a Middle East dominated by Islamic extremists who
    would control large oil supplies and pursue nuclear weapons.

Success In Iraq Must Not Be Measured By The Enemy's Ability To Get A
Bombing Onto The Evening News. No matter how good the security, terrorists
will always be able to explode a bomb on a crowded street. What we are
looking for in Iraq is a government that can protect its people, deliver
basic services to all its citizens, and function as a democracy even amid
violence.

We Are Encouraged By The Way Iraqis Are Responding To Atrocities Intended
To Inflame Passions And Provoke Reprisals. When terrorists blew up the
minarets on the Samarra mosque, Iraqi leaders united immediately and took
swift and aggressive actions to prevent a re-run of the violence that
followed the 2006 attack.
  þ Prime Minister Maliki imposed a curfew, ordered additional security for
    holy places, and convened a meeting of the Sunni, Shia, and Kurdish
    leadership.
  þ He traveled to Samarra with his Defense and Interior Ministers to
    demonstrate their commitment to peace and reconciliation.
  þ Though it is still too early to judge whether the government's efforts
    will be enough to prevent the spiral of violence we saw last year, it
    is not too early to say that their response has been impressive and
    very different than it was last time around.
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