Defense Secretary Gates Relates Distance Traveled In Positive Ways
Since the beginning of the War on Terror, Iraq has seen a slow and gradual improvement in its ability to provide its own security, and to fight against insurgent forces. It has served an indispensable role in helping provide for improvement and improved security there in Iraq.
“Iraqi forces have increased in size, confidence and capability over the past year, and they have expanded by more than one hundred thousand members,†said Defense Secretary Gates. Gates was in Iraq to meet with Iraqi Defense Minister Abd Al Qadir Al Mufriji. They were slated to meet together to talk about normalized, long term security and military relations.
Iraqi Minister Mufriji will be also meeting in Tampa Florida with leaders and officers of the U.S. Special Ops Command and U.S. Central Command.
Secretary Gates took note that it was one year to the exact day since President Bush announced the current strategy in Iraq. Since then five different brigade combat teams have traveled to Iraq and began the “clear, hold and then build,†strategy.
Part of this strategy, according to Secretary Gates, has been the part that Iraqi Police and Army forces have performed.
“Iraq has assumed the overall responsibility for security in over nine of the eighteen different provinces here in Iraq, and it is expected that this transfer process will continue,†said Gates.
There have been a lot of positive gains made in the last year. The numbers of IED attacks has been reduced by half. Anbar province has been retaken for the Iraqi people, and suicide and Car bombing attacks are down at least sixty percent since March 2007.
