Iraqi and U.S. Forces Are Winning In Battle Against Al Qaeda
The success of the overall situation in the Anbar Province has led to the start of forces being able to be withdrawn, and a slow gradual draw down. The security situation has grown in a positive sense allowing both reduced numbers of coalition troops and a general focus on reconstruction, which has also benefited the community at large in Western Anbar province.
“We have seen most of the insurgent groups become marginalized,” said Colonel Pat Malay. Colonel Malay is the regimental commander of Combat Team Five.
Combat Team Five is one of the groups of Coalition Forces that work out of Camp Ripper, and they patrol and work in an area of military operations that is about 30,000 square miles. This is an area bout the actual size of South Carolina.
“I think that a majority of the insurgents are either caught, or have been killed,” said Colonel Malay. “The enemy is having a hard time in their recruitment, we have stopped the flow of Syrian nationals into Anbar Province and there are just less recruits for the insurgents to co-opt,” said Colonel Malay.
Find the Military Career right for YOU ! Click here for more Information.
The state of overall insurgency is on the run in Anbar Province, as well as other provinces across Iraq. The Anbar province now has over 5,000 Iraqi trained National Police, and nearly 7,000 Iraqi National Army, as well as Iraqi Police patrolmen numbering nearly 1,000 members.
The focus now is on reconstruction and less on security, due to the sharp drop in violence. Building and rebuilding schools, clinics and restarting electricity and water efforts are the main projects now at hand for Anbar Province.
