Two bombings took place in Iraq yesterday. One in Sadr City killed twelve and wounded dozens of others, and a second killed six and wounded another 15. Violence in Iraq has reached its lowest levels since the US invasion in 2003, yet there is still the ever present threat of violence. There were 191 deaths in Iraq in January, and over 200 each in both February and March. Also, later in the day a US soldier was killed in action while participating in a combat operation in the Diyala province, an area known for excessive violence. Certain US military commanders have made public their worries as to whether the US troop pullout will lead to a dramatic rise in violence in the country, a big criticism of Obama’s plan.
Before the pullout gets to far along, there needs to be one last push by all combat forces in every province. This would entail a re-take of every major town and city by combat forces, stepping up patrols, and drastically increase the number of late night raids and covert operations. Also needed is an increase in total operations on the part of the Iraqi Army and National Police force. This “purge” would eliminate numerous threats in the form of cells and insurgents, while buying time for the US to effectively extract itself from the country and provide vast experience for the Iraqi Army and National Police.
