Jane Arraf of Iraqslogger had a short interview today with General Petraeus on May 15. His main points:
- "Petraeus . . . said he’d been shocked when he arrived back in Baghdad [for his current tour of duty] at some of the devestation caused [in 2006] by sectarian fighting unleashed by the attack on the Golden Mosque in Samarra last year."
- "[I]t is difficult to predict how well the surge of troops in Baghdad will succeed before the full number of troops arrive." They are expected in early June. And even then, it will take time to work the troops into the counterinsurgency plan and begin to see trends.
- "[T]here is "incremental progress being made on the ground in Baghdad,” as evidenced by the lack of car bombs in major markets that have seen large attacks in the past, and a dramatic improvement in security in Haifa Street, previously a haven for al-Qaeda.
- There has been “stunning progress” in Anbar where some of the fiercest fighting in Iraq has been quelled by tribes turning against al-Qaeda and allying themselves with Iraqi forces . . .
Read the entire story here.
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