Security in Al-Anbar Improves - Number of Attacks Decrease
Thursday, May 17, 2007 at 11:08 AM
by alabama
Story by U.S. Army Spc. Carl N. Hudson,
Thursday, 17 May 2007
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, the MNF-I spokesman, and U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. C. Mark Gurganus, commanding general of GCE, MNF-W, discussed progress in operations and security in western
“We want to help the Iraqi people develop a secure, stable and self-governing nation they can be proud of,” said
According to
“The main enemy facing the Iraqi people in Al-Anbar is al-Qaeda,” he said. “They need for the people of
As the community leaders of Al-Anbar stand against al-Qaeda by providing information to Iraqi and Coalition forces, progress in security has limited terrorist activities in the region.
“We’re seeing the attack numbers continuing to drop [in Al-Anbar], which is a very good indicator that the security system is getting better,” said Gurganus.
One year ago, it was difficult to get the Al-Anbar citizens to join the Iraqi Security Forces. However, when tribal leaders and local sheikhs decided al-Qaeda didn’t offer an ideology they were willing to follow, “the Awakening” began, said Gurganus.
“The Awakening” was coined by Al-Anbar leaders when the community leaders of Al-Anbar decided to fight al-Qaeda and began showing support for the Iraqi democracy.
“They’re offering their sons to be part of the Iraqi Army and Police,” Gurganus said. “Throughout the
“We owe the success in the building of the Iraqi security forces to the tribal leaders,” he said.
As security in Al-Anbar improves due to Iraqi patriotism among the population, the Iraqi government is expected to take advantage of the opportunity given by Iraqi and Coalition forces to establish self-governance.
Source: Multi-National Force – Iraq (www.mnf-iraq.com)
