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U.S. troops try to secure towns, bolster Iraq army

By TIMES WIRES
Published March 17, 2007

BAGHDAD - The Iraq war enters year five with U.S. troops working to secure towns and neighborhoods, build up Iraqi's own police and army, and cultivate Iraqi community leaders to shore up grass-roots support for a post-Saddam Hussein government.

That sounds a lot like what the Americans say they have been trying to do almost since troops crossed the border in the spring of 2003. Repeated efforts to accomplish those things have come up short.

This time, however, U.S. officials insist they're going to do it right.

Many officers and senior noncommissioned officers are now in their third tour and say they've learned from experience. That includes the overall commander, Gen. David Petraeus. He has revamped the counterinsurgency strategy, designed to win back not only the turf but public support.

Although never acknowledged publicly, the strategy switch also includes a clear sign that the old U.S. plan to hand over security to Iraqi forces quickly - a mission Petraeus spearheaded two years ago - has failed. U.S. troops are no longer taking a back seat.

What remains unclear is how long it will take under the new strategy to achieve results - and whether the 21,500 additional combat troops being sent to Iraq will be enough to get the job done.

U.S. officers say they have about six to nine months to show results in the fight against Sunni insurgents, al-Qaida extremists, Shiite militias and sectarian death squads - and this may be their last chance. Opposition to the war within the United States could make it politically untenable to continue the mission in the run-up to the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

Much of the new strategy looks like the old - armed sweeps through contested areas to kill and capture as many extremists as possible, then install an Iraqi security force to make sure the gunmen don't come back.

This time, however, the Americans plan to stay on after the fighting, maintaining a residual force in the communities to work with Iraqi soldiers and police. As security improves, U.S. and Iraqi civilian authorities will try to restore public services, open banks and revive local economies.

Already, U.S. troops are setting up security posts inside Baghdad neighborhoods once racked by Shiite-Sunni fighting. To the west, the military is recruiting Sunni clans to try to challenge al-Qaida and other extremist groups for the loyalty of Sunnis in Anbar province.

That tactic touched off protests Friday. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr denounced the presence of U.S. troops in his Baghdad stronghold of Sadr City, and thousands of his followers waved banners and marched through the neighborhood to back his call for a withdrawal of foreign forces.

The protest was aimed at the establishment two weeks ago of a joint U.S.-Iraqi military outpost in the northeast Baghdad neighborhood, which has a history of opposition to American forces but which in recent weeks had appeared to tolerate them calmly.

But the U.S.-Iraqi security sweep that promised to diminish violence in Baghdad has not stopped Sunni attacks on Shiite targets, including a Sadr City market that was hit Thursday. One man died when a bomb left in the market exploded.

The relationship between the United States and Sadr has become increasingly delicate since a new crackdown began Feb. 13. Once the United States' greatest nemesis - his militia fighters battled American forces in the streets of Sadr City - Sadr now has become a crucial but indirect ally. He pulled his militiamen off the streets when the plan was launched as a favor to the Shiite prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, but this has helped U.S. forces carry out their operations.

Still, Sadr must at least give the appearance of being a fierce resister if he is to maintain credibility among his supporters.

Elsewhere Friday, violence killed at least two people. One died when mortar rounds fell near a Sunni mosque in southeast Baghdad. In Hillah, south of Baghdad, one person died when mortars fell in parts of the city.

[Last modified March 17, 2007, 02:21:59]