| Tuesday, 08 July 2008 |
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BAGHDAD — The U.S. military’s top-ranking officer encountered one of Iraq’s most dangerous areas July 7 and saw first-hand the improvements Iraqi and U.S. forces have made during recent months.
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Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, received a glimpse of the success that has seen attack levels in Iraq fall to their lowest in four years - a 90 percent decline in attacks during the past year alone. The progress in security has allowed Coalition forces to focus more on other issues, military officials in Baghdad said.
Less than 60 days ago, the streets of Jamilla Market in Baghdad’s Sadr City district weren’t even safe to walk. Now shops are open and business is coming back, said Mullen, who spoke with local merchants as well as U.S. troops during his tour of the two-mile stretch of market.
“We didn’t know where Sadr City was going to go,” the chairman said to Soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team. “Thanks to you, the area is much better and safer; you’ve really made an impact.”
Senior leaders from the 4th Infantry Division and its 3rd Brigade Combat Team explained to Mullen that a continuous presence and increased confidence in the Iraqi Security Forces are the main reasons for the progress. Iraqi Security Forces are better equipped and better prepared than they’ve been in many months, said Army Col. John Hort, the brigade’s commander.
The 4th Infantry Division Soldiers patrol the streets five to seven times a day, and at least two patrols are conducted jointly with Iraqi forces, said Army Capt. Erik Oksenvaag, commander of the company responsible for security in the market and some surrounding areas.
“Sadr City has been in a tremendous fight to get to this stage,” Mullen said during a media roundtable in Baghdad. “The commanders are telling me the fight is being carried out in great confidence, and they have confidence in the Iraqi Security Forces – that they’ve seen progress.”
Mullen said he remains “modestly optimistic,” and acknowledged that Sadr City has a long way to go before it will be in reach of full government control. He said it’s going to take continued focus and one step at a time in one area at a time.
“I don’t see an end state right now in Sadr City, because it’s got a long way to go,” he said. “It was a place that not too many months ago was a big question for all of us, but continued progress will create a more complete answer down the road. You have to remember that success is a marathon, not a sprint.”
Although complete success may not happen overnight, Mullen said, his walk through the market and other areas was a sure indicator of progress in areas where only a few months ago people couldn’t safely walk.
Feature Stories
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 CAMP STRIKER — The second Village of Hope training center class graduated during a ceremony held at Patrol Base Stone in Hawr Rajab.
The graduating class of 58 Iraqi citizens spent 60 days training in electricity, carpentry and plumbing. Six of the students were returning trainees who took part in a newly created supervisors’ course.
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COB ADDER — Troops assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 38th Brigade, 10th Iraqi Army located a weapons cache in Amarah and detained two individuals occupying the building where the cache was found, July 4.
The IA located three explosively-formed penetrators, 20 155 mm artillery rounds, three anti-tank mines, 20 rocket-propelled grenades, one anti-personnel RPG, three RPG launchers, 21 grenades, three spools of detonation wire, six voltage meters, three camera flashes and a pair of new assault rifles.
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 YETHRIB — For the people of Yethrib, Iraq, it has been a long five years. For over half a decade, the Balad and Yethrib areas have been plagued with sectarian violence that has pitted rival Shiite Muslims and Sunni Arabs against one another. The bloodshed between tribes, at times, had turned into all out warfare that was waged in palm groves and fields near the Tigris River.
In 2007, the conflict between the Muslim sects had reached a boiling point and many throughout Iraq, described the situation as having elements of civil war
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| Interactive Iraq :: Video News |
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 • This edition features U.S. forces training Iraqi correctional officers to be medics and care for detainees.
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 • This edition features a mass re-enlistment ceremony, U.S. servicemembers explaining why they are proud to serve, and a bazaar celebration for the 4th of July.
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