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12/29/2003 Archived Entry: "US sees tide turn on Iraq insurgents"

Posted by steve @ 01:25 AM EST [Link]

THINGS ARE GETTING BETTER: (Via Brothers Judd Blog) Good story in today's Christian Science Monitor about the progress being made by coalition forces in stopping insurgents in Iraq. As Dan Murphy points out, this aspect of the war is far more difficult than the first part.

Attacks on soldiers have dropped steeply in the Tikrit area over the past month. After more than six months of intensive raids, foot patrols, and intelligence gathering, commanders believe they have tapped into the rhythm of the insurgency. "We're making steady, [unstoppable] progress,'' says Lt. Col. Steve Russell, who commands the 1st Battalion of the 22nd Infantry.

Yet despite recent successes in Tikrit, the war being fought is not the kind to be won with a single, crushing blow. The picture pieced together by troops and intelligence officers across Iraq is one of a fractured, decentralized insurgency. There is no single Professor Moriarty masterminding the violence against coalition troops - and so no silver bullet.

Read on.