Embed Surge Report From Iraq

"A look at the surge from Baghdad" by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross at the Counterterrorism Blog gives an on the ground report from Iraq for Bill Roggio's website The Fourth Rail. He found a mixed picture in Iraq with improvements and challenges.

He details his experiences with the 2-32  whom he followed on numerous activities as an embed - and said there is one goal - strategic disengagement which is being achieved by a comprehensive program of security, governance, economy and essential services support with the aim of getting the citizens confident in the government and turning over control to them.  He found that soldiers were most concerned aobut the EFP weapons and that the long and repeated deployments were affecting re-enlistments.  He found that in many areas there was a high degree of infiltration of the police and military services by militia and other negative elements.  He also noted that the presence of US troops improved the areas they entered.  He also noted that the insurgents of both the Shia and Sunni strike fear in the population and that their tactics are set to garner major media attention.