A reader of my former blog by the name of Caleb has written an article about the surge, based on information from a source who is high up in the military structure of our country.

Caleb has given me permission to post this story on this site.

We have all heard what Gen. Barry McCaffrey has said, and now I want you to read the other side of that story.

I have graciously been offered the chance to do a guest post on a piece of information that I received regarding early results of “The Surge” in Iraq. Since this provides some optimistic early assessments, you will not likely see it on your TV news any time soon.

The writer of what is presented here cautions that it is still extremely early in the game, and it is no where near time to break out a cold Bud in celebration. The writer had occasion to talk to Gen. Petraeus and wrote about the conversation on March 20, 2007.

In one important point, Gen Petraeus said that, “People realize they’re not going to just leave them like we did in the past.” This has been a real sticking point with particularly the Shia in the southern half of Iraq. We left them hanging out before and the marsh Arabs (Shia) paid a terrible price at the hands of Saadam.

In another telling point, Gen. Petraeus said, “I walked down the streets of Ramadi a few days ago, in a soft cap eating an ice cream with the mayor on one side of me and the police chief on the other, having a conversation.” The general noted that this simple act wouldn’t have been possible just a few months ago. He noted, “And nobody shot at us.” The general points out that there is still a very long way to go, but major improvements are being noted.

When asked what tactics are working, the general said, “We got down at the people level and are staying. Once the people know we are going to be around, than all kinds of things start to happen.”

The general noted that where once they were scraping the bottom of the barrel for intelligence, now they have the beginnings of an intelligence overload. The general said, “After our guys are in a neighborhood for four or five days, the people realize they’re not going to just leave them like we did in the past. Then they begin to come in with so much information on the enemy that we can’t process it fast enough.”

The general reports that even the tribal leaders in Sunni al Anbar province have had enough of al Qaeda and the sectarian violence that they foment, all the civilian Iraqi deaths. The general reports that these tribal leaders are all entrepreneurial businessmen, and the violence is really hurting business and their wallets.

One of the civil projects that the violence had put on hold was a large hospital in the Sunni Triangle. Now we are there daily, the violence in down, and the hospital project is back on track. So are similar infrastructure projects. There is now work for the people to do to earn a living. The Sheiks have seen the misery that al Qaeda delivers and are encouraging the young Iraqis to join the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police and make a difference in their country. And they are turning out in droves.

Petraeus is using a similar formula in Baghdad’s Sadr City. They are clearing it neighborhood by neighborhood. The troops literally move in. They are mainly US Army and Marines with the Iraqi Army supporting them. That ratio is reversed, however, in some areas. The troops stay in the neighborhood. They do NOT go back to the large fortified bases every evening. Petraeus says that the results have been dramatic.

“We’re using ’soft knock’ clearing procedures and bringing the locals in on our side,” he said. The general notes that the local people fear and loath al Qaeda. This new procedure is allowing the locals to begin to trust our guys, and they are gradually coming over to our side. When they saw that we were just returning to our bases each evening and thus allowing al Qaeda to own the neighborhoods at night, they were afraid to help us for fear of being tortured and killed. Now they are seeing the change in our methods and responding.

Another big change has been our targeting of gathering places, like markets and mosques, for protective actions. Concrete barriers are being placed to prohibit vehicle bombs from getting into the heart of crowds of folks.

Also, with real jobs becoming more and more available, the people are less inclined to join local militias or groups like the Mahdi Army of Maqtada al Sadr. General Petraeus also notes that the Prime Minister, who is Shia, is actually getting out in Sunni areas like Ramadi and doing politician type stuff to win over the Sunnis to the central government.

General Petraeus estimates that about half of the al Qaeda leaders that were in Baghdad at the start of the surge have fled or killed or captured. He says that we are atritting then “at a fearsome rate.”

Another positive step by Petraeus has been his rewriting of the Rules of Engagement. They had gotten so PC that they were causing our trigger pullers to hesitate for that split second that gets you killed in combat. The general says that some commanders down from his level had placed even more restriction on the troops because they were afraid that their careers would be ruined by some JAG prosecution of soldiers for decisions taken in the heat of battle.

General Petraeus says that he has cleared up the ambiguities and has prohibited anyone other than himself from initiating changes in the rules. He also has prohibited lower ranking officers from issuing “supplemental guidance” to their troops regarding the ROE.

In a previous tour in Iraq, when he was in command near the Syrian border, Petraeus became known as “King David.” He is regarded by all that know him as one of the brightest and most capable officers in today’s Army. He just finished rewriting the military’s book on urban warfare and insurgencies before being appointed to replace Gen. Casey in overall charge of American troops in Iraq. Retired Gen. Paul Vallely said that Gen. Petraeus “was the perfect man for the job.” when he was appointed to his current assignment.

The person that wrote this assessment opines that early indicators are positive and that early signs are that we are winning. Gen. Petraeus cautiously noted that, “We’ll be able to evaluate the situation for sure by late summer.” The author here, who is a retired Army officer and current military contractor, says that our job now is to give Gen. Petraeus and his troops time and space to get the job done, to actually win this war.

I have been extremely critical of Pres. Bush for the restrictions that he has placed on our military’s methods and abilities to fight this war. I will continue to be. No war should ever be fought in a PC manner. It causes us unnecessary casualties. That said, nothing matches my loathing and disgust for the “cut and run” crowd of mostly Democrats, aided and abetted by some very whiny and wimpy Republicans. Am I questioning their patriotism? YES! Now let us all get together behind Gen. Petraeus and our marvelous warriors, and win this darn thing and then come home.

Eagles up!

Caleb

As usual we ask if anyone has dissenting opinions to express them in a kind way and please do not say anything bad about our military. They are not the politicians who sent them to war.