Extremists 'Getting Desperate' in Iraq, Army Colonel Says

MNF-I has an article from COL Tom James, Commander of the 4th BCT, 3rd ID who arrived in Iraq in 01 December 07. Having had the pleasure of working for COL James before, I read the article with interest. First, he states,

"This is a population no longer being intimidated by the extremists," he said. "They are tired of being terrorized, and they are standing up and saying, 'That's it.' They want to provide information and secure their families."

First and foremost, an insurgency needs support from the population. Al Qaeda has lost that support. Secondly, it needs an area from which to operate from. AL Qaeda is quickly losing it operating bases.

He said some 30 extremists have been terrorizing the population in the area (Babel) but now have been forced out of their sanctuaries. "We are taking that area away now, and they are desperate,"

Thirdly, an insurgency needs weaponry in sufficient quantity to strike at the enemy. Since its arrival into theater on 01 December 2007, it has uncovered,

25 improvised explosive devices, 10 caches, and eight extremist fighting positions, and has stationed 80 to 100 "Concerned Local Citizens" in Neighborhood Watch-type organizations to hold the area while the Iraqi Army is put in place.

Other Iraqi specific tensions are also now not present or not as present.

In addition, James noted continued progress toward non-sectarianism. "Shiia policemen are going after Shiia extremists and are not influenced by governmental or party organizations."

He clearly explains his unit's mission in accordance with our new counter-insurgency doctrine. The center of gravity is protecting the population to ensure they are not intimidated by the insurgency, giving them tacit support.

"Our mission is to secure the population, block accelerants, and defeat sectarian violence, allowing the security situation to grow and the population to grow more secure."

Finally, he states how we are reconstituting the Iraqi government.

"This results in economics and government that grows from the lowest level, which we call building local capacity."

COL James clearly lays out improvements he has witnessed on this third tour in Iraq. He clearly lays out why we are winning and will win in Iraq. He clearly lays out why many are saying Al Qaeda in Iraq are defeated.

Iraqi Forces are not only able to maintain gained territory (defensive postures), but are also able to execute intelligence-based operations (offensive actions). The Surge has not only been by US Forces, but also by Iraqi Forces who are now going on the offensive and winning, not only battles against insurgents, but also the hearts and minds of their countrymen. Both of these factors together will ensure Al Qaeda's defeat in Iraq.

As the US Surge winds down with the start of the New Year, the Iraqi Forces Surge will continue. As more and more CLCs are brought into Iraqi Security Forces military capacity will grow. As these grass root movements take hold, the central Iraqi Government will be forced to accept them.

Many people mistakeningly believe that movements must start from the top; however, as with our revolution, they typically start from the bottom and move up. This situation is what we are seeing in Iraq.

As COL James so aptly explains, we are buiding capacity from the ground up. Al Qaeda is losing capacity from both the ground up and the top down.

As the General McCaffrey Report points out, "The senior leaders of AQI have become walking dead men because of the enormous number of civilian intelligence tips coming directly to US Forces."