Good news from Iraq. General Petraeus is quietly optimistic, telling the NY Post about recent improvements in Ramdi. Having convinced locals they won't be 'abandoned' by US troops, commanders are enjoying an 'overload' of information intelligence. He cites al Anbar tribal chiefs, sickened by civilian deaths as al Qaeda continue to incite bloodshed.
"the sheiks up there are businessmen.. They are entrepreneurial and.. the presence of the foreign fighters is hitting them hard in the pocketbook and they are tired of it."
There are similar results in Sadr city where US troops, now living among villagers, are earning their trust with a new priority on safeguarding mosques, marketplaces and public places vulnerable to attack. Consequently there's been a huge flux of young Iraqi men joining the police and army, keen to purge their country of foreign insurgents. Welcome news indeed.
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