Tuesday, September 02, 2008

U.S. hands back a quieter Anbar Province - International Herald Tribune U.S. hands back a quieter Anbar Province - International Herald Tribune

U.S. hands back a quieter Anbar Province - International Herald Tribune:
RAMADI, Iraq: Two years ago, Anbar Province was the most lethal place for American forces in Iraq. A U.S. marine or soldier died in the province nearly every day, and the provincial capital, Ramadi, was a moonscape of rubble and ruins. Islamic extremists controlled large pieces of territory, with some so ferocious in their views that they did not even allow the baking of bread.

On Monday, U.S. commanders formally returned responsibility for keeping order in Anbar Province, once the heartland of the Sunni insurgency, to the Iraqi Army and police. The ceremony, including a parade on a freshly paved street, capped one of the most significant turnabouts in the country since the war began five and a half years ago.
This was the province that two years ago was considered lost, but thanks to the Surge and the Sunni Awakening, it has been pacified.

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