Baghdad Welcomes The Surge?
The new surge strategy has hit the streets of Baghdad, and thus far, it seems the Iraqi street has not hit back. The AP reports that the Shi'ite neighborhoods on which the new surge has concentrated has either welcomed the soldiers or shrugged at their presence:
The Baghdad neighborhoods targeted by the Americans — Shaab, Ur and Baida — lie north of the Shiite militia stronghold of Sadr City, which had been off-limits until Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki lifted his protection of the notorious Mahdi Army, the largest Shiite militia.Last year, U.S. soldiers came under intense sniper fire in those neighborhoods from Mahdi Army militiamen who were expanding into Shiite areas outside Sadr City.
This time, however, Iraqis watched in curiosity as some 2,500-3,000 troops — or an entire Stryker brigade — fanned out in the area, going house-to-house looking for weapons or suspected militia fighters as part of what it called "Operation Law and Order."
The increased security measures drew a mixed response from Iraqis — some angry over the inconvenience, others embracing any effort to stop the rampant violence.
"My friends and I who are the old women of the neighborhood went to the soldiers and welcomed them and prayed that God would help them to defeat the terrorists," said Um Sabah of the Mashtaal area in eastern Baghdad. "Although, the presence of army and vehicles is not very comfortable, we welcome it because it is for the sake of Iraq."
There was little if any resistance. Soldiers even teased one young girl about her taste in music after they found her doing homework on a couch, wearing white and pink socks with a poster of Shakira on the wall.
Some people left their doors open as the troops arrived, and little evidence of hostilities turned up other than some pictures of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, an illegal bolt action rifle and a heavyset man watching an insurgent propaganda video that he said had appeared while he was channel surfing.
So far, so good. With the Mahdis running out of the capital, the new security efforts appear to be getting almost no resistance. It also seems to be gaining acceptance and even appreciation from the residents in Sadr City. If the insurgents stay away long enough, Baghdad's residents will get used to this -- which will make their return all the more difficult.
Posted by Ed Morrissey on February 14, 2007 9:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (3)
