Last Surge Brigade Coming Home
In December, I spent two weeks with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry Division as they systematically cleared al Qaeda from its strongholds south of Baghdad. They were doing a great job then, and now, it's time for them to come home.
The following is from a press release on the Multi-National Force - Iraq Web site:
The last of the five Army brigades to deploy with the "troop surge", the 2nd BCT will return in July after a 13-month deployment, during which soldiers detained more than 800 terrorist suspects and helped foster Iraqi self-governance.
The 3rd Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team has operated in the Arab Jabour area of southeastern Baghdad, where the number of attacks plummeted from about 30 a week when they arrived in May 2007 to about one a week now.
"All in all, it's been a very successful operation for us," Army Col. Terry Ferrell, 2nd Brigade Combat Team commander, told reporters at the Pentagon today via video teleconference from Forward Operating Base Kalsu, in Baghdad.
...[Over] the course of the year, 2nd Brigade helped establish 11 patrol bases in Arab Jabour. The centers are manned by coalition and Iraqi security forces who work and live together and coordinate efforts of some 5,000 citizen security group members known as "Sons of Iraq."
Coalition and Iraqi security forces, along with the Sons of Iraq, achieved significant gains through three division-focused operations: Marne Torch I, Marne Torch II and Marne Thunderbolt.
"The combined efforts of these operations resulted in over 800 suspects detained, over 600 weapons caches found and over 500 safely destroyed, and nearly 6,000-plus houses cleared so that we could continue to move through the area of operations, providing for a safe, secure environment," Ferrell said.
The colonel added that, in addition to these operations, an increased Iraqi army role in the area allowed local citizens to enlarge their presence.
"Over this past year, we've helped create city councils in each of our population areas," he said. "Neighborhood councils now give our communities a direct voice to the government."
Moreover, in the wake of security gains, the local agriculture and economy have flourished. In addition, private clinics continue to open, electricity and water are flowing easily into the area, and the community has established 25 new or refurbished schools.
"As we prepare to redeploy as the last of the five surge brigades," Ferrell said, "it's clear that the government of Iraq has begun to shoulder a larger responsibility for the citizens in the area that we have operated."
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And that's the way it's supposed to work, ladies and gentlemen.
Thanks to the brave men and women of the 3rd Infantry Division for a job well done. Welcome home.
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Chuck Holton
www.livefire.us