U.S. Army soldiers cut a chain off a gate with bolt cutters before securing the building and conducting a search for bomb and weapon paraphernalia in the neighborhood of Younis Al Sabawi in Mosul, Iraq, April 23, 2008. The soldiers are assigned to the 4th Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Sarah De BoiseFrom FOX News:
The Iraqi government is neglecting many of the successful counterinsurgency initiatives it is inheriting from the U.S. military.
BAGHDAD -- Violence is on the rise in Iraq as American troops withdraw. A ground-level look at the handover provides one explanation: The Iraqi government is neglecting many of the successful counterinsurgency initiatives it is inheriting from the U.S. military.
In the Adhamiya neighborhood of Baghdad, once an Al Qaeda stronghold, contractor Hossam Hadi used to send 1,000 military-aged men out on U.S.-funded jobs to pick up trash and repair bullet-riddled store fronts. That work pacified potential troublemakers, but now he's down to 60 workers.
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My Comment: It is still too early to tell .... but it appears that Iraq's security forces will still need more time to develop and grow, as well as Iraq's own (internal) intelligence services.