Soldiers of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, gather as they begin to pack at the Joint Security Station Comanche base south of the Sadr City district in Baghdad on June 24, 2009. (AFP/File/Ali al-Saadi)From The Christian Science Monitor:
The troops will form 'belts' around volatile cities like Mosul, where some fear gains in stability will be lost when US troops pull out on June 30.
Mosul, Iraq - The commanding general in charge of US forces in the north says American combat troops pulling out of Iraq's most volatile cities are being shifted to areas encircling the cities to try to stop what has proved to be a resilient Al Qaeda in Iraq and other insurgent groups.
Maj, Gen. Robert Caslen, commander of the 25th Infantry Division, says in an interview that he is watching closely to see whether a recent spike in attacks will continue after the June 30 deadline for US combat troops to withdraw from Iraqi cities.
Read more ....
Update: Elite Iraqi troops in forefront after US pullback -- Yahoo News/AP
My Comment: U.S. forces are not going to "encircle" cities per se, but I am sure that they are going to be placed at strategic spots before anyone can enter any of Iraq's cities. But will the violence continue? Hmmmm .... I personally think that it will. There is still too much bitterness and anger after so many years of war. It is probably going to take another generation or two before everything can settle down, and it is during this phase that U.S. and Iraqi forces must be vigilent in stopping those whose only interest is to ferment civil war.