Iraq - Progress At a Price

John Moore

Getty Images

Progress At A Price - Patrol At Dusk - U.S. Army soldiers pause to rest while patroling the outskirts of Ramadi January 16, 2007 in Iraq's Anbar province, at the time the most dangerous place in Iraq. After 4 years of deterioriation, 2007 saw the U.S. military finally make some progress in Iraq, but at a high price. In January President Bush announced a surge of more than 20,000 fresh troops to help reduce the violence in Baghdad and in Anbar Province. The new Commanding General for Iraq, David Petraeus arrived with a bold strategy to take most U.S. forces out of megabases and put them in smaller combat outposts, in local neighborhoods. The result was an American casualty rate the highest of the war, but a modicum of stability returned to much of Baghdad and Anbar province, where alliances were made with Sunni tribes. The end of the surge begins in spring 2008 with U.S. troop reductions and Iraqi political reunification remains ellusive - thus while significant progress has been made, says General Petraeus, the gains are completely reversable.

John Moore, "Iraq - Progress At a Price," in POYi Archive, Item #41526, http://archive.poy.org/items/show/41526 (accessed April 21, 2025).