Monday, July 23, 2007

Some good news from Iraq

You can find the entire piece here. The money quote: "Listen to what New York Times reporter John Burns, who has covered Iraq for the last five years, told PBS talk-show host Charlie Rose last week: "I think, quite simply, that the United States armed forces here — and I find this to be very widely agreed amongst Iraqis that I know, of all ethnic and sectarian backgrounds — the United States armed forces are a very important inhibitor against violence," Mr. Burns said. "I know it's argued by some people [i.e., Democratic war critics] that they provoke the violence. I simply don't believe that to be in the main true. I think it's a much larger truth that where American forces are present, they are inhibiting sectarian violence and they are going after the people, particularly al Qaeda and the Shi'ite death squads, who are provoking that violence," he added. There are signs the surge has produced dividends in other areas of Iraqi governance and society. Recruitment for the Iraqi army and police forces is way up, attracting thousands of Iraqi men, including Sunnis. We are seeing the reappearance of professional soccer leagues in Baghdad, as well as new reconstruction projects in larger numbers."

UPDATE: In addition, the Times of London (via Captain's Quarters) reports that coalition forces in Iraq have developed dozens of informants within Al Qaeda in Iraq. Keep the pressure on!

Read the whole thing.