IRAQ: Security improves substantially in areas of western Baghdad

Teachers and students return to school as security sees a significant improvement in areas of western Baghdad and some claim that stability is almost in sight. Others, on the other hand, are still encountering difficulty in merely reaching school as road blocks and military vehicles take over their routes to class. The security situation in the Sunni area of al-Khadra of western Baghdad has seen a great improvement over the past few months as Iraqi military forces work to return stability to the area. Iraqi and U.S. forces launched a security plan called 'Operation Imposing Law' several months ago, aimed at substantially reducing sectarian violence in Baghdad and its surrounding areas. The plan was conceived after a wave of violence between majority Shi'ite and minority Sunni Arabs in February 2006 as well as the bombing of a revered Shi'ite shrine in the town of Samarra that killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and pushed Iraq toward civil war. Under the plan, U.S. troops left their bases and set up combat outposts in neighbourhoods while launching a series of summer offensives against Sunni Islamist al-Qaeda, other Sunni Arab militants and Shi'ite militias in the Baghdad and the surrounding area. Iraqi security forces said that violence in Iraq has dropped by 70 percent since the end of June as a result of the security plan. Amal Ibrahim Shukur, a teacher at al-Mutamayezat Secondary School in the neighbourhood, says that the improved security situation has encouraged a number of teachers and students to return to the school after moving to other schools to avoid a surge in violence. "Absence levels were high last year. Many students and teachers had moved (to other schools), but most of those who had moved from the school have returned this year and started to attend classes encouraged by the improved security situation, thank God, it is better and almost stable," said teacher Amal Ibrahim Shukur. Under Saddm Hussein, minority Sunni Arabs held sway in Iraq. Areas in Baghdad such as al-Khadra and neighbouring Jamiaa were relatively affluent Sunni communities. But in the past couple of years, Sunni Islamist militants moved in en masse to use the areas as a base for targeting U.S. and Iraqi forces. As a result, some 70 percent of the homes in some districts were deserted as residents fled the violence. Student Deena Ahmed says that closing most of the roads that lead to al-Khadra neighbourhood make it difficult for her to arrive at school on time. "My house is in al-Amiriya and the area was open, so we came by bus or minibus but now the area has been closed making it very hard for us to come to school. We, therefore, have to walk from al-Amiriya to al-Khadra since we can't come by car. It is so hard," she says. " It is summer now and we can walk but when winter comes we are not sure if we can make it during the rain and through muddy streets. It will be very difficult for us to walk," she adds. Many streets have been blocked as part of a security plan in Baghdad in order to prevent insurgents from moving from one area to another. Colonel David Boslego attributes improved security in the area is due to the efforts of the Iraqi army. "The overall situation is improving as a result of hard work by the members of national police in developing relationships with the community and re-establishing law and order and putting the government in control of the locations from the places where the militia and terrorists have been previously in control. This is a long term process, it doesn't get fixed overnight but the progress is noticeable in the past several months," Boslego said. U.S. forces hope to hand over half of Baghdad to Iraqi security control by the end of 2008, after violence in Iraq dropped to its lowest level since January 2006, said Lieutenant-General Raymond Odierno, who is in charge of U.S. forces' day-to-day operations in Iraq, His comments are significant because stabilising the capital, torn apart by sectarian violence, was the main goal of a 30,000 U.S. troop build-up that began in February, part of a plan to give feuding political leaders time to reconcile. The comments are likely to be seized on by opponents of the war in the United States, who want Iraq's security forces to assume more responsibility so that U.S. troops can begin pulling out. Handing over security responsibility for the nation's capital would be a major step in that direction. Supporters of President George W. Bush's "surge" strategy will see Odierno's comments as evidence the plan is working. Bush has asked Americans to be patient and give the strategy time to bear fruit. Even after handing over control, many U.S. troops in Iraq, who now number about 170,000, would almost certainly remain in an "overwatch" role to support Iraqi forces. U.S. generals say the Iraqi army, rebuilt from scratch since Saddam Hussein's ouster in 2003, is growing in strength, but critics say it is poorly armed and equipped, while sectarianism and corruption are still rife in the police force.

ITN Source | October 29, 2007

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