January 6, 2004

Iraq: Attacks Down Sharply Since Saddam Nabbed

Army Maj. Gen. Charles H. Swannack, Jr., commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division in its area of operations in Iraq, said today that attacks on coalition troops are down 60 percent in recent weeks. I first learned about this via Donald Sensing and then found the transcript of the brifing at the Department of Defense website.

I have not found this reported by the mainstream media, except for on the website of a television station in Harlingen, Texas. (Google search). This Reuters report from the press briefing does not mention it.

Here is the key excerpt from the briefing...

About six weeks ago, I stood here and described for you the state of Al Anbar Province, which has almost one-third of the land mass of all of Iraq and was part of the former Ba'athist stronghold. I described then that we were turning the corner in the West, and I'm here to tell you that we have turned that corner.

I also can tell you that we're on a glide-path toward success as attacks against Task Force All American forces have decreased almost 60 percent over the past month. I believe there are a number of reasons for this decline in the attacks. Our strategy has not changed and it remains very simple: first, we actively pursue, locate and kill or capture former regime elements, extremists, foreign fighters and criminals throughout our area of operations; second, we create jobs to employ military-age males in productive employment; and third, we consolidate or destroy the vast amounts of leftover weapons and ammunition from Saddam's military machine and make these unavailable to the enemy today. This strategy has reaped success and is the reason that we've turned the corner.

Let me further explain our success. We have killed or captured a large number of the leaders, the financiers and facilitators of the insurgency. We're not done yet, as there are a lot more of these folks out there, but we have been able to remove the ones recruiting, directing and providing weapons for attacks on coalition forces. As such, recent attacks on coalition forces have been much less effective in terms of injuries and equipment damage, and the devices employed now accurately reflect the title "improvised."

Let me just show you a makeshift RPG. This device right here was captured recently, before Christmas.

Now there are still some sophisticated devices out there, but this tells you of the dire need for forces attacking us to go ahead and use some improvised equipment to try to attack us. This is an RPG launcher.

Also, with the capture of Saddam Hussein, we have moved forward because those who had hope for his return no longer have that hope, and those who feared his return no longer have that fear. This lack of hope and fear within the populace has positively reflected in the surge of cooperation from all segments of the population at large.

Most notable is the number of local Iraqis turning information to our forces to help us rid this province of anti-coalition forces. A lot of good Iraqi people are tired of the violence and want to help the coalition. Tips turned in to us for action, both through our telephone lines and in person, are up over 50 percent right now.

UPDATE 1/07: A story yesterday from Agence France Presse carries a quote from Swannack on the decline in attacks - but wraps it inside coverage of attacks, implying Swannack isn't to be believed.