Government troops began house-to-house searches for al-Qaida in Iraq militants in Mosul on Thursday, part of a major security operation to cleanse Iraq's third largest city from cells of the terror network.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki flew to Mosul on Wednesday to take charge of the operation by U.S.-backed Iraqi forces. Described by the U.S. military as the last major urban base of al-Qaida in Iraq, Mosul has become the site of al-Maliki's third security drive in two months as he attempts to defeat Shiite militants and Sunni extremists.
Al-Qaida, however, appears to be far from defeated.
The article goes on to tell of the enemy's latest atrocity.
But if the enemy is far from defeated, al Qaeda is much farther from victorious. Recall that a year ago, the surge was just beginning in reaction to the threat by Iranian-supported Shia thugs and Syrian-supported al Qaeda bombers to plunge Iraq into civil war. The surge of US forces was needed because the Iraqi security forces weren't strong enough to tangle with the terrorists.
But now, with US support, the Iraqis are able to take on both the Sadrists and the al Qaeda forces that still remain.
This, my friends, is progress. Counter-insurgency 101 is always about turning over the fight to locals. Unfortunately, we faced incredibly vicious, well-trained, and well-financed enemies inside Iraq that the raw Iraqi security forces could not handle.
We need patience in the face of tough enemies to win. But we are clearly winning.
