The Long War Journal: Two Years

Written by Bill Roggio on March 21, 2005 5:47 PM to The Long War Journal

Available online at: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2005/03/two_years.php

Two Years after the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Iraqi people have begun to take control of their future. John Burns of the New York Times reports on the improving security and economic situation on Haifa Street in Baghdad, once one of the most dangerous streets in Iraq. Once, a bevy of former Baathists and terrorists openly engaged Coalition forces in broad daylight, but have now they have been chased into the back alleys. The success can be directly attributed to two Iraqi battalions working in conjunction with an American battalion to patrol the seven mile street:

Last month, an Iraqi brigade with two battalions garrisoned along Haifa Street became the first homegrown unit to take operational responsibility for any combat zone in Iraq. The two battalions can muster more than 2,000 soldiers, twice the size of the American cavalry battalion that has led most fighting along the street. So far, American officers say, the Iraqis have done well, withstanding insurgent attacks and conducting aggressive patrols and raids, without deserting in large numbers or hunkering down in their garrisons.

General Petreus states the Iraqi battalions coming on line are “ready to fight," and Lt. Col. Macdonald, former commander of the Haifa Street task force believes "If we put in more Iraqi garrisons like this, that will be the final nail in the coffin."

Lt. Gen. John F. Sattler, commander of the First Marine Expeditionary Force, states that attacks in Western Iraq (including the al-Anbar province) are down to ten attacks per day, from the height of twenty-five a day last year, and "They're way down on their attempts, and even more on their effectiveness." Iraqi units have also taken control in Fallujah, once the bastion of the insurgency:

In Falluja, he [Gen. Sattler] continued, six Iraqi Army battalions and two security battalions that arrived after November's battle are functioning so well that the Marines have been able to reduce their presence to two battalions, from four, and turn over more security duties to the Iraqis.

Security expert Anthony Cordesman, who has been critical of the Iraq War, is optimistic of Iraq’s future and the state of Iraq’s security forces. He explains the reason the Iraqi Army had to be disbanded was because it was dysfunctional; "The war, desertions and looting left few units and facilities intact, and that most were not worth preserving." The Iraqi Army and security forces had to be broken down, purged of Baathists and Saddam loyalists, and rebuilt from scratch before it could be effective. No doubt mistakes have been made by the Bush administration, some of which are documented by Mr. Cordesman, but building a functional army in such a chaotic environment is a difficult task on its own. Two years later and the Iraqi Army are beginning to function as a viable fighting force, developing a core of professional officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs – the true backbone of a professional army).

Iraqi blogger Husayn, on the second anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom, explains why it was worth it (thanks to little green footballs):

Before March 20, 2003, we were in a dungeon. We did not see the light. Saddam Hussain was crushing Iraq's spirit slowly, we longed for his end, but knew we could not challenge him, or his diabolical seed who would no doubt follow him and continue his generation of hell on Earth.

Husayn also discusses the future of Iraq and the will of the Iraqi people to prevail and praises the true Iraqi patriots who have sacrificed their lives for their country:

Iraqis see the finish line, the finish line of freedom and democracy and a functioning nation. We can smell it, taste it, and like a sprinter, one who has broken his legs, but who has a heart full of passion, we will crawl there no matter what the cost. No matter what we must endure, we have realized what we can become, and that is the biggest result of the last two years.

Noone can take that from us. Not the terrorists, not those who want to question the good of the removal of Saddam, not those who want to reduce our glory for politics, none.

We have been brought from darkness to light. And not only has the future been made better for Iraq, but the martyrs of our nation, their blood is watering the roots of democracy across the world. We are watching our neighbors come closer to the light, and this only pushes us more, and makes us stronger in our burning desire to reach the finish line, to realize the dream that our people have had for so long.

Each of the men cited are cautious in their optimism, and rightfully so as there is much work to be done in Iraq. But if the attitude of Husayn is prevalent among the Iraqi people and members of its armed forces, Iraq will be a much different place in another two years.