Eruption of New Violence in Iraq is Sign of Surge's Success! says Pentagon

Pentagon says new Iraq fighting arises from surge's success
AFP - 3/26/2008

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The Pentagon on Wednesday said an eruption of violence in southern Iraq, where US-backed government forces were battling Shiite militias, was a "by-product of the success of the surge."

"Citizens down there have been living in a city of chaos and corruption for some time and they and the prime minister clearly have had enough of it," he said at a Pentagon press conference.

At least 20 people were reported to have been killed in two days of fighting in Basra and another 20 in clashes in the Sadr City district of Baghdad, a bastion of Shiite militias that follow radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

The violence raised fears that a unilateral ceasefire called by Sadr last year, which US military officials have credited with helping to bring down last year's high levels of violence in Iraq, was coming apart.

Morrell, however, disputed suggestions that the fighting showed the risks of drawing down US "surge" forces.

"This has just begun this week," he said. "But I think at this early stage, it looks as though it is a by-product of the success of the surge," referring to the sharp hike in US troops in Iraq from earlier last year to quell violence.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hCRQcD2TIGwoSyU_ODCiwSBb...

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Mmmm, I love the smell of success in the morning! And the economy is healthy and we can all sigh a big breath of relief and commence buying plastic stuff from Wal-Mart again.

Move along! Nothing to see here. It's just war success...
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