General: Basra Violence Down 90 Percent
Associated Press ^ | November 16, 2007 | Lauren Frayer

BAGHDAD (AP) — Attacks against British and Iraqi forces have plunged by 90 percent in southern Iraq since London withdrew its troops from the main city of Basra, the commander of British forces there said.

The presence of British forces in downtown Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, was the single largest instigator of violence, Maj. Gen. Graham Binns told reporters Thursday on a visit to Baghdad's Green Zone.

"We thought, 'If 90 percent of the violence is directed at us, what would happen if we stepped back?'" Binns said.

Britain's 5,000 troops moved out of a former Saddam Hussein palace at Basra's heart in early September, setting up a garrison at an airport on the city's edge. Since that pullback, there's been a "remarkable and dramatic drop in attacks," Binns said.

"The motivation for attacking us was gone, because we're no longer patrolling the streets," he said.

Last spring, British troops' daily patrols through central Basra led to "steady toe to toe battles with militias fighting some of the most tactically demanding battles of the war," Binns said. Now British forces rarely enter the city center, an area patrolled only by Iraqis.

The majority of attacks now target Iraqi forces, but overall violence now is still a tenth of what it was in May and June.

"They're increasingly in the frame — more at risk — as they take over more responsibility," Binns said of his Iraqi counterparts.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g...98w8wD8SULV8O0

100,000’s of Iraqis Enthusiastically Return Home
Bottom Line Up Front ^ | Friday, November 23, 2007 at 01:53PM | Amy Proctor in Iraq



Iraqis who fled their country because of the war are returning by the hundreds of thousands to Iraq from Syria, Egypt and Jordan because of the improved security. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is providing the free bus and flight travel:



Residents welcome their relatives who have just returned from Syria after arriving in Baghdad November 21, 2007. REUTERS/Mahmoud Raouf Mahmoud (IRAQ)

The return is dramatic. Baghdad has been transformed:

Iraqi refugees are returning home in dramatic numbers, concluding that security in Baghdad has been transformed. Thousands have left their refuge in Syria in recent months, according to some estimates.

The Iraqi Embassy is organising a secure mass convoy from Damascus to Baghdad on Monday for refugees who want to drive back. Embassy notices went up around the Syrian capital yesterday, offering free bus and train rides home.

Saida Zaynab, the Damascus neighbourhoods once dominated by many of the 1.5 million Iraqi refugees, is almost deserted. Apartment prices are plummeting and once-crowded shops and buses are half empty.

Syria has absorbed the lion’s share of Iraqi refugees since the US-led invasion and subsequent insurgency, with the rest going to Jordan, Egypt and other countries around the region. They, too, report a growing number of returnees.




(Excerpt) Read more at amyproctor.squarespace.com ...

You realize what the Brits are saying here don't you?

Attacks in southern Iraq are indeed down 90% - and that is precisely because the Brits have essentially pulled out.

This directly contradicts all official American policy in Iraq where it is an article of faith that any pull out of US forces would cause even greater violence to break out. Indeed, this reason is held to be one of the key justifications for continued US military presence in Iraq.

And the Brit pullout from Basra/Southern Iraq suggests that the official US position on the issue is essentially bull****************.