Petraeus Sees Gains Against Qaeda in Iraq

Commander credits Syrians for slowing flow of foreign fighters
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 21, 2007 6:28 PM CST
Petraeus Sees Gains Against Qaeda in Iraq
In this image released by the U.S. Army Thursday Nov. 1, 2007, U.S. Army soldiers from 1st Platoon, Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Task Force Iron, from Fort Lewis, Wash., along with Iraqi army soldiers from 3rd Company, 3rd Battalion,...   (Associated Press)

Al Qaeda in Iraq is a diminished threat, and credit goes not only to the latest US military push but to unexpected and "robust" efforts by Syria to keep foreign militants out, Gen. David Petraeus said in an extended interview in the Wall Street Journal. The top commander in Iraq said the number of foreign fighters entering through Syria has been cut by at least a third.

Iran has promised to stop sending weapons to Iraq, and seems to have done so, but Petraeus is adopting a “wait-and-see attitude” on that front. Major attacks are down 55% since June, bringing violence down to January 2006 levels. Successes on the ground in Iraq pose a complex problem for the commander: future drawdown have to be designed to maintain security gains and prevent insurgents from returning. (More Iraq stories.)

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